Arizona republican., 1907-10-12
'UNTAINTED" MONEY
 LITERALLY UNCLEAN
Can We Have Sanitary, cisansed, Ster' liked Bright, Attractive Cash7

just out of the town lookup should come to your door for a ''hand-out' and while telling his story and fumb- ling with his unwashed hands in his filthy pockets, should drop an old sus- bender button. and your sweet creep ing baby, seeing it roll along. should grasp it and, as babies invariably do should put the button into its rosy little mouth. would you not spring to take it out and instantly wash the child's mouth. perhaps using some germicide, for fear that the thing should give it some contagious dis ease? How about any penny that the baby may pick up from the floor? How do you know where that penny has been? Did you not give one to Jamie to spend a little while ago? He is a tiny boy and he put the penny in his mouth while he tied his shoe He now lies sick with diphtheria. You cannot imagine how he could get diphtheria! Your home is absolutely sanitary You pride yourself on that The penny could tell.
 Very strange isn't it, that a dear friend of yours, a lady whose char acter is above reproach, whose hus-
 
 representative of your church, should be suffering from disease! You gave her a beautiful pocketbook for a Christmas gift. She had cut her fin ger a little that day. She had quite a roll of bills and she changed her mon- ey from her old purse to the new. She had occasion to handle a certain two- dollar bill several times. That two- dollar bill looked innocent enough, but it could have told a story if it could have spoken. The trouble that renders your dear friend mentally and physically miserable had hidden itself in that two- dollar bill. But it came . forth out of its vile lurking place, It was tiny, invisible, unthought of. It made no impression at first. but now it has wrought doubt, suspicion. jeal- ousy, and has become a living death to your friend.
 When such things can be and we. the people. who have but to utter our demand to have it gratified, wish it, shall we not have clean two-dollar bills, clean ones, clean bills of all de- nominations? Shall we not have bright pennies, cleansed nickels and silver? If We buy goods shall we not expect clean money for change? Why insist upon clean goods if We cannot pay for them with clean money?
 But" you say, there is so much money in circulation everywhere, how can it be cleansed2" It is already done to a great extent by the United States government. The Honorable Secretary of the Treasury has sent us a report showing how part of it is re- deemed. The government does not cleanse the dirty money, it does better. Like the old peodler in the story of "Alladdln's Lamp" who went about crying, New lamps for Old," our Treasury takes back the old bills and gives out new. The paper currency redeemed at Washington during the fiscal year 1906 amounted to s577.- AS, 100.
 More than half a billion of money was exchanged. the new put into cir culation and the old destroyed. But the report says that "The condition of the paper circulation of the country cannot be accurately described by the experience of this office through its redemption division. for the reason that only the unfit United States paper cur
 
 tional Bank notes. fit or unfit, are only redeemed upon presentation. The re- demptions of currency during 1906 were less than in 1905 owing to the great demand for money in all sec tions of the country. and the reluc- tance of the holders thereof to lose its use from the channels of trade while in transit to and from the Treasury. However, there is a notable and wide spread interest among the public in the supply of a cleaner and more sani- tary currency and it is suggested that provision should be made that will en- large the facilities of all holders, to exchange worn for new currency, and in furtherance of this object, section 1882 of the Revised Statutes may bel amended to permit holders of worn and defaced United States currency to forward same by registered mail without charge. to the Treasurer of the United States for redemption. This desire, this sentiment, is laudable one and should be attainable, because the expenditure as per tables of cost is but trifle compared with the benefi- cent results. No government can af- ford to have its currency a source of conveyance of infectious diseases or a menace in any way to the public health. The profit it derives from the issuance of currence ts ample compen- sation for the small expense that this change would involve. It is gratify- ing to note that the house committee on banking and currency have this matter in charge and are making most | painstaking investigation as to the | merit of this proposition"
 Undoubtedly this sensible sugges- l tion will be carried out and become a | law. Then, if you have a dirty and l worn bill in your pocket and do not 1 take advantage of this proposition or ! cause your banker to do so, your cry | sipelas be upon your own head.
 Few know what is the average life" | of a dollar bill. The national govern ment furnishes nearly three-fourths of the paper circulation and it is thus | enabled to give an account and accur- ate estimate of the time bill aver ages to be in circulation. For in- stance, there was an issue of treasury notes which began in 1890. The one dollar bills lasted in circulation about a year and eight months, The two