To coin money is a certain expense, and of course it is an expense, which must be borne by the people. In England the coin when melted will sell as bullion for just as much as its weight in other coin. The expense of coinage is paid by the Crown, and of course is raised by taxes from the people. In France the coinage instead of being expensive yields a profit. The price given for metal at the mint is about eight per cent less than the same quantity will yield when coined at the French standard. Both of these methods are liable to objections. When commerce demands an exportation of bullion from England, the coin of the kingdom goes out in common with others. This increases, of course, the national expense of coinage. Laws to prevent the exportation, or importation of any thing so valuable as money are always nugatory, because they always can be eluded, and therefore when private interest requires it they always will be eluded. That the guineas of England, therefore, are not continually going away is to be attributed to the extraordinary value affixed to gold, which has just been mentioned, and which banishes silver continually. In France the people are not liable to this inconvenience, because their money passing for more than its value in bullion, bullion will always be exported in preference to coin. But, for the same reason, there is always a strong temptation to imitate their coin and send it for the purchase of their commodities. It would be both impossible and unnecessary to distinguish the true from the false, because both would be of equal intrinsic value. The place at which they were struck would be indifferent to the receiver. Of consequence, the foreigner who made French coin, would gain; by his trade, and the French nation would lose proportionably.
The money paid for coining, or the coinage of France has, however, this advantage, that the money is a standard, which does not fluctuate with the price of bullion. This coinage is, as has been said, about eight per cent. When bullion is below ninetytwo, it is carried to the mint; when above ninetytwo, to the broker, or the silversmith. The coin still continues fixed, nor will it bear exportation until bullion rises to a hundred, when the French coin would be as liable to exportation as the English. In that case, it would be exported on one hand, while on the other no more would have been coined for a considerable period, because to make the eight percent coinage, it would be necessary that the mint price should be ninetytwo. The coin, therefore, could not long be exported, if at all, but would resume its value. The price of bullion must float between ninetytwo and a hundred, while the coin would preserve its fixed quality as money.
Hence then, it appears proper, that the price of coining should be defrayed by the coinage; because, first, it is natural and proper, that the price should be paid when the benefit is received, and that the citizen in return for the advantage of being ascertained in the value of the medium of commerce by the sovereign, should pay for ascertaining it, just as much as that he should pay for the fashion of the plate he uses, or the construction of the cart he employs. Secondly, it is right that money should acquire a value as money, distinct from that which it possesses as a commodity, in order that it should be a fixed rule, whereby to measure the value of all other things. And thirdly, it is wise to prevent the exportation of coin, which would involve an unnecessary national expense, and also to prevent the imitation of it abroad, so as to create a national loss. For both of which purposes, it is proper that the coinage should only defray the expense, without making any considerable profit. The laws usual in all countries, with respect to the money, will then fully operate the effect intended.
In order that a coin may be perfectly intelligible to the whole people, it must have some affinity to the former currency. This, therefore, will be requisite in the present case. The purposes of commerce require, that the lowest divisible point of money, or what is more properly called the money unit, should be very small, because by that means, price can be brought in the smallest things to bear a proportion to the value. And although it is not absolutely necessary, yet it is very desirable, that money should be increased in decimal ratio, because by that means all calculations of interest, exchange, insurance, and the like, are rendered much more simple and accurate, and of course, more within the power of the great mass of the people. Wherever such things require much labor, time, and reflection, the greater number who do not know, are made the dupes of the smaller number who do.
The various coins which have circulated in America, have undergone different changes in their value, so that there is hardly any which can be considered as a general standard, unless it be Spanish dollars. These pass in Georgia at five shillings, in North Carolina and New York at eight shillings, in Virginia and the four Eastern States at six shillings, and in all the other States, excepting South Carolina, at seven shillings and sixpence, and in South Carolina at thirtytwo shillings and sixpence. The money unit of a new coin to agree, without a fraction, with all these different values of a dollar, excepting the last, will be the fourteen hundred and fortieth part of a dollar, equal to the sixteen hundredth part of a crown. Of these units, twentyfour will be a penny of Georgia, fifteen will be a penny of North Carolina or New York, twenty will be a penny of Virginia and the Four Eastern States, sixteen will be a penny of all the other States, excepting South Carolina, and fortyeight will be thirteen pence of South Carolina.
