The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-07-07
4 DELIBERATE FiLSEHODD.

Every body has Heard or read the stale
nent that only sbott 5000 900 Of silver
dollars were coined Mt the American
minis from 1892 to 1878, when 1t was
dropped rom coinage. and that since the
last mentioned date $40, ,O4l had
been coined. The truth is sometimes
told for the purpose OF misleading 10y not
telling the whole truth This is just as
blameworthy rs deliberate lying. Some
OF our contemporaries ot the press, from
whom We would have the right to expect
better things, have published and repub
lished the statement without explanation
or qualification. Prior to 1873 over $780,
100000 of full legal tender silver money
had been coined At the American mints
The coins were fractional or subsidiary,
and not full dollars. the object OF with.
holding the whole truth is TO make the
impression upon the public mind that
silver money VAS not popular and that
the suspension OF coinage VAS not ob
j.cted to by the people. ThomPs Jefier-
son, when president, ordered the suspen'
sion OF the coinage OF silver dollars for
the reason that they were immedia'elv
exported and CONVEX @ into foreign coin,
being heavier than the responding
coin in Europe. lis coinage VAS sus
pended by the order Of Jefferson not be-
g ito Al .rit lpt g
its being nndervalned Tie Spanish
milled dollar aud the corresponding frac-
tionsl parts we're the principal money in
circulation The greater portion Of the
American coinage prior to 1913 consisted
Of the fractional parts of a dollar. To
prevent the expectation of our fractional
coin congress IN 1853 passed law re-
dncing the weight OF our fractional silver
Coins ten per cent. which eT4Ctually re-
moved the temptation to export them.
IL consequence Of the reduction in
weight, they were made legal tender to
the amount OF five dollars in any one
payment We challenge contradiction to
the statement that there VAS as much sill
YER in circulation in the United States,
relatively to the population and business
requirements, before the passage of the
DISTINGUISHING act OF 1873 a. there has
been since. Ii is technically true that
only about 100000 silver dollars had
been coined prior to 1873 in the minis of
The United States. but the statement is
practically false. Tue $50 ,oo0, 900 coined
were fractional but were full legal ten.
der. the same as gold It cannot I've
truthfully said that siye: was demon
cited by order OF Thomas Jefferson.
The silver dollar was full legal tender
after, as we'll as before, the act of Jef1er-
son but they were Spanish miied' dol
lars. The American dollar did not circu-
GATE, and it's coinage was suspended for
the reason we have given. At the time
that Jefferson directed the suspension OF
the coinsge OF silver the people were very
poor and greatly needed small coin, and
she coinage of halves. quarters and dimes
was continued, and their toll legal ten
der endowment was maintained, Inc
American dollar WAS Il favorIte money
with the nations with which We had
business relations, and our own people
got no benefit from the coinage. The ac-
ton of the democratic president was wise
and patriotic, and received the sanction
OF James Madison. what PROCLAMATION
to attempt to compare the suspension OF
silver coinage in 1873 with the act OF Jef-
ierson, and refer to it rs precedent Insti-
flying the crime of the century -Cincin-
natl Enquirer.