Lysander Spooner

The government owns them and their property; and disposes of them and their property, at its pleasure, or discretion; without regard to any consent, or dissent, on their part.

It was only by an outright sale of the rights of the whole people, for a long series of years, that the government could raise the money necessary to continue its villainous existence.

And the government has no alternative but to comply with this infamous proposal, or give up its infamous life.

But it is distinctly visible to the political and financial eye; that is, to that class of men, for whom governments exist, and who own congresses and courts, and set in motion armies and navies, whenever they can promote their own…

For these reasons, they serve well as standards--are perhaps the best standards we can have--by which to measure the value of all other money, as well as other property.

But they can be so easily and cheaply carried from one part of the world to another, that they have substantially the same market value all over the world.

This value they will retain, whether they circulate as money, or not.

The true and only value, which the coins have as money, is that value which they have as metals, for uses in the arts,--that is, for plate, watches, jewelry, and the like.

Individuals are left perfectly free to coin it, except that they must not "counterfeit the securities and current coin of the United States.

As it is, the constitution imposes no prohibition upon the coining of money by individuals, but only by State governments.

And all excuses for establishing monopolies of money, by prohibiting all other money than the coins, would also have been avoided.

And all the jugglery, cheating, and robbery that governments have practised, and licensed individuals to practise--by coining pieces bearing the same names, but having different amounts of metal--would have been avoided.