The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1779-07-27 00:00:00, page 1

Bom the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
Mr. DUNLAP
I recoiled to have read fjmWme ago a Speech in
the Picket which ought to be spoken in Conines,
upon the fubjed of the Continental money - I beg
yen would give thefolkwm^ Speech which ought
to be fpeken to the Congress epontue fubjffl a place
ir. your ufeful paper, andy-u will oblige Yours,
Junezj. LEONIDAS.
Gentlemen
IMPRESSED withafeafeofilat dignity,which
you deove from the nature cf your pewer over
this country I &uld feel myfeifove come with the
Qt of my audience, did I act coNiJer myfelf at
the fame time as ore of the people frem 'whom you
derive your authority Let the f&bj<asof monarchs
tremble at the feet oi their fovefans- It it the ^
ty cf the cuiz^s of America to approach their ru
ler^whh vary diffore^t emotions. We coufider ro
Verament as inftiuted only for our happiaefs. We
therefore invert the system. of goverum^c w' ^ ate
now ef^^fh^d in E no,*, end m^ead cf adfeffi ^
you a# MASTERS I pri me in the name cf all the
honed WQ, in America to address you as the SER
VANTS f the public upon a fubjeft oi the uinr^ft ira
prataace to t.c fafety anu liberties of this country.
i peace v: by yocr late pubhe^rion, that you are
no &ang+^ to the low value ch your money. But
why have you delayed so long 10 compahi of th. 9
evit :o your cnnftitueotß ! Why has the d &afe been
fuffeced to run ca to its i&ft fiago before yon raffed
theory of danger in thews of your county ? lis
in vain to blame the arts of yen- energies, or h* in
famous plaices of monopolizes and lotrailers.
The prefect depreciated ftae of you, money, mud
be traced only to the miflaQ of the Cov^ft.
It is true, after yen had enured a chwt. iara.you
instituted Loan Offices to borrow money upon tie
credit of the United States. But could you *xp^&
while the press was kept labouring night and day,
that any number of men would lend you money,
when by realising it i^ the most fr Riu^ article of
merchandize they n%ht in a few months double
their nominal fem ! H^d you Hoped the press, and
at the same time called up >nyour conftitueats for
loans, 1 have no doubt but with economy you
might have carried on the war to thr p^fat day
with net more than thirty millions of dollars in cir
culation.
But I hasten to point out to you those defers in
your management of the affair ri this country,
which have had the principal effed in depreciating
your money.
1. You have con matted tie Expenditure cf your
money to too many hands. H^d you made the
principals of eacu cf the Staff Departments alo^e
responsible for the expenditure 01 public money,you
.might have saved millions tsihe Continent ; bu by
trading every Deputy of the Departments, you have
multiplied the temptations and opportunities of pe
culation in proportion to the number of Deputies in
each of them.
2. Y&u hate been too negligent in the choice cf
the effiem to whom you have committed the trta
fure cf your country. You have *a^d at if you
thought these was no connexion between private
and pubic virtue. How many of your officers have
been called from billiard tholes s^d taverns t® ex:
cute the moi important comm ffions under you !
Theft are the men who have reduced the value of
your money. How could you expert the pubheto
esteem it when they saw it eatrufled to fetch ha ids ?
~ You have uegieAed to cHI for a frequent fet
tieraen of the accounts of officers in the Staff De
partment. Hence have arisen leisure and opportu
nities for embezzlement and fra : d, Tais negligence
has not only encreafed the quantity of money, bit
has been the means of continue, m^n in office who,
if a Speedy and Aria fcrutiay had been made into
their acoompts, would I^3 agohave been difniiffcd
from the fetvice cf their country.
4. What shall I fay of 'he corumYtio^ you have
allowed to the Quarter Metier- and Crmriffar/es
with 3'4 their ho& cf Deputies ^ L waa a bounty
TUESDAY, July 27, i„ty THE Number 757
CONNECTICUT COURANT,
A N D T HE
WEEKLY I NTELLIGENCER.
H4R'/ FO R D : Printed by HUDSON and G O 0 D W I N, near the Great-Bridge.
offered by Con,refs to ruin <be money. Read the
journals of your House for April, May and June,
1,78. They contain little ehe than grants cf mi'li
ons cf dollars to your Quarter-Matters and Cexmif
faries. lam far from impeaching every man who
handles public money; but leek into every coun
ty cf this and the neighbouring Sarcs, and fee the
change in tic manners of meft cf the Deputies in
the Staff Drpar men s,- .Ceme with met^ a vendue.
