The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-10
SOUTH END Hotel
Fish suppers, with real
fish just out of the water.
w. NJ. BOHAN,
Proprietor.
A NEW GOLD DOLLAR.
Talk of Demand for the Resump-
ton of It's Coinage.
From the Chicago Times-Herald.

AAC NCAfdtA lOl ~ oiiidiltL SOtQ tO.ll
than any now in circulation suggests the
delightful possibility of something artistic,
convenient and at the same time indicat-
ing in some way our national Characters
tics, and large enough not to lose itself
IN the meshes OF a purse or masquerade
as new penny when we meet our pen
| sioner the tramp.
! When congress abolished the coinage OF
! the gold dollar in 1890 the reason urged
was the smallness Of the coin which made
it Inconvenience for handling, and the pa
! per and silver dollar-the IshmaeHte of
commerce-took its place. People enlarged
their pocketbooks 10 admit the cart wheel
| of silver, but it had the merit of not Slip
| ping out of sight in the crevices and It
represented quantity If not quality. Men
read it's motto In God we trust" peck
eted il reVerently and spent it freely bur
a bar sinister was on its shield, and the
| prediction that its day is nearly over may
| be safely made
With the retirement of the gold dollar
| the 50 gold piece and the nickel Scent
| piece also passed into disuse and these
coins now command a high premium. A
sold dollar of the year 1854 recently sold
for 500, while one for 1875 was seized
| greedily by a collector at SIS. 1t is posi-
BILE 10 pick up a mudlated one which has
| done service as watch charm or bangle
| for merely double its face value, but those
| opportunities are rare.
The gold dollar-in spite of it's small
size-was in circulation for forty years,
from 1919 to 1889. During that time 49,
499,337 were ISSUED, of which IS .22S ass were
| coined at the mint in Philadelphia The
| New Orleans mint which was engaged
in their coinage only from 1919 to 1855, a
period of six years, issued 1004OO0. Since
then this mint has been exclusively used
in the coinage of silver dollars.
The mint of San Francisco coined only
1922, beginning in the year 1854, and con
tinuing at irregular intervals until 1870,
when it stopped entirely. The mint of
Dahlonega, Ga, and of Charlotte, N. c.,
both of which suspended operations in 1861
coined respectively $72,529 and 500 worth of
these minute coins.
Amusing mistakes were often fine result
of an indiscriminate mixing of gold with
baser coins. One instance was where a
well-known financier was importuned on
the balcony of a popular hotel for some
pennies for band of street musicians A
charming young woman carried the hat
around and took up the collection. The
capitalist tossed a gold dollar into the
hat, thinking il a penny.
"Oh, ny -, did you mean to put in
so much?" asked the surprised girl.
The donar imagined that She was chat
ing him, and responded heartily that 1t
was what he intended TO give, but when
the fund had been distributed and he learn
ed of his unintentioual lavishness ne was
consumed with chagrin at his mistake
This was a different experience from that
of Henry Ward Beecher, who gave a
hackman-after paying his bill-a gratui-
" of a quarter, as ne supposed, but which
turned out to be a $10-gold piece. The
man ran after his distinguished fare and
tried to return the money, but Mr.. Beech
er said: Keep it for your honesty, my
friend and save me from squandering 1t
again" the fact being that both large
An n al for n
ity through the fingers of the great preach
er.
That conscientious old Maryland farmer
who gave us the motto In Good we trust
for our gold and silver coin builded better
than he knew, for he indicated to all the
world our creed on our currency, and a
national reliance on divine support in
governmental affairs. The sentiment is
| the same as the one he submitted to Con-
gress in 1861. when S. p. Chase was Seere-
tary of the Treasury, but the words suS-
gested were God our trust" taken from
our national hymn, THE Star Spangled
Banner" and recommended in these
| words 1.-THE sentiment Is familiar TO eV-
| cry citizen of our Countrywide time rs
propitious; tits an hour of national peril.
Let us reveutly acknowledge his severe
ignty and let our coinage declare our trust
in Cod"
In April, 1854 the first United States
coin was stamped with 'In God we
| trust"
Now is the propitious time for a coin Of
victory. the most splendid historical CON
| the world ever saw, one that, like the
coins of ancient Rome, will tell the his
tory of an era, the Mizpah of gold. which,
| while it announces our victories, shall per
petuate our honor and announce our
| gratitude Lest we forget, and at the
same time give to the nations commerce
a useful article of money, beyond danger
of depreciation.
1t is said that we have gold in use TO-
day which was in use at the time OF the
| Roman empire.
How we are to make a gold dollar larger
than its predecessor will puzzle our coin
makers We cannot give il a composite
border. on the same plan that sealskin is
manipulated into larger dimensions, nor
| can il be made thinner ana so enlarged.
If we have a gold dollar at all 1t looks as
| If il must be a return Of the native. If
there is any truth in the new expression
of science that we have brains in our fin
ger ends we should be able to pick il
out from its baser companions with ease
and facility.
Here would be a chance to try the theory
of suggestion Would not the small di-
mensions OF the gold dollar lessen the evil
of too lavish expenditure? After the sill
yer disk man would be compelled to look
| twice at the tiny gold coin and the con-
sequence might be that he would think
twice before spending 1t. AZ least he
would not be afraid that 1t would de-
preciate i'm mis- pocket
our periodical disturbance on the mon
ev question is the embarra ssment of
riches, looked at from financial stand
point our colonial ancestors We're com
PEELED 70 use bullets as legal tender and
! Indian wampum was "a good as gold in
those days. In Japan the bark of trees
once answered as national currency.
and the people of Abyssinia used soap as