Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet: An Autobiography.Sherman, John
History
Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet: An Autobiography.
Sherman, John
Sherman, John, 1823-1900; Statesmen -- United States -- Biography; United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century
We had but four expedients from which to choose. First, to repeal
the sub-treasury act and use the paper of local banks as a currency;
second, to increase largely the issue of United States notes; third,
to organize a system of national banking, and fourth, to sell the
bonds of the United States in the open market. I discussed each
of these expedients in considerable detail. The practical objection
to the further issue of United States notes was that there was no
mode of redemption; they were safe; they were of uniform value,
but there was no mode pointed out by which they were to be redeemed.
No one was bound to redeem them. They were receivable but not
convertible. They were debts of the United States but could not
be presented anywhere for redemption. No man could present them
except for the purpose fo funding them into the bonds of the United
States. They were not convertible into coin. They lacked that
essential element in currency.
Another objection was that they were made the basis of state bank
issues. Under the operation of the act declaring United States
notes to be a legal tender, the state bank circulation had increased
from $120,000,000 to $167,000,000. The banks sold their gold at
a large premium, and placed in their vaults United States notes
with which to redeem their own notes. While the government had
been issuing its paper money some of the banks were inflating the
currency, by issuing paper money on the basis of United States
money. Illustrations of this inflation were given of existing
banks, showing enormous issues based upon a comparatively small
amount of legal tender notes. The issue of United States notes by
the government, and the making them a legal tender, was made the
basis of an inflated bank circulation in the country, and there
was no way to check this except by uniting the interest of the
government, the banks, and the people, together, by one uniform
common system.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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