Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-08-18
TIE MEXICAN DOLLAR DODGE.

THE MEXICAN DOLLAR DODGE.
Our esteemed contemporary, the Pitts
burg Post. is informed that certain mon
eyed institutions in Pittsburg and Ale
gheny have secured 100000 Mexican dol
lars from New York to be loaned out
to merchants and shop-keepers for the
purpose Of presenting an absolutely
: false and deceptive object lesson. This
little game is now in full blast, and
you can get drinks amounting TO 81
cents, cigars CT the same value, OF
bread, pies and cakes also valued a
/ 90 cents. with Mexican dollar in
change. for an American silver dollar
We have heretofore exposed the deep
tive character CT this so-called object
lesson, and are asked to republish the
way the Dodge is managed.
It is very easy 10 understand. On
our desk We have three silver dollars
The first is a Mexican dollar, the second
is an American standard silver dollar
and the third is an American trade col
lar. The Mexican dollar and The trade
/ dollar contain about an eQual amount Of
pure silver. both containing more than
the standard silver dollar. Now, we
will give The American trade dollar and
| 10 5-cert cigars. or five Decent loayes OF
bread for an American standard silver
dollar. The reason we can do this, and
these Piusburg shop-keepers can per-
form their offer, is very simple. Here
is the whole secre. Neither the Amer
can trade dollar nor the Mexican dollar
| is now legal tender in this country.
! There was g time when the trade dollar
was q legal tender in this country, and
hen it circulated side by side with the
standard silver dollar and the gold dol
lar. There was also q time, prior 10
1857. when the Mexican dollar was a
legal tender in this country by act Of
Congress, and, strange to say, the Mex
lean dollar at that time Went hand in
hand with our silver and gold dollars.
This shows the wonderful effect produc-
ed upon bullion by making it legal
tender coin. Without this quality the
bullion is so much metal thai very few
people want. With the legal tender
quality the bullion becomes coin that
everybody VENTS. Silver and gold as
bullion and silver and gold as legal ten
der coin are IS different as The rough
block Of stone and the statue chiseled
,herefrom by the sculptor.
Everybody to his taste, and if i I
COMFORTS with the sense Of business in
.egrity Of banks and traders to at
tempt a game of deception, such as we
have described, to accom- Nsh a partisan
purpose we DO not Object. But it is
10 be noticed that this very operation
demonstrates the value Of the legal ten
Ger brand put on silver. 1t is that brand
that made the gold dollar the equal Of
the silver dollar in the years prior to
the crime OF 1873. 1t was the lack Of
tha. brand that sent silver whirl.ng
down in value, from characterization un-
III 1875. when Mckinley and Bland
ioired hands in passing the silver dol
lar bill, renewing for the silver dollar
he legal tender right Of way. 1t is this
legal tender quality that makes a thou
sand dollars ouc CT a bit Of printed paper
whose intrinsic value is no, one-ffioth
part of cent. When free coinage sends
the intrinsic value Of silver up no one
VIII be able TO buy the Mexican dollar
for less than 100 cents.