Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-12

| chosen. This will be a distinct advan-
tage to those whose work 1t is to count
large sums in bills, as all notes Of one
denomination will be the same general
design, and the character of the note will
| be determined by its color since all notes
| Of a class will be uniform.
1t has been decided with regard to the
back OF the notes to have them nearly
all alike. Green will continue to be the
| prevailing color, so that the time-honored
| name OF "greenbacks," by which the
| Americans have been accustomed to refer
| to their paper currency, is in no danger
Of being retired on pension.
One very marked Improvement that the
new bill will have in comparison with the
old, is that on the broad expanse Of
green there will be large white space.
This may not seem very important
matter to the average citizen, but, never
theless, IL will cause a deeper wall to be
heard in the camp OF the counterfeiters
than anything else about the new bills.
For years experts have been wrestling
with the problem of how to assure the
instant detection of the absence Of silk
threads, a popularity Of genuine notes
that counterfeiters have always had
trouble with. Experts have agreed that
this white space on the green back OF
the bill will effectually solve the problem,
as the absence Of the threads is plainly
noticeable on the white space.
Since 1t became known that the Urea
sury officials contemplated changing and
improving the paper currency, the de-
partment has been inundated with all
kinds of suggestions, most of them OF
the freak variety and nearly all coupled
with the assurance that the writer as
ISOLATED with tho moneyed men Of the
country and knew that his suggestion
embodied the consensus OF opinion Of
those who would have the chief handling
Of the bills. Some Of these letters have
contained suggestions Of value and the
result of adding to the ideas gained by
years of experience in the Treasury De-
partment, the best Of these suggestions
made from the outside, has produced a
series Of notes that will make life plea
santer to the overburdened employees of
banks and money changing institutions.
Although the designs have practically |
been decided upon, and Will take the |
shape described above, the new bills will |
not be ready for circulation for several |
months. The getting out Of new money /
is necessarily a slow process and it is |
well for honest men that It Is So The |
engraving of United States bills, in the |
elaborate manner that is necessary, is
not work of days or Of weeks, but of
months 1t will probably be at least six
or eight months before the engravers
will have completed their work on the
new bills, and further time will elapse
before they can be printed and dried
ready for circulation. 1t is possible that
before that time, if the plan of Secretary |
Gage is carried out, there Will be a re-
vision and unification of the paper cur
-ency Of the country. The plan of Sec
rotary Gage anticipates such change
IN a measure and can be easily adapted
10 It, II the existing forms Of paper
money should be done away with by
and in their place a single
,lass of government notes substituted,
resting upon the combined gold and silver
'eserYe, the design drawn for the Sec
-etary will be applicable, and each design
IAN be put to use.
The unification Of the paper currency
will simply do away with the necessity
or the distinctive coloring OF the seals
n order to distinguish between the pres
mt complicated varieties Of paper money.