The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-04-09
------- -.---
AMERICAN GOLD COINS.
Why They Do Not Bear the Effigies OF
the PrasidAn%e

Why They Do Not Bear the Efieies Of
the Presidents.
On Oct. 81, 1871. the senate of the
United States appointed Messrs. Nor
ris, King, Cabot and Henry a commit
tee to report a bill for the creation Of
mint Seven weeks later Mr.. Nor
ris reported a bill to establish a mint
and to regulate the national coinage.
The senate debated the bill Dec. 20
and 81 and Jan. 2, 3, 4, 5, and again
Jan. 8. On the last named day there
was a proposal to place upon the OBJ
verse of the silver and copper coins a
design of clasped hands and linked
ehains, emblematic of the union of the
states. and upon the reverse the fig
ure OF Justice bearing the scales, but
it was defeated.
On Jan. u the bill passed the senate
with a provision that the coins bear
upon one side the head of the president
of the United States for the time be-
ing, with an inscription to express the
initial letter of his Christian name and
his surname in full, together with the
succession of the presidency numer-
ically expressed" On the other side
were to be an eagle and other devices.
This bill came to the house Jan. Is,
1902, and was referred to the commit
tee of the whole. On March "a the
bill came up In committee of the whole,
and an amendment was proposed strik-
ing out all that looked to the impress
IN. Of 1n 70
upon the coins and providing In lieu
of it an emblematic head of Liberty
with the word Liberty"
This amendment brought on debate
Ill which good many members took
part, the men who afterward called
themselves Republicans or Democratic
Republicans In favor of the amend
ment the Federalists mostly in OPP
position. One member objected to the
presidents head on the coinage as
savoring of the practices of monarch
les, which had taken this method of
handing down to the ignorant the
names and succession of their mon
archs. The Scriptural phrase, Render
unto Caesar the things that are Gaze
sar's, unto God the things that are
Gods" was recalled.
1t was argued On the other side that
the proposed effgy was proper trib-
ute to Washington, to which a mem
Der responded that, while every one
might be glad thus to honor the great
man then president, there might be fu-
ture presidents whose heads the peo-
pie would not care to see upon the
coins.
After the question had been ridi-
cuied by one Federalist as too trivial
for so much waste of time and the
amendment had been seriously urged
In speeches ornate with references to
Roman history the question was divid-
ed, and the house voted, &c to %, that
the name and effigy of the president
should not appear upon the coins. 1t
was then voted, AZ to 8, that the en-
blematic figure Of Liberty should be
substituted for the design proposed by
the senate. Two days later the bill as
amended passed by a vote of 80 to o.
On the very same day the senate re-
surned the bill to the house, with notice
Of dissent from the amendment. The
house was not pleased at this prompt
action of the senate. AS the sessions of
the latter body were secret In those
days and very briefly reported In the
published official Annals of Congress-"
the nature Of the debate in the senate
is unknown.
There was more discussion in the
house this time, with further denuncia-
tons of all signs and symbols of roy
atty. Mr.. Mercer thought it would be
we'll to have for the house of repre-
sentatives some such rule as that of
the British house of commons forbid
ding the mention of the sovereign's
name In debate, and Mr.. Page said he
would rather cut off his right arm than
sign the mint bill without the house
amendment.
The house adhered to its amendment
by vote of "a to 80, and next day,
March 81, 1892, the senate receded
from its disagreement.-New York
Sun.