Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-01-03
wN GOD WE TRUST"
Some Facts Relating to American
Coinage.

Mr.. Roosevelt has been very gener-
Ially criticised for removing the motto,
In God We Trust" from the gold coin
His long explanation does not appear
to explain, at least to the satisfaction
of a considerable number Of people.
On this point the Springfield (Mass.)
Republican says:
More light upon the origin of the
coinage motto. "In God We Trust" is
given by Elmer H. Youngman, editor
of the Bankers Magazine. in letter to
the Nep York Times. He finds a full
account in the twenty-fourth annual re-
port of the Director of the United
States mint. 1t seems that in Novem-
ber, 1861, Secretary Salmon P. Chase
of the Treasury Department received
Ridleyville, Pa, which said: "One
fact touching our currency has hitherto
been seriously overlooked. l mean the
recognition of the Almighty God in
some form in our coins. You are prob
ably Christian What if our republic
were now shattered beyond recognition.
Would not the antiquarians of succeed
ing centuries rightly reason from our
past that We were a heather nation?
What l propose is that, instead of the
Goddess of Liberty we shall have next
inside the thirteen stars a ring in
scribed with the words, Perpetual un-
ion;' within this ring the all-seeing
eye crowned with a halo; beneath this
eye the American flag, bearing in its
field stars equal 70 the number of the
states united; in the folds of the bars
the words. God, Liberty, Law"
This seems to have made strong
impression upon Secretary Chase, who
la week later addressed this letter to
the Director of the Mine: mo ma
tiOn can be strong except in the
strength of God, or safe except in His
defense. The trust of our people in
God should be declared in our national
coins. You will cause a device to be
prepared without unnecessary delay,
with a motto expressing in the fewest
and tersest words possible this national
recognition"
1t was found, however, that the act
of 1897 prescribed the notices and de-
vices which might be placed upon the
coins of the country, and that act did
not admit the carrying out of Secre-
tary Chase's order. In December, 1868,
however. the Director of the Mint sub
mitted to the Secretary designs for
new one. two. and three-cent pieces,
which provides these notices: "Our
Country, Our God" and God Our
Trust" Secretary Chase approved of
these with the latter changed to I'm
God We Trust" Early in 1864 Con
gress authorized the coinage Of two
cent pieces with such devices as might
be fixed by the mine director with the
approval of the Secretary of the Treas
ury. and accordingly it was upon that
coin that the legend now under dis
cussion first appeared on the American
coinage. The act Of March 3, 1865.
made it lawful for the same public ofTi-
cials to extend the legend to other
coins of the United States which would
admit of the appearance thereon, and it
accordingly found its way to the gold
coins Of SIS and up. and the silver dol
lar, half and quarter, where it has
since remained. The coinage act of
1873. to which we have before re-
ferred, continued that provision of the
act Of 1865. One question still remains
unanswered: How did it come about
that this particular permissive provis-
Ion of the act of 1873 was dropped
out in the codification of national laws
under title of the Revised Statutes,
made in 1874 and amended and added
to in 1S7?-Springfield (Mass.) Re-
GubHcdn.