Friday, May 2, 2014

1883 Trade Dollar Panic Visits Cortland



The Cortland News, Friday, July 6, 1883.
CORTLAND AND VICINITY.
   Neighbor Jones, of the Democrat, has by illness been confined to the house for several days past. He has our hearty sympathy and hope for his rapid recovery.
   Notwithstanding the panic on trade dollars Mr. W. H. Tuttle announces that he will take them for 100 cents at his shoe store. See his advertisement elsewhere.
   Mr. W. A. Huntington, the new partner at the Register office, came with his family and goods, the overland route all the way from McGrawville and through the drenching rains on Tuesday.—Moravia Rep.
   Thomas Steenburg, of Willett, Cortland county, died suddenly Saturday. He dropped from his milk wagon on which he had been at work all day. Death was caused undoubtedly by heart disease.—Bing. Leader.
   Miss Florence G. Kinney, for a year past Preceptress of the Union School, has returned to her home in Cortland. Most ably has she filled her position here, and endeared herself to both her pupils and the people of the village.—Coxsackie News.
   The Fourth was a decidedly unpleasant day in the way of weather—showers of rain, and great heat. Most of the business places were closed in the afternoon and a great crowd attended the Emerald picnic at the Fair Grounds. We shall have more to say about this next week.
   Mrs. W. P. Randall, who has been quite ill for several weeks past from cancer in the breast, is now past recovery, her death being only a question of time, and of a few days at the farthest. Senator E. B. Thomas, her youngest son, is constantly with her, and Charles S. Thomas, Esq., her eldest son, is expected soon.
   On Monday during a thunderstorm the house of Jos. Dalton, in the western part of the village, was struck by lightning and considerably shattered, and Mrs. Dalton so much shocked as to be several hours recovering. On Tuesday Mr. Madison Woodruff's barn, within a short distance of Dalton's place, was struck and badly torn. On Wednesday Mr. Martin Gates' house on Railroad street was struck, but not much damaged. Cortland is an attractive place.
   The address upon "Burns and Lyric Poetry," by Prof. James M. Milne, of the Department of Classical Languages in Cortland Normal School,, was a scholarly production, of which we dare not attempt even a synopsis, The professor is an enthusiastic Scotchman, and his appreciation of the songs of the famous poet are exceptionally fine. He called for more attention to the neglected higher branch of literature, which promises greater power than the oratory of legislative halls, and his description of the life of Burns was certainly an interesting proof of the truthfulness of the proposition.—Dryden Herald.
   Although we have devoted much space this week to the account of the Normal commencement, yet knowing that so much was said and done which deserves to be placed on record, we feel that we are far from doing justice to the excellent essays, orations, music, etc., of the former and present pupils of the school. From first to last the exercises were of the most interesting, enjoyable character, and were attended by more of the old pupils than any previous commencement, which, on the whole, if not the best, was one of the best in the history of the school, and that is saying much. It has necessitated, however, the leaving out of much matter we had prepared for publication.
   A trade-dollar panic has again visited us, and the banks and some of the business men have posted notices that trade dollars will not be received by them except at 15 per cent discount.
