incipient struggles in life with the rod and chain on an engineer
corps in the Muskingum valley; how he was ushered into the sterner
vicissitudes of life, and how he drifted into politics; and then,
without using the occasion for party purposes, without making a
political speech, he explained in well selected language his position
as an officer of the government; what was the course prescribed
for him to do, how he was doing it, and concluding with a most
clear and intelligible exegesis of the resumption act; what it was,
its intent, purpose and meaning; and with convincing nicety and
clearness, and evident satisfactoriness, was his explanation given,
that he was frequently interrupted by spontaneous applause from
the crowd. He told how the credit of the country was advancing as
we near the solid foundation of hard money; how the American people
were the most favored, the greatest blest, the freest and most
prosperous people on the earth; how the signs of the times in busy
shops and abounding field told of the disappearing hard times, and
the dawning of an era of greater peace and prosperity."

I returned to Washington, and at once proceeded to arrange with
the treasurer and assistant treasurers of the United States to make
the change from currency to coin easy. I conferred with General
Hillhouse, assistant treasurer at New York, upon the subject and
had his opinions verbally and in writing. I conferred freely with
James Gilfillan, treasurer of the United States, and, as a result
of these conferences, on the 3rd of September, I directed the
treasurer of the United States, upon the receipt by him, from any
person, of a certificate, issued by any assistant treasurer, designed
depositary, or national bank designated as a public depositary of
the United States, stating that a deposit of currency had been made
to his credit in general account of the sum of one thousand dollars,
and any multiple thereof, not exceeding ten thousand dollars, to
cause a shipment to be made, from some mint of the United States
to the person in whose name the certificate was issued, of a like
amount of standard silver dollars, the expense of transportation
to be paid by the mint.

The sole purpose of this order was to facilitate the circulation
of standard silver dollars for all purposes as currency, but not
to issue them so as to be used directly in making those payments
to the government which were required to be made in coin. I wished
to