The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-08-24
REFORM IN CURRENCY
MacVeagh Wants Worlds Ma
tons to Adopt Uniform System.
SAME COLOR FOR SAME VALUE

Smaller Paper Bills, Alike In Tint and
Desion, to Be Tried In United States.
Secretary of Treasury Wants an In
ternationaI Conference to Take UP
the Project.
Secretary of the Treasury Franklin
MacVeagh, now at his summer home
In Dublin. n H, has big scheme for
reformation of the currency, particu-
larry paper money. When he returns
to Washington he will make an effort
TO have the representative tnanciers
and statesmen of other nations meet
and discuss for the first time a plan
for the uniform size. color and denom-
nation Of the currency.
Money goes everywhere" said Sec
rotary MacVeagh, as he sat at his
work in his study. "a nation Is
known first by its currency. The
German, the Frenchman, the English
man. the Spaniard, even the poor saw
age, may know little of the United
States, but he may often see and han
die its money. And he will judge by
it's money to a great extent, Any one
merely looking at French note would
Immediately conclude that the French
are highly artistic and civilized M
ton. CHANGING at FIVE pound note.
again. the observer may easily see
that the British nation is not in the
van of the artistic countries, for the
commonplace design gives her away
Immediately.
II want America to follow the mod
ell of France and give her best work
to her paper money, that the world
may know that we have artists, that
we know art. that we appreciate 1t
and that we value it.
Big Success In Philippines.
'Some time ago we got out some
new paper money for use in the Phil
| ippine Islands. The size was. as an
experiment. q new one. 1t took about
three-quarters of an inch off the long
edge and about an inch and three
quarters off the short edge of the pres
ent bills. The success of the bills
was amazing. The natives were great
| ly pleased. and the treasury depart
ment was unanimously complimented
| by Americans, who found the bills SUI
perior in a vast degree to those in
present use 10 the mother country
Reducing the size of the paper cur
rency means saving for the United
/ States treasury. The present admins
| tration is making an effort at judicious
| and justified economy. Economy is the
watchword in Washington. and ! am
| determined to see that there is no
waste In tho department with which !
have been intrusted. In my new
scheme shall recommend new de-
signs-that II, the designs at present
on our bills are, OF course, too large
and unwieldy for the more graceful
small bills. That means new designs.
Uniform Bill Portraits.
Then want the portraits to be uni
form. Every note of certain denomi-
nation shall have certain portrait on
| 1t, no matter whether the note is ma
tional or bank currency. Thus when
/ the portrait of Grover Cleveland--a
beautiful innovation of Mr.. Cortelyon
lis seen every one will instantly know
that the note is ten dollar one. moth
Ing else.
| "a certain color should also indicate
/ the denomination of a note. Thus
| green might always indicate to a per-
/ son unable to read that the note is a
dollar note; red, a two dollar; blue. a
five dollar. and so on, whatever the
color might be. Another scheme we
are now using at Washington is TO
launder the old bills that come in in
stead of destroying them, as hitherto
The laundry system will enable the
| government to keep infinitely more
new bills in circulation and will make
the green rag a thing of the past.
This is an advantage which scientists,
physicians, hygienists and thinking
people everywhere will recognize.
Uniform Currency.
above all these changes and i'm.
provements am dreaming-and it will
not be long a dream-of having the
big men of the countries of the earth
meet in an international congress to
adopt for the benefit of humanity in
general new and uniform system OF
money This must at present extend
only to the size and color of the mon.
ey. The various standards of money
make anything more seem merely chi
merical.
At, present we will begin with our
own country. Having shown the 9th
ers what We can do with uniform cur
rency. they will perhaps see the wis
dom of our plan and gladly consent tc
an international conference"