same industry. The
trust may or may not have a monopoly, that is, complete control in that
line of business; and it may or may not be engaged in interstate
commerce. An agreement among certain, railroad companies to establish
and maintain freight rates was declared to be in violation of the law of
1890. Also, a combination, or "conspiracy," among railroad employees to
stop the running of trains was declared illegal.

The "trust problem," which is so prominent in current political
discussion, is the question of preventing the evils of combination
in industry. These evils become evident when excessive prices are
charged by persons who control certain lines of business; that is,
when free competition is prevented in the production,
transportation, or sale of commodities. If the business conducted
by a trust lies entirely within the limits of a single State's
boundaries, then it must be regulated by State law.

III. THE MONEY of THE UNITED STATES.

Our National Currency.--Another of the most important powers of
Congress is that granted in the following clause:--

Article I, Section 8, Clause 5. _To coin money, regulate the value
thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and
measures._

In civilized countries it is the practice of the government to furnish
the people a "circulating medium" for use in trade and commerce. Two
kinds of money are in use in the United States: (1) coin or specie; and
(2) paper money. The total amount of money in circulation in the United
States on November 1, 1910, was $3,124,679,057 or $35.01 _per capita_
for the whole population. We shall first consider the coins of the
nation.

How Coins Are Made.--The coinage of money takes place at the mints,
which are located at Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, and San
Francisco. Gold and silver come to the mints in the form of bricks, or
rough bars, to which the term _bullion_ is applied. Alloy must be added
to the pure metal for the purpose of rendering it of sufficient hardness
to withstand wear. In our gold and silver coins one-tenth of the weight
is an alloy composed of copper and nickel. A quantity of the bullion of
the required purity is first melted and then cast into ingots, or long
bars. Each bar is next run between heavy rollers until it takes the form
of a thin strip. From the strip are punched round pieces, called
"blanks," of the size and thickness of the coin that is bein