The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-11
A COSMOPOLITAN COIN.
The Aid it Would be to Travellers in all
Countries.

| Countries.
| For many years commercial men of
all nationalities have spoken and writ
| ten on the subject of the Introduction of
| n system of coinage which should have
a universal standard. The proposition
| has failed to meet with success on ac-
count of the difficulty in persuading the
people of different countries to abandon
their own systems of coinage, which APP
pear to them part and parcel of them
selves, as much as their language itself.
"The time seems approaching" said q
Philadelphia financier when it VIII be
possible, and perhaps advisable, for the
great nations of the earth to meet in
convention and adopt a coin which shall
be cosmopolitan the weight and fine
ness of which might be determined by
the convention, and the mlnting of
which might be intrusted to body of
experts made up of representatives
from all the nations who care 10 enter
into the project. 1t may be some time
before this comes about, yet it would
greatly facilitate international business,
especially since large international
transactions have come to be quite
never supplant the coin local to the
various countries in which also the cos
mopolitan coin became current, yet with
education taking such strides as it
seems to be doing everywhere it ought
not to be difficult to instruct the child
rem in schools in the table of the pro-
posed coin, and give them a practical
illustration in its use. Such a coin
would not be welcomed enthusiastic
ally by small traders in different count
ries who are wont to profit by the un
familiarity of travellers with the coin of
the realm and their natural bewilder-
ment in attempting to fix in their minds
the comparative value of articles con-
sidered in relat ton to the money they
have always handled, but it would be a
boon to the great travelling worlds pub
lie, to our globe trotting commercial
travellers, to opulent tourists and to in
dgent emgrants. The current is sure
" in the direction of a universal har-
monizing OF commercial interests and
the elimination of all the little tricks by
which people deal to themselves lucky
cards and relegation to all things and
people in trade to sound basis or in
trinsic merit"
1.-THE subject of cosmopolitan coin is
not new one" said George Stevenson,
of the banking firm Of Sailer & Steven !
son. recently. an some of the aspects
of the case it appears to be very desir- |
able. It has been suggested that the
various commercial nations agree upon |
a gold coin, of uniform weight and fine
ness, to be given a name which would |
Af Inn ia.
agreeing to its coinage. Each country ]
is to coin it's own pieces, and to be re- |
sponsible for their accuracy. The coin |
is to have on one side the stamp or |
legend of the country coming it, and on |
the other its universal name. 1t will |
readily be seen that with such a coin in |
use both in practice and ac-
counts, commercial transactions would
no doubt be greatly facilitated. | do not I
look, however, for its early accomplish
ment
"Its desirabilty is not sufficient to
overcome the long established customs |
of the various countries so as to lead |
them to relinqush the names and styles
Of their various coins. Conservative
for instance, with its cum
brous system, is not likely to relinquish
its pounds, shillings and pence and |
adopt the decimal system of France, Ger
many Italy and United States. And it
is not likely that the latter would give
up their quick and handy decimal sys-
tenn for that of England. On the whole
the idea is very good one, but, like
many other good things-like the pro-
posed metric system, for instance-im
possible of accomplishment for various
reasons at present, philadelphia In
quirer,