The man cf ar,ceni patrimonial efrie is outbid for
every thing by an Ailiilant-PeputyQuarter Matter's
Clerk S^! him la, down iris .I reeatl the wo.d
your fr en thcufands fora farm. Ti err is no end to
him purchases. And Uriel's you put ? step to the a
mazing perquisites of your Staff Officers, I expcd
in a few years to fee the Delegates ci Conpefs the
teonauts of their own Quaker Maftcra and Commif
fares. Wl en tbit ihril happen I hope you will be
taught frugality, and find hare ofyour preri' Of
ficers. as hard makers as they were unfaithful fer
vans as a just pun fh^eat upon you for the temp a
ticns end cppcttunim you threw in their way of
acquires fortunes at th? expttet c f their country.
5. You have injured your mcry by negiraing
too i^g to recommend taxation tc theS ates and by
fubßituting in the room of it the palliative rerce
dv cf laws for regulating ' the price, of goodie These
laws mud over be partial and temporary in ti.eir cp
, nation. Th^y m^CicVer defeat tlenteives by >e-
Lx'ng tie fprin, cf errerprz, and induhry. You
ml fct *< well attempt 10 , oven; the rifin^ of the
tic e of yenderDdaware by a refoluticn cf Con, e'„
a, to prevent the dtp eciaUcn cf your more, by
laws for regulating -he prices cf gourfs. If these
lawn were capable cf tx cution, they would prove
infancy fatal to ihe twe pillars of our oppefincn,
am.col ure aid c mmricf.
I fnril fay nothing of rhe refriuton cf January
2d, for c Ilin/ rtre em ffionr ri May 20, 1777 and
April 11,1778 cut <f circulation. The feelingg
cf your confiuhems rebelled a fr firft fi/ht a,a ahe
meahue? cf finking feny rciihon cf dollars dead in
their hande at one b,. W. Lis too well known that
your money has lantu-fhed ever since beneath the
wewbref tl is ill j cfed ricin ion. Like a girl,
whose cl <-aße< hasW en f fpe&ed, it comes forward
with d ffidercc into company, and in feme places
owe: its ^ocd reception in the world more to the bul
lying of us culhts, than to a convi^ion of its in
tri if merit.
Hav r£ pointed out the can ^ of the depreciation
of your money, 1 goon to fhtw the evris it has pro
duced 13 thr ccw.iy. -A a here had la hjouikud
tongues, they would dor ba nffic&t to exhaust the
fubjed. It 15 the source oi 2!! ibe mwuepohfin^ and
so« Falling on fie Continent. Speculation in every
cla6 and pre' ffion cf purple is the natural offspring
cfthe progrtffiva depreciation of your mo^ey. The
exhav? rance and h xuiy ct the times are occasioned
by no kins ;but 1 .ekw value which is set upon your
money By your feeble attempts to fopport it, you
have eSablifhed iniquity and un iphreoufncfs bylaw.
S.e! yendt pour widow furectu-ded with a fam.ly
cfc'udren: nuuk he/ difl^aed countenance! her
orphan are crying for bread, and fht has none to
£ve lure. She fas fpeat the IzR dollar cf a hand
wme p<;.r : pal whic' the war compelled to receive
?- the rate cf oue /billing in tte pouud. Indeed,
Gen:lenten, yen hhvr .-awffht us to repeat of our frit
gain, a^ci to lament over the remains of our integri
ty z, be f - I, ebhek, that have bid % the way of
cur iiur.lll at d harp:n<A. In awo d, the hwe of
God. and the ri> rfccrfcn„u id'y, even a saint's
rdificn. ifclc ' ,Ictor - and a bro:lerr friend
sh ^ are hard?? f ffr ^ tc p^ttaus from fraud in
ah on coun^ac wth Corrieer ui money.
Whet, ,?r tie men w!o filled tlefe feats in the
year 17° ? Where is the spirit cf the illustrious
Rando rH who pended cyr- veer caunfeb in
the Qi ?irf cf the con revruy ? Hippy foul! in
being tanaw-y It oie then vat (bh&c^ to wit
Left the urn netac: cf '-! y c< unttyrrem Oi! (f
a visit tc bv CTCc t:rloved ccynuy v. I.l'tn:ar^ u y
prefect hafyeep) ri^nt ^ ^^.^ c^y Bom-
ber cf this House with thy zeal for the honor cf ou r
cause- - thy indafay and punctuality in busiest -
thy candor and magnanimity in debates - tly per
fe& freedom fiom party and colonial attachments, and
with all thy ether national virtues, which live plac
ed thee upon an equality with the fift claiaa^s < £
antiquity, aid which will frtanfmit thy name with
theirs to the la'eft pottetity I I ceme new to menti
on these thing which alcne can remote the credit of
your money, and secure to you the eheem and confix
dence of your countrymen.
