Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-21
SHORT On SkI|L CON
Stock Of Silver Dollars and Small
Currency Running Low in the
Country.
Rushing Trade Causes Great De-
mand for all the Small
Denominations.
Nearly the Entire Stock Of Small
Silver Already Called Into
Circulation.

Washington, Sept. 21.-It may be an
astonishing statement to say that the
United States government refuses to
accept gold of its own coinage in ex-
change for silver dollars, but that is
what at least one sub-treasurer is ac-
tually doing.
The complaint comes from st. Louis.
where the sub-treasurer declines to ex-
change silver dollars except for silver
certificates. Neither gold nor bank
notes will tempt the white coins from
his vaults.
1t is quite possible for the United
States treasury to reach point where
a general order will be issued to all
sub-treasurers forbidding them to ex-
change silver dollars for gold. national
bank notes or any other form of cur
rency except silver certificates.
Uncle Sam presents the remarkable
spectacle of trying to get rid of gold
and boarding silver all of which is an
interesting phase of the wave of pros
perity.
While the treasury has in its vaults
gold to the enormous total of $342, 691, :
Gas, of which $3.50 ,022, S99 is not covered
by gold certificates, and While this daz-
zling hoard is steadily growing larger,
there is a famine of silver dollars. The
country is doing such a tremendous
business that the people are ravenous-
ly hungry for money of small denomi-
nations In the east there is special
demand for 81 and 81 bills. In the west
silver dollars have been drawn from
the ub-treasuries until their stocks are
about exhausted. In all sections there
is such a demand for fractional silver
that the government supply will soon
be eaten UP if the present rate Of call
keeps up.
The treasury has on hand s406,576,-
1876 in silver dollars, but the most of
these must be retained in The vaults foi.
the redemption of the silver certificates,
which aggregate s4o6 lS7. 504. This
leaves S3SS.9S2 in silver dollars in the
treasury and its branches that are not
covered by notes.
1t is true there are on hand eertifi-
Gates to the amount of s3,99l,5l0. but
some heavy payments. as for pensions.
and the treasury officials take the un-
covered silver dollars as their guide. IL
lis therefore conceivable that the gov
lernment might pay out available silver
dollars in its possession when it would
| be compelled 10 lisfuse 10 accept gold
in exchange for any of the 406.000,00t
silver dollars covered by certificates.
This is not faneiful statement. foi
1 on last Monday the uncovered silver
| dollars We're as low as 9l.00l. Last
| February the treasury had more than
| 5000 900 of uncovered silver dollars, and
even that number was considered
! small
The cry for money for making change
| is We'll indicated by the fact that of the
fourteen presses at the Philadelphia
| mint seven are running steadily on g.
icent pieces. The minis have on hand
labout si.o0o,000 in abraded fractional
silver that is being re-coined, but the
country is taking these small coins
about as fast as they can be turned out
| The treasury stock OF fractional sill
yer is down to s9456S99. and there is
no law for buying any more bullion FOL
1 this coinage.
| Government officials fear the entire
stock of small silver viii be called into
lcircu!ation before congress can take
faction 10 meet the great demand.
All of these unusual conditions are
Iattributed To the phenomenal and uni
lversal prosperity in the United States
The number of business transactions
has grown SO large as to call for more
money of small denominations and tn.
/ EN- Embarrassment of the treasury is
cheering evidence of Widespread gooe
Itmes among the people.