Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-02
NEW PAPER MONEY
OF FRESH DESIGNS
WILL SOON CREATE CHANGE.
H.GH ART NOT IN FAVOR
The Paper Became Easily Worn So
That Bankers Could Not Read the
Numbers-What the New Ones Will
Be Like-More White Space to
Show Fibres.

Our people will be spending severa
new kinds of money within couple O
months. Already a few specimens 0
1t have been printed in Washington
but the treasury will not be prepare
to issue it for a while yet, because i
takes a good many millions of note
and certificates to fill the demand, AM
after they have gone through tn
presses they have to dry for week
very slowly, so that the ink on then
may not blur in handling. Besides
only the 81 and 81 silver certificate!
have been accepted by the secretar,
Of the treasury, and the other demon
nations are to come.
The reason for preparing these new
designs for the paper currency is sim
ply that those which adorn the bills
now in circulation are not considered
satisfactory. AS one treasury officia
said the other day: "The pattern Of
the present 81 note wouldn't make g
decent newspaper cut"
A couple of years ago the govern
ment bureau of engraving decided that
what the country really wanted was
artistic money, and it hired some well
known artists to execute designs for the
various denominations of certificates
and notes. 1t was beautiful idea, but
somehow it has not proved a success
These high art bills now in general
circulation, with their categorical pic
lures and ornamental shields, wreaths
and things, have excited nothing but
derision on the part of the public and
most particularly disgust in banks and
counting rooms, where their obscure
numbers have made them difficult to
reckon.
"A money note is a piece of work
purely TECHNICAL" said the treasury
official above quoted, land the purpose
from the idea which an artist has in
mind when he sits down to make a
pretty picture. One hangs a picture
on the wall, or it may be suitable for
portfolio; the design of a bill re-
Quires first of all quality of enduring
wear with least possible injury.
1t has to pass through the greasy
| hands of the butcher and across the
sloppy counter Of the beer seller; it is
crumpled in the pocket Of the car con-
! ductOr, and there is no sort Of abuse
that it is not likely to undergo. Ac-
cordingly, every element in the make
up of the pattern ought to have special
reference to durableness The prin-
cipal lettering should be bold and
| black, SO as not to be esaily obliterat-
| Ell, and good, strong portrait is not
only hard to secure, but it is the best
safeguard against counterfeiting
About so per cent. of the surface Of
| the new bills On both sides will be left
| lank-frstly, in order to show the
| fbres Of the paper better, and, secondly
| because this arrangement brings out
| the engraved designs more wildly and
clearly One trouble with the cart
notes is that their designs confuse
| for a counterfeit to pass. The paper
money about to be issued, on the other
hand, is almost severely plain.
| An eagle with outspread wings is the
principal ornament Of the face of the
81 silver certificate, a portrait of Lin
coin being engraved beneath it. The
| figure one and the treasury seal are in
bright blue, and both seal and denomi-
nation number will be of this color
on all Of the new certificates, so that
the letter may be distinguishable at a
glance from United States and bank
notes. The 81 certificate has a head of
| Washington.
The treasury people say that the
value of the portrait as a safeguard
against counterfeiting lies in the fact
that we are all of us more familiar
with human faces than any other OBJ
jects in the world. We are accustomed
to recognize our friends, and very soon
we become so we'll acquainted with a
face on bill as to notice the smallest
alteration in it's expression. A steel
engraved portrait cannot be perfectly
initiated, and the difference of line
will produce a change in the expression
which any one will perceive at a
glance. The cart notes" have por-
traits on their backs, but these being
printed in green, are comparatively OBJ
scure, and the face of bill, anyway
is the side usually examined.
Experts admit that a note can be
made handsomer by engraving it al
over, but they say that a few scattered
fragments of design, very elaborate
are most difficult to counterfeit sue
cessfully. The new bills have com
paratively simple patterns on their
backs, but the geometrical lathe work
used is at the same time very compli-
Gated in it's traceries, so as almost tc
defy imitation. All denominational
figures are made large and plain, es-
pecially at the corners of the face
so as to render counting easy. In
some of the cart notes" these all i'm
portant figures are actually obscure in
an attempt to make them decorative.
The fibre paper will be retained in
the new bill, Notwithstanding objec-
tons made to it by some experts, who
urge that it is practically worthless as
a protection against counterfefting. II
was used long ago for a considerable
time by the government, but was dis
continued because the people who
owned the patent for it demanded ar
exorbitant royalty for the privilege Of
employing it. In the issue Of United
States notes of 1859 the ingeniou:
scheme was originated of placing {
band of co1ored fbres On the left hand
side of the denominations under $50
and on the right hand side of the
higher denominations, the object o.
. liz hoi-,cr "a hoat that arr,r.; ii {