The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1840-10-01
[ NUMBER L.

uniformity, and common standard where.
BY all currency, which purported 10 pass as
money, or It's equivalent, might be tried,
compared and adjusted. Under this very
power, Congress has authorised standard
hof bushels and yards, 10 be cast and man.
ufactured ont Of brass. That metal is
durable, and iery little liable 10 expansion or
contraction. One standard half bushel and
yard are sent by Congress to each of the
Custom houses, TO each Of the States and
Territories, there 10 remain as the legal
model, and the riga standard. The brass
half bushels weighs Thirty fire pounds
The cast brass yard, with the mairix, which
is par; 0: il, weighs trta'y four pogads.--
---Thcy are weighIy and costly.
These metal measures are too heavy for
common use, and never were designed for
any thing but standards. Nine hundred
and ninety nine half bushels oul Of thou.
sand, n every day use, are made Of wood,
notwithstanding The greater liability TO ex.
panslon ard contraction. The want Of du.
rabiljty IN the material, is made up in con.
Yenieucc, IighiuesS, and cheapness. To
plain man, Like myself, half bushel of
salt IS worth as much, measured in wood.
eu as IN a brass half bushel, provided the
quantity comioEnI to the legal standard
A yard OF cloth, sold aud measured by
wooden yardstick, is worth Just as much as
though i, had been measured by one made
Of brass, provided the length be enc and the
sane becagse things that are equa! TO the
same, arr equal TO one another. Still, II
the purchaser doubts the correctness and
fairness Of lie iusiumen. OF measure, il is
bis night TO refer, under the stamp and seal
Of the ,aw, 10 the standard fixed by the con.
stiiutlun. We are searching after practical
truth, which must be tried by common sense
and applied to every day business. Now,
suppose all the wooden half bushels and
yaidatick measures in every house In the
United States we're suddenly converted into
mclal, aud made Of gold and silver, but still
kept IN the same use and retaining the same
shape, quantity, and capacity; would the or.
tjcles sold and Geasured by them be any
more valuable than il measured by the wood.
en- instruments How IN common usei
presume not. The salt would not taste Of
silver, and tdc cloth would mol smell of gold.
The value Of the grain sold, and the goods
purchased, would be precisely the same. If
there we're 20 half bushels and yard mea-
sures in this country, but those cast and
manufactured by the General Government,
oct Of brass, tarre would be great lucon-
venieuce and scarcity among the people !;
and very few poor people could afford to
+ purchase aud own those useful and necessa.
ry Instruments BOW in common use.
Ia like manner, think, this coming clause
IN the constitution, when rightly understood
and practically Interpreted, means, Con.
! gres5 shall have power 10 declare the guam.
tlty or number of grains and peunyweights
there shall be 10 gold eagle or silver dol.
lar, stamp them with certain official seals,
and finally fla tie standard of money, where.
by the value of all currency may be mca.
sured, tested, regulated, and ascerlaiued. Ia
other words, Congress shall be the national
standard keeper, and regulator of value
and gold and silver shall be the only true
national standard of money and currency;
just as the Grass yard is the standard mea.
sU.e Of length and breadth whereby all
wooden or other yardsticks may be mea.
sured, tested, and compared. Gold and sill.
yer coin is the standard yardstick of value in
money matters; and all currency and cir.
culaiion should be made and kept equal to it
in value. We want uniform standard Of
value for currency as well as for weights
and measures.
10 short, bank paper dollar is TO a silver
dollar, just what wooden yaIdstlck is to
brass ward.
BANKS.
To my mind, we must have, Mr.. Speak.
er, we are obliged to have, more currency
than gold and silver to supply the fiscal op.
CREATIONS Of Government, aud 20 transact and
interchange the business aud trade of the
people. know ofno better plan to furnish,
and make up the deficiency, than by the
use Of banks. may not be competent
Judge OF the best kind, as have no practical
Knowledge Of their machinery. have
never owned one dollar 10 the stock of any
corporation; nor borrowed ole cent from
any bank in my life. aG concerned only
as every planter, farmer, and business man
is obliged to be, in sound currency
When we sell bale Of cotton, barrel Of
corn, or lump of gold, we wan, good curren.
cy in return of specie par value. am in
favor Of sound specie paying banks, whose
notes or bills may at the will Of the owner,
be redeemed aud converted into gold or sill
yer coin. In other words, when il is impos-
sble to obtain suliciency of cash to sup.
port labor aud reward industry, then ap.
prove of using Seuad credit, as substitute.
This idea may be apty illustrated by a fami.
liar example in domestic life. When bacon
and beef are as scarce and hard 10 get as
gold and silver, we are obliged to use small.
Ter quantities of The solids, and larger pro.
portions vegetable food, TO preserve health
and sustain life. But, sir, among the rich
valleys, the green hills, and blue mountains,
in my district, where solid provisions abound,
we always regard bacon and greens as