Questions.
I. Would the stock of gold in the world afford a basis broad enough to meet the banking and commercial operations of Europe and the United States, without the co-ordinate use of a properly regulated silver legal tender?
II. Would you favor an International Coinage Union, embracing the United States and the leading European Governments, based upon a uniform valuation of silver as compared with gold, and binding each member to coin on demand all silver presented at its mints and to make such coin a legal tender?
III. Supposing the ratio of valuation adopted by such a Union to be the present most general one of 15½ to 1, do you see any reason why the obligation of all nations in the Union to convert silver bullion into legal tender coin at that rate should fail to restore silver to its former value of about 60 pence per ounce?
IV. Would the suspension of the coinage of the Silver Dollar be judicious, or necessary, or effectual, as a means of inducing European Governments to join in an International Coinage compact?
V. Are there any important reasons connected with the finances of the United States Government, with our currency system, or with the prospective trade of this country, why the coinage of the Standard Dollar should be suspended?
IV. Do you favor the immediate suspension of coinage of the Silver Dollar?