Put a revolution-era woman on the $250 bill 

President Donald Trump wants to release a $250 bill with — no surprise — his own picture on it. Producing money to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary is actually a fine idea. We did it for the 150th anniversary, though it was a commemorative coin, not currency.

But if the country takes that step, the bill should honor a revolutionary hero — or better yet, a revolutionary heroine. 

Several Trump allies are shamelessly pushing the release of a $250 bill with his picture and signature. But federal law prohibits printing money with a living person on the bill. Congress would have to pass new legislation to make such a thing happen. And even though some of Trump’s congressional allies have introduced enabling legislation, there is virtually zero chance the proposal would clear a Senate filibuster.

For background, there is a difference between U.S. coins and currency. The U.S. Mint is the sole manufacturer of circulating coins. And the mint produces lots of commemorative coins, including one in 1926 honoring the country’s 150th anniversary, with the profiles of President George Washington and the then-President Calvin Cooledge.

On the other hand, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces the nation’s paper currency. It almost never releases commemorative banknotes, which is what these so-called “Trump bucks” would be. The one exception appears to be the face of Martha Washington on the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896. She is the only woman to have appeared on U.S.........

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