The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-29
ORIGIN OF A COIN LEGEND.
Director PrestOn's History of ''In God
We Trust"
washington Letter in New York Post

Washington Letter in New York Post.
"A good many questions are received at
the treasury said Director Preston, of
of the legend, In God We Trust which
appears nearly all of our coins. So far
as the department records. show, the first
suggestion for the recognition of the Deity
on the coins of the United States was made
by NJ r. Watkinson, of Ridleyvile, Pa,
pei in letter dated Nov. 49,, 1861. He
wrote to Secretary Chase somewhat as fol-
lows: You are probably a Christian:
What if our Republic were now shattered
beyond reconstruction? Would not the an
tiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly
reason from our past that we We're
instead of the Goddess of Liberty we shall
have next inside the thirteen stars a ring
inscribed with the words, perpetual
crowned with a halo; beneath this eye the
American flag, bearing in its field stars
equal to the number of the States united;
in the folds of the bars the words God,
Liberty, Law" This would make beauti-
full coin, to which no possible citizen could
object. This would relieve us from the
ignominy of heathenism. This would place
us openly under the divine protection we
have personally claimed. From my heart
/ have felt our national shame in disown-
ing God as not the Least of our present ma
tional disasters. To you first l address
subject that must be agitated.'
Whether moved by this letter or not, it
is impossible to say, but it is a fact that
on the goth of November, just week later,
the mint at Philadelphia, in which he said:
No nation can be strong except in the
strength of God or safe except in His de-
tense. The trust of our people in God
should be declared on our national coins.
You will cause a device to be prepared
without unnecessary delay, with a motto
expressing in the fewest and terseSt words
possible this national recognition 1t was
found, however, that it did not rest within
the province of the director of the mint
to attach new motto to the national
coins. Congress, by a law passed in 1891
had prescribed what notices and devices
might be placed upon the coins of the
United States. The director of the mint
accordingly got up his design for submis-
sion to the secretary, and through him to
these Our Country, Our God and God,
Our Trust These did not wholly suit Sec
as follows in a letter to the director of the
mint: I approve your notices, only sug-
costing that the first should begin
with our God" so as to read Our God
and Our Country" and that the motto on
the shield should be changed so as to read,
instead of God, Our Trust" In God We
Trust
IAN act was passed April %, 1864, chang
ing the composition of the one-cent piece
and authorizing the coinage of the two
cent piece, the devices of which were TO be
fixed by the director of the mint, with the
approval of the secretary of the treasury
and it is upon the two-cent bronze piece
peared. By an act of March 8, 1865, it was
provided that in addition to the legend and
device on the gold and silver coins of the
United States it should be lawful for the
director of the mint, with the approval of
the secretary of the treasury, to place the
motto In God We Trust on such coins
as shall admit of the inscription thereon.
Under this act the motto was placed upon
the $40, $40 and IS gold pieces, and in the
latter part of 1863 upon the so and 25-cent
silver pieces. The dime does not now con-
tain the legend. BY the coinage act of
1873 it was provided that this motto should
be inscribed on such coins as admit of it.
That is the existing law. The English SOW
ereign contains the words Del Gratia,' Of
like import"