The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-01-15


them will undergo
criticism and more or less alteration
before final acceptance. President Nc
knley has expressed his approval of
the idea in general way, and Secre-
tary Gage is anxious to issue the notes
and certificates as quickly as possible.
Being banker himself, he fully APP
preciates the defects of the currency
now in the hands of the people. 1t
may be artistic, but the various de-
nominations are not easily distinguish
able from each other, and even the
numerals on them are obscure and
hard to make out. This makes count
Ing troublesome, and a person has to
look sharp If he would avoid giving a
IS note for 81.
Secretary Gage is Of the opinion that
everyday usefulness is of more impor-
lance in the currency of the nation
than high art. Pretty pictures of re-
cumbent ladies and naked boys are
well enough in their way, but they cut
no particular ice, so to speak, in con-
nection with hard and vulgar cash.
The most important point in a piece of
paper money is it shall be easily recog-
nizable. Its denomination must be ap-
parent at glance, and its kind also,
whether treasury note, bank note, or
certificate. OF course, safety against
counterfeiting is not to be lost sight
of. 1t is believed that all of these re-
quirements are met by the new de-
signs. Anybody who has a handful of
these bills will be able to separate
them in an instant into their different
classes, so as to count them offhand
and without scrutiny. At the same
time, the greater simplicity Of their
patterns will render them actually
more difficult to initiate successfully.
The very elaborateness Of the notes
now in circulation confuses the eye.
For illustration, take the 81 bill. The
designs for this denomination are al
ready finished, and are very handsome.
There are only two, one for the face
and one for the back, because all 81
bills will have the same patterns,
whether certificates, bank notes, or
treasury notes, When you see bill
With a big spread eagle in the middle
of the face, you will recognize it as a
81, without even looking at the large
numeral beneath. How, then, are you
to understand what kind of a 81 bill
it is? The answer is, simply by the
color in which the big numeral of de-
nomination, the treasury seal and the
number of the bin are printed. If it
is a treasury note, these will be in
red; If a silver certificate, they will
be in green; if bank note, they will
be in blue. There will be no other
differences, except that each kind of
bill will have its own legend. But peo-
pie do not want to stop and read the
legend in order to find out whether a
bill is a bank note or a certificate
They do not have to do so, inasmuch
as the color shows that.
At present there are three different
designs of 81 bills. Under the new
arrangement there will be only one de-
sign, the Sole variation being in the
colors, as described. 1t will be the
same way with the 50 bill; instead of
three patterns there will be one. This
scheme will be carried out through all
of the denominations of paper money.
There are nine denominations in all.
Running from 81 to $1,000. Under the
present system there are q patterns.
Just think of it-27 sorts of paper cur
rency! 1t is enough to confuse the
people, especially when it is consid-
cred that during the last few years the
designs have been undergoing radical
changes with every new administra-
ton. Obviously, counterfeits are much
more likely to be detected if the users
Of the currency are thoroughly famil-
lar with it's appearance, so as to be
struck by anything that is not exactly
as it should be.
For the new 81 bin a head of Wash
ington has been chosen Professionally.
On either side of it two classical fig
ures of the allegorical sort will re-
cline. Thus something will be done
for art incidentally. 1t would be a
mistake to suppose that the new mon
ey is to be executed in a spirit of
commercial philistinism; on the con-
trary, it will be very handsome indeed.
One thing very noticeable about it is
the broad blank spaces which are left
on both face and back of each bill.
Something like one-thIrd of the entire
area of the note in each case is a
blank. The back has not so much as