It has already been observed, that to have the money unit very small, is advantageous to commerce; but there is no necessity that this money unit be exactly represented in coin, it is sufficient that its value be precisely known. On the present occasion, two copper coins will be proper, the one of eight units, and the other of five. These may be called an Eight, and a Five. Two of the former will make a penny Proclamation, or Pennsylvania money, and three a penny Georgia money. Of the latter, three will make a penny New York money, and four a penny lawful, or Virginia money. The money unit will be equal to a quarter of a grain of fine silver in coined money. Proceeding thence in a decimal ratio, one hundred would be the lowest silver coin, and might be called a Cent. It would contain twentyfive grains of fine silver, to which may be added two grains of copper, and the whole would weigh one pennyweight and three grains. Five of these would make a Quint, or five hundred units, weighing five pennyweight and fifteen grains; and ten would make a Mark, or one thousand units, weighing eleven pennyweight and six grains.
If the mint price of fine silver be established at twentytwo thousand two hundred and thirtyseven units per pound, this being coined would be four times five thousand seven hundred and sixty grains, or twentythree thousand and forty units. The difference is eight hundred and three units, and therefore the coinage is eight hundred and three, or twentythree thousand and forty, or somewhat more than three fortyeight one hundred per cent, which would be about the expense attending it. A dollar contains by the assays, which I have been able to get, about three hundred and seventythree grains of fine silver, and that at the mint price would be fourteen hundred and forty units. In like manner, if crowns contain from four hundred and fourteen to four hundred and fifteen grains of fine silver, they would, at the mint price, be worth sixteen hundred units.
When such a coin shall have been established, the value of all others would be easily ascertained, because nothing more would be necessary than to have them assayed at the mint. The advantage of possessing legal money, in preference of any other, would induce people to carry foreign coin to the mint, until a sufficiency were struck for the circulating medium. The remainder of the foreign silver, together with the gold, should be left entirely to the operations of commerce as bullion.
In the present moment, it is by no means of such consequence to establish the relative value of different coins, as to provide a standard of our own, by which in future to estimate them. If the value were now sought, they must all be estimated in dollars, because dollars are called for in the several requisitions of Congress. Without noticing the preference thus given of one coin over another, it is sufficient to observe, that if a greater alloy should be introduced by the Spanish government into their dollars, our interior regulations as to money would be overturned; and certainly we have no security that this will not happen. There is not any great inconvenience in leaving matters on their present footing, until they can be remedied by the operations of a mint; for it is not to be supposed that all the money raised by taxes in a State is to be brought out of it. I expect that there will be very little occasion to transport money from place to place. It is much easier to negotiate than to carry it; and if any species of money is generally received within a State at the same rate in which it is paid in taxes, there will be no difficulty in expending it at its value. Whenever money shall be struck by authority of the United States, then indeed it will be proper to receive in taxes no other coin.
If Congress are of opinion with me, that it will be proper to coin money, I will immediately obey their orders and establish a mint. And I think I can say with safety, that no better moment could be chosen for the purpose than the present; neither will anything have a greater tendency to restore public credit; for although it is possible that the new money will at first be received with diffidence by some, yet when it has been fairly assayed, it will gain full confidence from all, and the advantage of holding the only money, which can pay debts or discharge taxes, will soon give it the preference over all, and indeed banish all other from circulation. Whereas fixing a relation of value now on whatever principles attempted, might give offence to the power whose coin should, in any instance, be reduced from its present numerary value among us.