The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-06-26
o NLIMITED COINAGE COUNTRIES.
In All of Them Gold Has Been Driven
Out by Silver.


A reader of Nevada, No., asks us to
"name the Governments of the world
having unlimited coinage of silver
double standard)."
Countries having the unlimited coin
age of silver have not "double
standard" but the single silver stand
ard. The coinage laws of different
countries vary greatly, so that it is
difficult to group them with more
than approximate accuracy, especially
as the laws are changed from time to
time. The countries having the silver
standard, according to the Director of
our Mint, on January l, 1896, were as
follows:
The Central American States, Costa
RIGA, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
and Salvador, whose peso, or dollar,
was worth in our currency 49, cents.
China, whose Shanghai tael de.
clined from $1.033 in 1888 to GIT
cents on July l, 1894.
Ecuador, whose sucre, or dollar,
was worth 49.1 cents in January last,
though it was worth $3.50 in 1880.
Colombia, whose dollar is of equal
value with that of Ecuador, and has
declined to the same extent.
India, whose rupee was originally
worth 48 cents, but on January l,
1896, was worth 23.3 cents.
Japan, where gold is the nominal,
but silver the actual, standard. At
the date named the gold yen was worth
99.7 cents in our currency, and the
silver yen 52.9. In 1881 tho silver
yen was worth S9.S cents.
Mexico, whose dollar was worth
So. 8 cents on January l. The Mexican
dollar contains 377.l7 grains of pure
silver, or nearly four grains more
than our dollar. Yet our silver dollar
has frequently bought two Mexican
dollars.
Persia, whose kran was worth 9
cents in our currency on January 1.
It contains about 81 grains of pure sill
yer, one-third as much as our half dol
lar.
Peru, whose sol, or dollar, was
worth 49,. cents. In 1SS0it was worth
1915.
Tripoli, whose mahbub was worth
44.S cents, though in 1880 it was worth
74.S cents in our currency.
Russia is also mentioned in the re-
port as having a nominally silver
standard, though the currency is
paper, whose depreciation is measured
in gold. The coinage of silver on pri-
vate account has, however, been sus-
pended for two or three years, SO that
it does not now rank as q country
where unlimited coinage prevails. It
is proper to add that there are other
countries in the list where coinage,
though unlimited, is not free. Mex
leo, for example, permits the unlimit-
ed coinage of silver on private ac-
count, but charges 4. Al cents for coin
ing a dollar. The Mexican dollar,
therefore, costs the owner OF the bull
ion 1892 grains of pure silver and AL
cents more than our silver dollar would
cost him under free coinage.
1t will be seen that all these coun-
tries have deprecated and fuctuating
currenc1es. 1t is this group of coun-
tries that the United States are asked
to join in opening their minis to the
unlimited coinage of silver at ratio
nearly twice it's commercial value. The
silverites are wrong in saying that
they propose unlimited coinage with
out the cooperation of any other
country on earth. What they propose
is to prefer the cooperation of Central
America, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador,
China, India, japan, Persia and Trip
oil, with which our trade is compare
lively small, to Great Britain, France.
Germany, Austria and all other coun-
tries not here hamed, which take near
ly all our exports and furnish most of
our imports. Is there any warrant for
this nce?-Lou1svill Courier
Journal.