Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-03-05

Doll Is IN type, but unayoidably postponed
"The silver currency doubled in year four |
millions Of gold coined in half year; exchange !
reduced TO the lowest and most uniform rates /; 4
the whole expenses Of Congress paid in gold |
working people receiving gold and silver for
their ordinary wages such are the results that |
have confounded the prophets Of woe, sileneed 4
the tongues Of lamentation." Sc &c
The above is from the speech Of the Hon.
Thomas II. (HumJug?) Benton, in reply TO the
Report on executive patronage, aud furnishes
striking specimen Of one Of the peculiarties Of
that distinguished gentleman. "The power Of
delivering absurd notions incredible tales in
the most authentic, honest direct terms that
have been used for the communication Of truth
and reason-of making the most absurd and un.
founded statements, in sort Of composed calm
unconscious way, as if they were plain undenia-
Bile common place truths, which no person could
dispnte-and entire absence Of the faculty Of
blushing-make the Missouri Senator study
for the philosopher.
Working people receiving GOLD and silver
for their ordinary wages -! Where are these
working peoplc' Who are the happy lucky
dogs whose toll hardened palms have been 500
thed by the touch Of the yellow shiners-thc ca
giles, half eagles, and quarter eagles, For our
part, although it has SO happened that three or
four thousand dollars have passed through our
hands w thin the last twelve months. Ga very
uncommon thing with us, by the bye,) we have
not seen above twenty dollars worth Of gold IN
the time and that in foreign coin, and in a bank.
We do remember that in the spring Of 1881, in
Richmond, we saw divers half and quarter
giles, apparently fresh from the mint. Very
II, city looking articles they were too, and our
fingers itci.ed to touch them, We understood
at the time, that tnS Aforesaid sinners had been
received in payment Of pc dicm and mileage by
&C r,ain jackson members Of CoagrGss. and lost
in Richmond at gaming table. Since tina: time
the sight Of whole, half, or quarter eagles, has
been rare with US as that Of black swans and
when we find Jackson presses and jackson ora
tors speaking of gold coins in circulation, "paid
out TO working people for their ordinary tcages."
as if they were "plenty as black berries,' we
marvel greatly at the perversity Of our luck, or
the hardihood Of their impotence. Now nobody
knows better than Senator Benton, that the actu-
al circulating medium Of the country is paptr, -
with the exception, in some places Of little
silver for changc-that he and his party have
done nothing absolutely nothing, 10 increase
the relative proportion Of metallic money-but
on the contrary have broken down and destroy
cd the only institution whose paper rests secure
ly on metallic basis-hc knows perfectly well
that paper money aud coins Of the same value
never have circulated, never can, and never will
circulate together. When, therefore, in a pub
lic debate in the Senate Of the United States,
he reckoned among the peculiar benefits con-
ferret upon the country by this admnistra-
tion-he fact that working people were re-
ceiving gold and silver for their ordinary wages"
he placed himself in a position, which, 10
most men would have been extremely painful,
but which, from some popularity of his ply steal
organization or mental structure, he does not
seem to mind at all
AS the session of Congress has just closed, and
as its honorable members are the sort of ,porking
people that really are paid in gold we should
not be the least surprised TO find in short time
the jackson shiners-the Benton yellow Jackets
again making their appearance in small numbers
as sc premonitory symptom" Of an approaching
election. The humbug had a very happy effect,
we understood upon some " ,ceak vessels" before.
and might be worth trying again. In certain To-
calities not thousand miles from Old Virginia
where retrenchment and small bone bacon are
the order OF the day. it is the custom, we hear
TO iasten string to good fat piece of real fitch
and to let the poor working people" swallow
It one after the other, drawing il back with the
string) by way Of greasing their threats, and
giving them an idea of the felicity they ,coud
enjoy, if their " ordinary tcages" were paid in
real bacon instead of that unsubstantial mockerv
lean red herring. In the same way an honora-
bic Member of Congress, who gets five or six
hundred quarter eagles for his ordinary wages
can well afford to reserve few dozen 10 .Lo,,
10 the " tcorking people" to tickle their palms to
animate their faith in the humbug, aud 10 secure
their potes.