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Show SILVER COINAGE- ! The proposal to issue the silver coins now in the United States treasury treas-ury to the amount of some $15,000,-000 $15,000,-000 has brought out an immense llood of learned Argument in the newspaper press, by the advocates and opponents of tho issue respectively. respect-ively. The proposition seems to ua to be a simple one, which might be considered on i;s merits alone as a measure of popular convenience. It is generally admitted that the abundance abun-dance of silver and its cheapness will render it a practical substitute for the fra- t onal currency now in circulation. circula-tion. Still there seems to be a good detl of opposition to the substitution. The principal argument is that the silver coin U apparently of less value j th-'.n the treasury notes it will redeem ; from circulation, and that the change is therefore no improvement of the currency. There is n'-o an apprehension appre-hension tint the value of silver may advance beyond that of the treasury note?, when it will be purchased by brokers and retired from circulation. The New York L-ctinj Vjj says: The pr ce of silver may in reason ad-ya-co enough at aay timototike. this . ilv-T out nf tiio country, oven if the ftoid p:v'iiiii:ii d-jelin-s. if tlm tit-rman K .v-.-i-nui.uit ch-nK.;3 it) policy reipect-ini; reipect-ini; the du:iior.eli.Mtioii of silver, th p:i.;e in y a-ivunco to C'Jd. aD oiiqch which would muke pubidiary silver sought for h?re to export, even it th Kola premium srjouia ill l l lower innu it Una beun for tho ltt two yetrs. At the prc-nt time e'lv.T is 54J. UiPid. in London, At 55J., nml with g dd in 11-1;J, this coin would bo cxportsJ. But it should be remembered that the government is to redeem the fractional currency in silver coin, and declare the latter a lcal tender up to a certain amount, and it cannot refuse re-fuse to eichango greenbacks for the silver coins at par, which will practically prac-tically render them payable to the government for all dues except cus-tums. cus-tums. The Inter. Ocean cntord!, that the coins will circulate at "par with greenbacks, notwithstanding the fact that their guld value may bo nominally nomi-nally from 8 to 10 per cent. lew than the gold value of greenbacks. Of course sorao one may jump to the conclusion that ther3 will be speculators specula-tors who will buy silver coins at, say, 0 cents on the dollar in gold, exchange ex-change them with the government for greenbacks at par, and sell tho greenbacks in the market for gold at, 8ty, 87 J cents on tiie dollar in gold. We beiicvo buch a proposition as this was recently made by Judge Kidley in hi-i speech in congrc-s in this connection. con-nection. But it never seems to have occurred to him to a-ik ic'tcse the speculator ic-y.iL! 0-j vbi: to buy his stlctr cjii.s at sn-.h a Ij- rot j.-i t'AJ. lie would not do it in this country, because here ailver coins would be worth ft'j imicli as greenback, fur the re:wju that ihey would bo exchangeable exchange-able at par for greenbacks." Whatever may be the outcome of the silver experiment, wc hope tint it may be given ft thorough trial. With ' all the conllicting ideas upon currency cur-rency which now prevail, it is almo.-t certain that wc fdiail never learn what m'tiK'I is the b-,t until we try every fciiiic idea that is oilered. limn ' r:i-'p.4 everybody will be satis- fi-d afi'.-r all the 8 hcm-s Jiavc had , th -:r day. |