Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-11
NEW PENNIES MAY BE RECALLED


 Like all newcomers in the critical gaze of the public the new Lincoln penny which has been in circulation only few days, has already found its enemies.
 Heralded all over the country as the substi- tute of the old cigar stand Indian con and sought in all the money centers as curiosity. the new penny bids fair to become of even more value than was at first supposed The trouble is this. A man by the name of Victor D. Bren. ner, of New York, designed the penny. Some how or other Mir. Brenner's initials appear in small raised letters on his work
 The letters w. D. B. are on the coin near the edge, on the reverse side, just below the sheafs of wheat. They can be seen with the naked eve if ones attention is directed to them closely.
 There they are There is nothing else they can stand for, so far as those who know any thing about the design of United States coins. can sec They must belong to Victor D. Bren- ner and what right, ask the objectors, has Vie tor D. Brenner to set his name on the exchange of the realm along with the likeness of the illus trious Abraham Lncon' Victor D. Brenner, they admit may be all right but he is slightly misplaced, that's all.
 And so the question has been called to the director of the mint and he will be asked to pass on the matter He will be asked to say, in his official capacity, whether or not the de sgner of a coin is to be allowed to set his in itials on the metal, to be circulated broadcast over tho country wherever the coin itself per meates.
 It is an interesting question, but it is not en- tirey without precedent in the annals of the mint
 About three years ago there new issue of $l0 bills. The day the issue came out there was the same enthusiasm, the same close scru- tiny. and-be it said-the same more or less disastrous results
 It was discovered that on the bill, turned up side down, the eagle with it's tail feathers, made a perfect image of donkey Instantly there was howl of derision. Whether or not the de- signer intended to perpetrate sly joke on the public did not appear in the argument. The fact remained that the long thistle eating animal was on the b and he had to go
 So the new issue was recalled and the de- signers at the mint were told to get out bill devoid of donkeys.
 It seems a small enough thing, this matter of getting out coin. Forsooth, says the casual observer, if it passes as collateral for the but ter and eggs why be critical about it!
 But the public is critical, nevertheless, as President Roosevelt learned when he ruled that the motto, In God We Trust might just as well be left off the currency. At the former presidents say-so an issue of ten dollar bills was sent out of the mint, devoid of the devout proverb.
 Instantly there was a storm of protest from the country at large. Newspapers took up the question in their editorial columns. Preachers in the pulpit made up sermons about it. 1t was argued that the motto standing on the coin and currency of the nation, was a fitting tribute to the religious attitude that prompted the pill grms on the shores of New England to offer up thanksgiving and inaugurate for all time the custom of celebrating one day of the yea