The Mena star., 1899-08-17
GOLD AS MONEY.

their part to receive and use it.
 Paper money, and particularly
 direct issues of the government,
 like silver certificates, is much
 preferred, and is actually reported
 to be at premium in some mon
 eyed centers.
 A lengthy article in the Kansas
 City Journal telling of the troub-
 les the bankers are having almost
 borders on a calamity wall, as it
 shows how they are burdened with gold and how hard it is to get paper money. From this article we quote: '''In fact, gold has got to be a thing so plentiful that it is Tn the way and bank floors arc covered with it, and tellers spend many extra hours counting and weighing it. It's bulk and weight arc its greatest drawback, and the worst feature of all is that nobody wants it. said Edward Swinney, of the First National bank. yes terday. People simply won take gold. and we can't make them take it. They demand bills, and this currency is hard to get
 In the clearing house transac- tions in Kansas City the situation has become comically desperate. Yesterday the National Bank of Commerce had d debit to the First National bank of $3S0,O00.
 Let it go over for awhile, said the suspicious Mr. Swinney.
 '' Not on your life answered Cashier w. A. Rule, who had gold to burn and wanted to get rid of it
 "So an express wagon wss called and the entire amount in gold, sacked, was carted 10 Mir. Swinney's exhausted clerks. who had to count the entire amount before going home.
 Let me show you something, continued Mir. Swinney. He led the way into the receiving teI!ers cage. where about q ton of the precious metal was spread out over the floor. Four clerks were counting 1t and others were tying 1t up in bags.
 That came in to-day, and that isn't near all of it either. We are tired of gold and want to get rid of it, but people won't take it and we can't make them. This gold business is a losing proposi- tion all round for the banks. We have to pay cxcesslve express rates and we also have to stand loss in weight of the coins which comes from wear.
 This .'loss from wear" is prob ably the most serious cause that exists for refusing the use of gold. When weighed. any shortage must be met or made good by the party last payment, while with paper money no such shortage can exist as the government re- places at face value all torn or bills of its own issue.
 The article referred to qnotes Cashier Rule of the National Bank of Commerce as saying: {" The is really serious. Our bank foresaw the condition and contracted for a great deal of cur rency last spring, but that supply has become exhausted. We have drained every Eastern bank and have appealed to the treasury de- partmcnt at Washington. have a letter to-day from Assistant Treasurer Vandcrlip who says he is powerlcss to help us out. l have been in constant eorrespon- denee with the treasury depart mcnt. appealing for help on be- half Of the West and Southwest. but there seems to be no hope of relief.
 ~s If the worst comes to the worst. what are you going to doT he was asked.
 1.-The best we can of course. but what that will be can't say, answered Mir. Rule. We have sent out letters to our country correspondents explaining the situation and askino thcm to fake