Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1898-01-06

49, hthSu udLn. ana circulate there
Mr. Cannon. The gentleman from
Nevada has asked me a question.
Does he desire that I shall answer
it?
Mr.. Newlands. Certainly:
Mr.. Cannon then proceeded to at
tempt to answer Mr.. Newlands' CUES.
ton by stating that the mint was too
FAR from the center of population.
A vote was then taken on the Dead
wood proposition which carried by a
close vote.
MIR. Newlands then gained the
floor and proceeded as follows:
MIR. Newlands. Mr.. Chairman.
am very much indebted to the gentle
man for his courtesy, and offer the
following amendment:
The Clerk read as follows:
Amend paragraph 55 by inserting
between lines II and 1s the,followmg:
mint at Carson, Nevada: For
Superintendent, $4,000, assayer and
melter and retiner, at s2,5OO each;
chief clerk, Sl,SCO; bookkeeper, cash
ier, assistant assayer, assistant mel
ter and retiner. and weigh clerk, at
$1,000 each; in all Sl7,3OO.
"For wages of workmen, $4,000
for incidental aud contingent ex-
penses, including wastage of opera
tive officers and loss on sale of
speeps $1,000.
Mr.. Newlands. Mr.. Chairman, the
customary five minutes will not per-
NIT me to present all l wish to sub
NIT on the subject and l Will ask the
indulgence Of the House for at least
ten minutes.
The Chairman. The gentleman
ftom Nevada asks permission to
speak continuously ten minutes.
Is there objection? [After a pause. !
The Chair hears none.
Mr.. Newlands. MIR. Chairman, there
are, or were five mints in the Unit ed
States. One at Philadelphia, one at
San Francisco. one at New Orleans,
one in process of construction at
Denver, and one at Carson. Vhe
mint at Carson is abolishe ed by this act
The question has arisen in the dis
cussion Of the last amendment as to
where the coinage should properly
be done-whether in the East, in the
great commercial and banking CEN
ters Of the country, or in the West,
where the bullion is produced-and
my learned friend from Illinois (Mr.
Cannon) labored under the misappre
hension that these assay offices and
mints were organized in the Western
States with a view of enabling the
miners there to get higher price for
their product, unmjndful of the fact
that 30 far as gold is concerned-and
coinage is now confined to gold, ex-
cept as the accumulated stock-it. is
the privilege Of the miner now to
take his bullion to the mint and have
it turned into coin; that he receives
the coin, the Government making no
purchase OF bullion whatever, The
question is whether that convenience
should be afforded to him nearer the
source Of production or 5000 miles
away, In the Eastern States.
And here let me make the sugges-
tion that had the mining regions OF
tins country been opened when our
Government was formed, undoubted-
ly the mints would have been placed
nearer the mines, just as every 1n-
dustry is placed near the source Of
the product with which it deals.
There is no donbt that had all the
bullion OF the country the gold and
the silver, produced during the past
thirty years been mined in the West,
orr financial condition would have
been uch better, for III that case,
with both the gold and silver, the
miner would simply have received in
payment gold and silver com. Now,
imagine how that would have simpli-