   The annual session of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows of the State will be held in Rand's Opera House, Troy, August 21st, 22d and 23d. About four hundred and fifty lodges will be represented.
   The Civil Engineer of the U. I. & E. has been in town for several days, prospecting for an outlet for this road via Smith's Valley. Several proposed routes have been examined. It is very probable that the road will soon be built.— DeRuyter Gleaner.
   Judges Duell and Smith left Thursday morning on their trip to the, seashore. The readers of THE NEWS may expect to hear from them during their absence provided time, place, event, inclination, etc., permit. For further particulars, inquire within.
   Mr. L. D. C. Hopkins, Cortland's well-known market gardener, is furnishing our citizens with some fine vegetables, all the more desirable because supplied fresh. And judging by the loads he brings into town, the people appreciate his efforts to please them.
   Saturday afternoon the blacksmith shop of the Wagon Company, situated at the south end of the village of Homer, caught fire, and an alarm was sounded, but the fire was quenched before the department arrived at the spot though it promptly responded. Damage light.
   Mr. D. M. Kurtz, publisher of illustrated historical and descriptive sketches of cities and towns, is in town for the purpose of gathering material for a history of Cortland under the following title, which gives the scope of the work: “Past and Present: a Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Cortland, N. Y., and its Manufacturing and Commercial Interests; Showing its Attractions as a Place of Residence and Advantages as a Location tor Manufacturing Enterprises." Mr. Kurtz comes with many excellent testimonials of his ability as a writer, of the faithfulness and accuracy which characterize the sketches of other places he has visited, and we have every reason to believe that Mr. Kurtz will issue such a creditable work as our citizens will be proud to see sent out to the world.
   Prof. J. H. Kelley, for two years past Principal of the Coxsackie Union School, has received and accepted a call to the Superintendency of the Middleburgh Union School, at a salary of $1,000 a year, and will move his family there during the coming vacation. His departure will cause deep regret among our best citizens, and the Middleburgh Board of Education is to be congratulated upon obtaining his valuable services. In making the announcement, the Middleburgh Gazette remarks: "Again have the trustees displayed wisdom, as Prof. Kelley is one of the ablest instructors in the State, and the school will flourish under his care." Right, Bro. Young.—Coxsackie News. Prof. Kelley was formerly a resident of McGrawville, where he married Miss Jennie Smith.
   Mrs. A. P. Smith and her daughter Clara have gone to their farm at Bainbridge.
   Rev. Geo. W. Peck, of Buffalo, is preparing a biography of his uncle, Bishop Peck, of Syracuse, recently deceased.
   Mr. W. A. Huntington announced in last week's McGrawville Sentinel that "with this issue this paper passes into other hands."
   Ex-Governor Cornell passed through Cortland yesterday morning. He appeared to be in excellent health and good spirits.
   Col. D. S. Lamont, Governor Cleveland's private secretary, came from McGrawville yesterday morning and left on the Syracuse train.
   Mr. S. G. Hitchcock, of the Syracuse Sunday Times, formerly a Cortland county printer, was in the village Monday looking in upon old friends. Come again, Steve., and stay longer.
   Dr. Hoose left town on Wednesday to attend the meeting of the National Council of Education which is in session at Saratoga. To-day he reads a paper before the New York State Teachers' Association at Lake George.

