The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-26


value Of the national coinage was to
conform it to the real as well as ac-
credited valuation of the material to
be used. This is also the power given
over the foreign coins. 1t was to reg
ulate their value not to give them
values they did not in fact possess. II
there could be departure from real
values in regulating domestic coins
that could also be followed in regu-
lating the values of foreign coins, and
fictitious valuation be given to all
the money of the country.
mo more intolerable obstacle could
be placed in the way of commercial re-
lations with other countries which 1t
was one Of the objects of the const!-
tuition to promote and advance. And
that was not overlooked, ror this early
action CT congress was calculated 10
adjust the coinage to the standards OF
the commercial world. IT was not
United States to other nationalities but
to give them all the advantages of
selves and foreign nations
And so this unit of the coinage re.
mained with slight variations until
1873. 1t was then changed to gold, not
because of any unfriendly attitude to
the silver dollar but because that dol
lar began to give evidence OF future
instability and that had impressed it.
self on the other commercial nations:
and a coin OF more fixed ability was
deemed to be required to furnish
durable standard of money value. The
other commercial nations We're declar-
ing that gold alone was that coin and
by the act of 1873 the gold dollar was
given the position that the silver dol
lar had previously maintained In the
that was really the most that was
done for this coinage by the law OF
etizing silver but no accusation has
ever been more unfounded. 1t did not
future free and unlimited coinage on a
better ratio of value, making it 42O to
- 20
viously had been. And this coinage
remained unchanged until tine act of
July 90, 1876 deprived this silver dollar
OF its legal tender quality, which had
extended to the sum of S. in any one
payment. But this was no serious
change so far as private transactions
were concerned, inasmuch as the Unit
de States paper currency was then
conveniently fulfilling all the legal ten
der requirements.
During the interval between 1873
and 1876 more silver dollars and other
silver currency were issued than dur
ing any other equal preceding period
of time since the formation of the Fed
eral government. Instead, therefore,
of being an act to demonetiZe silver,
the act of 1878 greatly continued and
increased it's free coinage. And so ia"
as these silver dollars remained in this
country, they afterwards were coined
into standard dollars under the au-
thority Of a law Of 1887. And the
standard dollar has been coined down
to the present time on the old ratio,
although it has forfeited the right to
that coinage on every sound principle
of monetary safety. No fair ground of
complaint can therefore exist against
the silver coinage laws, unless it be
that they are now too generous 20
metal which has so far fallen below
the standard that safe coinage re-
quires to be maintained. They sure
ly should be changed. allowing a liber-
al and increased coinage of fractional
silver on q sound ratio which is now
convertible into United States treasury
notes. And thai is permitted by the
Republican platform, which goes no
farther than to deny the right of the
free coinage of the silver dollar on the
ratio of sixteen to one"
--------s-
A somewhat startling statement is
made In well-known musical paper to
the effect that the Gospel Hymns"
singing book is directly responsible for
the Armenian massacres. 1t is said
that the hymns in this book were trans
lated into the Armenian tongue and
used in church worship by the converts
OF the American missionaries and were
very popular. The attention of Turkish
officials was called to the titles of many
of the songs such as Onward Christian
Soldiers" and other warlke themes.
The matter was laid before the sultan,
who became convinced that the mis-
sionaries were planning an uprising and
that the church hymns were battle
SONGS. 1t was then that the resolution
to exterminatc the Armenian race was
formed. This plausible explanation of
the most shocking butchery in the his
tory of the world may perhaps be taken
with grain of allowance, but if true it
must furnish food for reflection on the
part of those who are jealous to convert
the heather in foreign lands while the
heather at home continue to walk in
darkness.
Lackawanna county evidently had no
desire to get in OH the ground floor