What Is Free Coinage?

A good many inquiries are made of the newspapers as to exactly what f ree and unlimited coinage of silver means. It means that any one, citizen or foreigner, individual or Corporation, may take bullion, old spoons or foreign coin worth 53 cents, and have it coined, free of cost, into a dollar with a debt paying power of 100 cents. The-worc unlimited means that there should b no restriction as tothe amountof silve thus coined, and the word independent often used in this connection, inean that this government proposes to trj that experiment without reference t what any other nation is doing. Unde the Bland act the government pur chased bullion in open market anc coined 3,000,000 silrer dollars pe month and made whatever profit ther was on the coinage. Under the Sher man act it purehased 4,500,000 ounce a month and either coined it or issuec silver certificates against it, the profi going into the treasury. Under the plan proposed by the Chicago conven tion and the free silverites the profi' would go, not to the government, bu to the individual or Corporation tha carried the silver to the mint.