NEWS OF THE WEEK.
   A VIGOROUS war against the trade dollar has been inaugurated in New York [City], all classes now refusing to take it, and unfortunate holders of the coin being unable to get rid of it except at a reduction of ten or fifteen cents on its face value.



THE TRADE DOLLAR.
R. E. Preston Gives the History and Fluctuating Value of It.
   Mr. R. E. Preston, acting director of the mint, said: "The trade dollar was authorized to be coined by the act of February 12th, 1873. It was not intended for circulation in the United States, but for export to China. That empire possesses no mint for the coinage of gold or silver, and depends upon foreign coins for its domestic circulation, and until the institution of the trade dollar the principal shipments of coin to China were in the form of Mexican dollars. It was designed to compete with the Mexican dollar, and for that purpose was made a trifle more valuable, about two mills per piece. It therefore not only afforded a market for the surplus silver of the mines on the Pacific coast, but furnished merchants and importers from China with silver in a convenient form for payment for commodities, instead of their being obliged to purchase Mexican dollars for that purpose."
   Of the fluctuations in value of the trade dollar Mr. Preston is quoted as saying that at the time the coinage of this piece was authorized, silver bullion was worth in London about 5s. 15-16d. per ounce, British standard at which rate the intrinsic value of the trade dollar was $1.0347 in gold. Its average value during that year (1873) was $1.033 in gold. In July, 1876, silver had fallen to the lowest price on record, and the bullion value of a trade dollar was only 80.7 cents in gold. In December of the same year it was 101 cents, and since that date it has fluctuated within a range of thirteen cents to the dollar, until at to-day's London quotation for silver bullion it is worth only 87.49 cents.
   Mr. Preston is reported as saying of the legal-tender quality of the dollar that it was legal-tender until July 22d, 1876, when Congress, by a joint resolution, abrogated the legal-tender quality. This resolution also restricted further coinage to the actual export demand. It was found, however, that the law was evaded by persons who made affidavit that the coin was needed for export, and shipped it to China and back again to the United States, where it was put in circulation. Mr. Preston is also quoted as saying that it is a mistake to suppose that the trade dollar is a government coin; that "under the coinage act which authorized the coinage of trade dollars, these pieces were coined for depositors of silver bullion at the mints, and a charge imposed for coinage at a rate not to exceed the actual cost to the government of manufacture. By this act any owner of silver bullion could have the same coined into trade dollars. They therefore were not issued or paid out by the government in payment of obligations or exchanged for other money. The standard silver dollar and silver fractional coins are coined from silver bullion purchased by the government for that purpose, and on its own account, and are not coined for depositors, differing in this respect from the trade dollar which was coined. The truth is that the government has endeavored to keep the trade dollar in its lawful and proper channel, and that from ignorance of the law relative to this coin people have taken them in ordinary business transactions when they could have been lawfully refused."
   When asked what remedy he would propose, Mr. Preston replied: “There is none, unless Congress takes up the matter and legislates upon it. My idea would be to call all the coins in and redeem them," and he added that Congress would have to settle the rate at which they should be redeemed.—Washington Post.

A Financial Problem.
   What are we to do with the silver is the great question now confronting the country. The trade dollars of 420 grains, which is up to the standard, has been kicked and booted and knocked clear out of the field. $35,000,000 of them were coined, of which only $4,500,000 are in circulation in this country.
   The movement against the trade dollar is not likely to create any new friends for the standard dollar. It is hard for Congress to legalize this unlawful dollar, which, though a legal tender in payment of duties, is not redeemable in any other money.
   There is now in the groaning vaults of the depositaries in New York, Washington and elsewhere $111,798,175 of standard dollars —weighing 6,600,038 pounds—$72,532,791 of which is represented by silver certificates, leaving $40,000,000 which is stored as idle capital. There is no danger of any one stealing this trash, as every million weighs over thirty tons.
   Should Congress stop the coinage, the price of silver will be greatly depreciated. This is one of the questions that will confront the wisdom of over 180 new and untried statesmen in the next Democratic House.

What the Republican Party Has Done.
   The debt statement for July furnishes some remarkable facts showing the paying ability of our government. During the last year, while no industry has suffered perceptibly by the burdens of taxation, Uncle Sam's obligations have been reduced $137,823,234.34, of which $125,581,250 was interest bearing debt, reducing the annual interest account $5,923,431. In August, 1865, the annual interest charge was $151,000,000, which is now reduced nearly $100,000,000, leaving it only $58,436,709; and during this period of eighteen years the principal of the national debt has been reduced over one thousand millions of dollars.
   This large reduction in the face of the enormous payments made for pensions and arrears and the liquidation of claims of various kinds growing out of the war is a most marvelous fact in the nation's history. Judging of the future by the past the next ten years will see the national debt entirely wiped out, and future historians will record for the information of oncoming millions, that this young republic in a single generation, beginning with no army, navy or credit, equipped over 1,000,000 of her brave sons, fought a four years' war, gave 500,000 precious lives as a sacrifice to liberty, raised a navy a terror to every foe, established a currency and gave it a credit by force of her conquests on sea and on land, and when victory came pensioned every soldier and soldier's widow, paid every creditor interest and one hundred cents on every dollar of her debt of over three thousand millions, and did all this within thirty years, during which the country made the most rapid strides in material development, while the entire population enjoyed the most marvelous prosperity.
   Surely with such a history in the past and with such a pregnant future before us we ought to be grateful to God for giving us so goodly a heritage.
 

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