Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1896 — WANT SILVER DOLLARS. [ARTICLE]

WANT SILVER DOLLARS.

Treasury Official* Receive a Large Number of Request* Dally. A Washington correspondent say* that the treasury officials are in daily receipt of a large number of requests asking for ■liver dollars of this year’s coinage in exchange for silver certificate* or other lawful money. Many of these requests come from persons who seem to doubt the truth of the monthly coinage statement, while others ask for shipment* of 1890 dollar* with a view to refuting statements that no silver dollars are now being coined. These requests have been complied with as fast as received, and the treasury officials desire to call public attention to the fact that when silver dollars are ordered in sums of or multiples of SSOO they are shipped at the expense of the Government, but when smaller sums are ordered, the shipments are made at the expense of the person ordering. There is now in the treasury $10,506,899 in free silver, thaX is, silver which may be obtained in exchange for any lawful money, but the demand just .’low is so keen for IBOthdollars that'it seems probable that by the beginning of October the department will be compelled to decline to pay out silver dollars, except in exchange for silver certificates or treasury notes of 1890. The law requires certain •ilver to be held in the treasury tO'coWw outstanding silver certificates and treasury notes, and when the minimum i* reached silver payments would be refused even in exchange for gold or in payment of warrants on the treasury. The number of standard silver dollars coined last August is shown by the official statement to have been $2,650,000; since Feb. 1 last, $11,212,412, and since November, 1893, $15,169,491. The coinage value of the silver bullion now on hand and on which the mints are now at work is $166,745,200. and it is said to be altogether probable that coinage will be continued at least until the stock on hand of standard dollars of 1890 has been Increased to about $30,000,000, where it stood when the present administration went into office.