The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-11
SECTION WAS SNEAkED IN
Senators Afterwards Said They
Were Ignorant OF 1t.
REVISED STATUTES A FORGERY
How Sherman Was Corned by Senator
Logan, and How His Handiwork
Was Repudiated by Other
Honorable Senators.

Honorable Senators.
To the Editor: There is one feature
of the honest money" plank in the
platforms of the two mono-metalllc
parties which they modestly keep out
of sight. They fail to state how they
come by what they style "honest mon
ey"; and Democratic speakers seem tc
have lost sight of it. will explain.
Senator Sherman's act of February
~, 1873, simply stopped the coinage
of the silver dollar, but did not de
1nonetize those that were in circula
ton. The act is entitled, IAN act re.
v;sing and amending the laws relative
to the minis, assay offices and coinagt
of the United States" The act cover:
ten pages of the Statutes at Large, and
may be seen at page 424 of the nth
volume. The coinage of silver is pro-
vided for by the 18th section of this
long act, which is to be found on the
427th page. 1t is as follows:
Sec. Is. That the silver coins of the
United States shall be a trade dollar
half dollar, or fifty cent piece, quar-.
ter dollar. or twenty-five cent piece
and the weight of the trade dollar shall
be four hundred and twenty grains
troy; the weight of the half dollar shall
be twelve grams (grammes) and one
half of gram (gra1nme); the quartz
dollar and the dime respectively one
half and one-fifth of the weight of tht
said half dollar; and said coins shall
be legal tender at their normal value
for any amount not exceeding five do
lars in any one payment.
Tt is seen that no provision is made
for the coinage of the time-honored
legal tender dollar, and the title of the
act. its length, and the adroit phrase.
ology of the 18th section, caused all
the members, of both houses who had
not been let into the secret, to overlook
the fact that the American dollar had
not been provided for. 1t was simply
let alone. Indeed, the omission TO pro
vide for the coinage of the legal tender
dollar was not likely to be thought o.
at time when neither gold nor silver
were ever seen. When nothing bui
Greenibacks and bank bills We're in cir
culation.
The 10th section provides for the
minor coinage of nickels and coppers
and the nth section provides that nc
other coins shall be issued than those
above named.
But demonstration was effected by
the revisers of the statutes at large
This work was going on while Mr.
Sherman was engineering his bill
through the Senate for stopping the
coinage of the dollar. The original act
authorizing the revision was passed
June 27. 1866, entitled "An act to pro
vide for the revision and consolidation
of the statutes at large of the United
States
The President was authorized TO ap
point three commissioners, learned III
the law, to revise simplify, arrange ano
consolidate all statutes of the United
States, general and permanent in Their
nature, WHICH SHALL BE in FORCE
AT THE TIME THE COMMISSIONERS
SHALL MAKE THE FIRST REPORT
OF THEIR D0INGS.
The second section enacted, STha'
in performing this duty, the commls
sioners shall bring together all statutes
and parts of statutes which
from similarity of subject
ought to be brought together
emitting redundant and Obsolete
enactment, and making such altera
tions as may be necessary to reconcile
the contradictions, supply the omis
sions, and amend the imperfections o
the original test" etc.
The Revisers were required to plac'
in the margin of every section "notei
referring to the statutes from which
each section was compiled" They tool
am oath to execute the law in con
formity with the foregoing act. The.
took an oath to put nothing IN bh'
Revised Statutes that they dld no
And in the States at Large. But u
disregard of this oath, the revlsers Il
serted the following clause:
"Section 1886. The silver COINS OIL Ih
United States shall be a legal tenoe
at their nominal value for any amour
not exceeding five dollars IN any on
payment"
The reader may see in the reylsaI
of 1874 and in 1878 that section 500
has no marginal reference opposite
it; and for the good reason that ther
was no act of Congress to warlan
it-not even the Sherman act of Feb
ruary ~, 1873.
The section 1886, in the Revisal, was
therefore, forgery; and forgery &C
companied by the perjury of the for
gers. And this is the origin of tn
"honest money!" which the mono
metallists tell us it is treason and an
archy to reject and denounce.
The true nature of the Sherman act
and the forged characterization claus
in the Revised Statutes were not dis
covered for two or more years; br
when the discovery was made, the
were denounced by all parties and b
the press generally. They We're d.
novnced in Congress, and repudiate'
md all knowledge of their purpos