The Portland daily press., 1896-03-28
A SILVER FIGHT AT ALBANY.
Exposure of the Effort to Invalidate the
Present Sterling Law.

Albany, N. Y, March 11.-Occasional-
" in legislation here. there is some.
thing of interest outside the realm OF
politics NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN which
women as well as men are concerned,
and families quite as much as the nc
quenters of saloons and corner groceries,
Such is the attempt to practically in
validate and make of no effect the bene-
| ficent Sterling silver law passed in 1894
as an amendments to the Penal Code, and
which makes it misdsmeanor, punish
able by fine and Imprisonment. for any
one in the State either TO manufacture
or sell goods marked Sterling, that d O
not contain 925 parts Of pure silver to 70
parts Of alloy.
| The law as it's lands is eminently just
| and proper. It works hardship to no one /;
it is for the BENNETT of no class in par
ticular, but is intended to prohibit, and,
| if strictly enforced, it WOULD prohibit
a species OF swindling against which.
unfortunately, there is, otherwise, very
little protection.
For it cannot he too widely understood
that in no description of goods is it mon
| easy to deceive the purchaser, than in
silverware Such is the peculiar nature
of the alloy that it may be fully half base
metal, and yet present the same appear
ance to the eye as though it were $1,000
pure silver, which is the Sterling stand
ard.
! Consequently great quantities of dis
honest silver have been palmed off for
| genuine; and even after the passage OF
the present law, an investigation in New
| York city disclosed the fact that most of
the leading dry goods and department
stores were still selling for Sterling"
| stuff that had no claim or title to the
name. Out of 80 specimens collected at
random, and assayed at the United
States mint, only ono reached the legal
standard, and in many there was not q
| farthipg's worth of silver in their COM
position.
OF course these exposures, and the con-
| sequent action taken to enforce the
statute, struck "a pretty hard blow at this
| illegal commerce and the bill now before
the legislature by which it is proposed
| to ''amend' the present law is clearly
enough an attempt to destroy its effect.
| For while reading very Dlausibly ON the
| surface it merely prohibits the MANU-
FACTURE of the dishonest or what has
been called dry goods" silver, and as
most Of it is made outside the State, this
would have little, if any, deterrent effect,
whereas the SALE being allowed under
the amendment, it would simply open
an outlet for the dishonest stuff through
any dealer disposed to handle it.
1t is no secret that the Gorham Manu-
featuring Company, whose name has
been associated with the cause of honest
silverware for more than half century,
ard whose trademark, the Lion, Anchor
and letter 6 is in itself the best guaran-
tee Of Sterling value that silverware can
have, are actively engaged in fighting
| this obnoxious bill, and that they have
the moral support, at least, of all the
leading silversmiths and jewelers. in the
State.
1t would be a strange thing, under the
circumstances, if alien manufacturers
and their resident allies should have
| sufficient influence over the legislature
of the State of New York, 10 briug about
| the passage of a measure SO plainly
against the best interests of the purchas.
| ing public. Nevertheless, the bill will
bear watching till the last hour Of tbs
present session.