The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-09-17
THE COINAGE OF SILVER
IT IS PLAINLY UNCONSTITUTIONA
 AND HARMFUL.

1T 10 LAAANL1 CNtOAoLi iACLAONAL
 AND HARMFUL.
 It is Not tho Money of the Constitution President Cleveland should Even Now Close the GIints to It-Reasons Clearly Set Forth.
 To tho Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER;
 The constitution gives congress the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof, and to regulate the value of foreign coin. The clause conveying the power is the fifth clause of section 8, article 1. The first section of the first article Is a general one and is as follows: "All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the United States, which shall consist of a senate and a house of representa- tives" A point, but not for present discussion, is that the wording of the clause makes representatives represen- tatives of the states and not represen- tatives of the people.
 Section 8 commences as follows; z f"Tne congress shall have power" Then follow the clauses. Clause is as follows: "5 To coin money, regulate the value thereof. and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures" In studying the constitu- ton, every word, every punctuation point must be carefully observed, weighed and measured. The great ob- ject of political writers of the day should be to put the constitution clear ly, forcibly and repeatedly before the people The safety of the country de- bends upon the elevation of the consti tuition far up above the disorders of the times and the passions of the wicked.
 The fifth clause may be divided, into phrases. The first phrase, 'to coin money needs no explanation. It means turning metal into money by the process of coining. Coming being the mechanical art by which money is made from metals, the mixing in of al Joy, the weighing, the fashioning, the stamping The second phrase, "regu" late the value thereof" is equally clear to those who are willing to understand it; and can only be misunderstood by those who wilfully pervert their under standing, or who unwittingly allow others to pervert or benumb it for them. To regulate means to govern, to adjust, or fashion, in accordance with established rule; to subject to law; to recognize method, mode and estab- lished custom The English word reg ulate" comes from the Latin word ''regulare,'' and that from the other Latin word "regula,'' which means a rule. measure, a boundary, anything fixed and indisputable. When, there fore. the constitution gives congress the power to coin money and to regu- late the value thereof, the meaning is That the ceining must be done in ac- COrOaHCG WILL SOlIlt ilhcI, ColoOlAoiASNA and inviolable rule; that some inaltera- ble law must be observed and obeyed. What is the law. the unalterable, fixed and universal law, the law of the civil lized world, the law of finished experi- ence. the law of honor and of truth, the one and only possible law? There is no use of answering. The answer comes readily, that the only possible law Is that coins be of full and face value The English sovereign must be worth sovereign. The English shilling must he worth a shilling. The French Louis must be worth Louis. The French franc must be worth franc. The American dollar must be worth dol lar. If congress affix the stamp of the United States to a coin, thus setting forth and publishing its value, the val lie of the coin must correspond to the value set forth Otherwise the United States is made to appear liar. The power conveyed to congress Is the pow CT to coin money of full value. This and no other is the delegated constitu' tionaI power. The coining, therefore of money which is not of full value k unconstitutional and should be stopped hv the executive in the exercise Of his duty to protect and defend the consti' tuition. The coining of silver, so-called dollars is in gross violation of the con stitution. The presidents imperative IA ,+p if The OnlS way in which the present coining car be Justified is by an amendment to tht constitution eliminating the word reg ulate" and substituting the word "de' base" for the silver, so-called, dollar O to-day is not regular, but debased. Tt suppose that the States when they formed the Union intended to give con gress power to coin and issue debased spurious and false money is too ridicu lous to be discussed outside of Bryal Iunatic asylum. On the contrary S.