1. Let it be ycur fuft care to do jufliceto the wi
dow and orphan. Yen acknowledge the depreciati
on of your mosey every time you assent to a report
f:cra yotr Treasury Board, and yet you ft ff&r rtfo
lotions to remain unrepealed which iCGcmmctd laws
to be cr^Oed for making it pass for equal r.cmnal
f ms in bonds and debts at the eld valuation cf mo
ney. Eel Heaven's lake let not our mob righteous
cause be any longer tarrifhed wuh such fheckin, in
jufiice. lam net disposed tc pry ice much into the
leered cl the divine fcoveriircent of our country, but
I will r fk the charge of fupeiOiticn m sffunng.jlat
I behave the injustice which has been cemmruc un
der fc iaiaicn cf law, to the hdplefs m*^ be # f four
(immunity, is one of the p to nopal raf s why de^
Supreme Beieg ha, so lcng kept back frem us the
blrffiLfts of peace, aid why he has rn.de this tum
m<ifcoig with all the calamities ctw<r,
2. As tle quantity 01 year money it ri e fcurce
its del reciaven, let me conjure yen immedriy ?e
flop your proffer. Every dollar you emit afte; the
prefect day s replete with p feu to the Lberuei and
virtue of oer ccunny. Ite fid hand that tccr'es
it proven the filfhccd cf its d©acmiLa:icn. Y-u
have net a moment to left in doing this mc6 ittri
fa^y hufinch I shall p?ufe vihile y£ udifpatcy
neffenger 0 your printing effices tc put a flop c.he
n&r.uf^a^y cf dollars. The news of this meaiuie
will be mere welcome to your cowfrituents th>n the
new- cf an bundted new alliance witl oct n. 1 have
no drib Lut that it will immediately raise the va
lue cf yrtit money 4 cr 500 per cent.„
3 Open lean offices in every county, and in eve
ry dlr &of every S ate in the Unicn. Let men be
empkyed to persuade the citizens of America tode
p ft: their money 11 ycur funds. And as ar erccur
agement to lenders. , ; vr 8 per cent, tc every nan
who lends you atevc zc 000 pewdi and 7 per
cent, to eve y man vho lencj abcve to coo pounds.
Be affixed tk r will be red e eenemy in J.nnea
fure ad your conftnufrus w 11 thank you ten it.
4. Inhauriy rc[(dm a tae^n loan. I^ BO
changer to the fffet of money that has been made to
ycu by ere cf the wea-b-eft nations ir Europe, fl
contend about the main er cfa|pyii, it cr about tie
perlon, be r et, fcivable to be lent let it, is as abfetd
^ if a man should t nipley ar htvr ot wo ir depu
ting with a croud 3bcut the mtft fuUalle knd cf
water tc put our a file that was cor.fi ming th dv.^ -
lim blufe. Should you dr: w tills upon yet rC^
m ffi:rers to tle arretin' of fx nullicn, cf Spin
de liars, you might immediately reduce the debt to a
moderate ccwpafs, aid by reducing be quantity ri
money ir c rcilsbon. pitvent a great deal tl that
mifehief which arises ficm tiegreat d:fprcprrticn be
tween the quantity of money new fid icmnly a
merges If your fcrei f tlean could be cm vetted
ircoSuch goods as would suit the Americur ma Let,
and imported under a fafe convey, they m,ht be -
fold to a preav advantage and the money aifn from
the fafes #r,bt be lodged in ycur Treasury, crc< m
mitted to the flames, according tc the fecctfs yea
met with :D your de mefric loans.
5. Ifthete hints a:e duly in preved, terror, v ill
beccmea ufeful remedy in eppreciaurq yv bor«y.
But without fir pp Egthe p'efs, ard v.ilcutl arsup
pß ether principles than ri cf* al e c, cfriuflcd,
taxation will fe s ve cnly tc fu k the v^h ecf y<nr mo
ney. Th farmer rid landi elder vAI me dwely
put the tax yen dcr and frem tl or. 1 pen their [rc
duce? r d beds But
6 Nebtf will c< without a total change in the
fill cepart^GLU. Quickas the thunder fellows tie