“Mr. Stephens, somebody has evidently been having a dinner party in this room during my absence. It was not a nice thing for the proprietors to do, but I shall not notice it. Try to find out who dined here, without disclosing that I am aware that the room was occupied. I think I recognize the voices of the occupants, but I wish to be sure.”
By inquiring among the waiters, the secretary ascertained, and reported to Mr. Morning, that the guests were Claybank, Wolf, and Gray.
That night our hero departed for Washington, and early next morning he was closeted with the secretary of the treasury, to whom he revealed the knowledge gathered from the phonograph cylinders.
“It is an infamous piece of business,” said the secretary warmly, “but what, Mr. Morning, can I do about it?”
“Mr. Secretary,” said Morning, “will you pardon me for saying frankly that it is your duty to baffle these conspirators and restore values to their normal condition. It is the business of the government to provide a supply of money for the needs and uses of commerce. These scoundrels will bring about a panic by locking up in the vaults of New York, Philadelphia, and Boston banks, $300,000,000, which ought to be in circulation among the people. You have three hundred millions of coin and paper money in the treasury. Why not pour this money into Wall Street, break the back of this conspiracy, and relieve the people?”
“But I have no authority, Mr. Morning, as you must know, to use one dollar of this money for any other purposes than those designated by law. If I had the power, believe me, I would be only too glad to exercise it as you desire.”
“Does not the Act of Congress of February, 1894, known as the free coinage law, permit you, Mr. Secretary, to substitute gold or silver bars of standard fineness, for the coined money and paper money in the treasury vaults?”
“Yes,” replied the secretary, “but I do not see how that law can be invoked to relieve the situation. There are not three hundred millions of gold and silver ingots in private ownership in the country, or, probably, in the world. The very large output of $1,000,000 in gold per week from the Morning mine will not serve us in this exigency. It would require six years’ yield of your mine, Mr. Morning, to furnish enough gold to release the money now in the treasury, and baffle Messrs. Gray, Claybank, and Wolf. Three hundred millions of dollars is a good deal of money, Mr. Morning—a good deal of money.”
“Relatively it is, Mr. Secretary, but I have five times that sum in gold bars here, in Philadelphia, and New York.”
The secretary glanced at the Arizona Gold King, and looked uneasily at the bell cord which hung above his desk.