Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 10.djvu/233

 SHERMAN

��to all persons in the United States who were supposed to be familiar with the coinage laws. The bill, containing sixty-seven sections, accom- panied by a mass of information that fills a volume, was sent to Congress, April 25, 1870, by Secretary Boutwell, and its passage was strongly recommended by him.

This bill omitted from the coins of the United States the silver dollar, precisely as was done in 1853, but provided for the coinage of the frac- tional parts of the dollar in accordance with the act of that year. This bill was pending in Con- gress for three years, was carefully considered in both houses and special attention was called to the omission of the 4121/^ grains silver dollar, which was never in the bill at any stage, and the • reason for this omission given. It was finally determined at the urgent request of members from the Pacific coast to insert among the sil- ver coins a trade dollar containing 420 grains of standard silver ; but this dollar was made, like the silver coins, a legal tender for $5 only. There was but one yea and nay vote on the bill, and that was on the proposition to repeal the charge made by the mints for the coinage of gold. I voted against this repeal.

The bill passed both houses and became a law February 12, 1873, by practically a unanimous vote of both parties, and was specially supported and voted for by the senators and members from the silver States. This has been called the "Crime of 1873," and as the bill was under my 199

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