Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-02-04

either can or thinks he cam render service, TO speak
out.
Nv long and decided hostility to our Banking sys-
TEN is not only known to you, but to oil my acq.an
ances; and as my opinions somewhat pecuhaf,
send you for publication, part of what have ALREADY
written upon that subject
The portion send you contains much OF the prlnc'-
Piles upon which | base my opposition to the system,
and desire learn the opinions of others before say
more.
If the causes Of political evil generally under
stood in a popular Government, it is something worse
than folly to say we cannot apply the remedy
Yours, very respectfully,
WILL f. PENDLETON.
THE CURRENCY.
Money, currency, circulating medium, or whatever
else il may be called, subject difficult TO compre'
bend hard to be managednnd how can it be otherwise:
In our daily exchanges barter of property, &c 1t re-
cures n great deal of worldly wisdom and experience
Ia guard against imposition; and how much more d'ill'
cult must il be 10 comprehend the representative OF the
property, especially when the wit and untlrng vgi-
lance Of the avarcious are forever work to render
that representative any thing else, and every thing eise
save what it purporis 10 be:
| have never known any people, except jews wh"
viewed nancy in the character | believe to he right
They count it BY what it is worth, we by what IL Is
called If Jew makes bad trade, II is because hr
did not know the value of the property; but large
minority Of my cnuntrynen who are I'snIVrn', nave
become So because they d'd not know the value OF lh'
money If | am right III this opinion Jew may truly
say to u.s. that if ndncss in part hath happened I"
Israel" with rernrd knowledge Of the eternal Cod
that blindness hath altogether happened to Us with re-
gard 10 n knowledge of onr common earthly Inn
What else can make the Jews traders and money deal
ers in every country wherever they become sojourner
unless il be this peculiar knowledge: Acting under
disadvantages they are almost always successful and
vet have found them honest other traders and
tralIckers If those who expect and desire the advent
of the millennium cannot teach the Jews knowledge
of the eternal God they will make gigantic STRIDE Ii"
wards the accomplishment Of their wishes, hy teaching
the Gcn,rs the true character "f the worldly God
Deprive the Jews Of the possession Of their excusv"
knowledge, and they no longer be lii" exclusive
people, or would say, the outcasts they nave
been.
What better evidence is wanting 10 prove that We
count money by what il is called, than our laws ana
tile daily practice nnder them by courts We srca
man who has purchased tract OF land for SlOu0o,
to be paid in twelvemonih, AT n lime when hundred
dollar notes are abundant and cost but little more than
the printing and signing them, at pay day, sued, ana
Judgment given against him, when ten such tracts OF
land owing to the currency then existing, would not
nav the debt The purchaser made god bargain,
when he bought; for, here is the land, probably m
proved its products increased and more valuable, II the
producer could get them 10 the consumer; and yet by
change in the currency, measure o! value, beyond
his control and designedly kept secret from HIM. he
ned beyond hope If avordupois ounce Of SILVER had
been made the unit preference in this country ttnows
that the obligations gwen for the purchase oil the land
would have been for many of silver, and ii the
Courts were give judgment for just many ounces
of gold it would be the identical principle upon which
they now act; and ye, so entirely has Bank hct"n
mysfed this subject, that mankind do not consider II
in that light.-lf the bonds gwen for ten thou
sand bushels Of wheat, would bc of the nature OF
gambling or hazard Transaction because the wheat is
Of uncertain value, but money is standard ct va
ue by law, and to vary its value is violation OF con-
tracts-To make the money worth more, derands the
debtor to make it worth less, deiraEds the creditor
Hence the necessity among every people where debtors
and creditors exist for currency OF an intrinsic ana
fixed value.
If INV countrymen would but understand that when
property and abour high, it means that money IS
very worthless and that when property anu labour are
very low, il means that money, good or bad is very
scarce and then inquire into the Of Tie change
and learn who did it, and for what purpose The evils
of huctuating currency would soon be cured.
shall not be telling 10 any intelligent beng, when
say, that among every people upon earth two re-
moves from brues a currency OF some KIND has been
used, and almost always an honest currency when
the world was very young, necessity, the mother Of
inv non, for currency mns have existed and created
it, For thousands Of years, silver and gold have been
found TO be we'll adapted TO all the uses OF currency
for reasons often given, that need not mrniion
Them that they have become the standard and inca
sure of value OF all property and labour throughout
the civilized world A commercial country 10 adopt
any other article currency although Of equal value
ntriusically, would much Inconvenience in her
foreinn transactions but adopt any thing OF less
value, of value, such as paper, Tor Instance, IS
fraud and forgery not only under our CONSTITUTIONS
hut under the Constitution Of the commercial world
it is fraud and forgery upon the common and
the common necessities of a currency.
There have been variety OF articles used for cur
renew but M matter how various the kinds, they all
necessarily classed under the heads of an honest
renew and dishonest currency. An honest currency
embraces all the kinds OF things used rs such, which
are worth what they purpnrt 10 be worth: such gold
and silver throughout the civilized world and Judge
White s racconn skins III Tennessee without the forgery
however The dishonest currency embraces all such
things as are forced into circulation by arbitrary and
fraudulent law makers artfully introduced by
foruery in imitation Of honest currency and Of
course not worth what they pnrp"rt TO be worth OF
the latter class Judge White opossuin skins
with raccnop tails the tails being the only honest
rency about Them they were worth what they pur
ported to be worth. or the same character all im
tations Of good coins, WHICH rognes make and impose
upon The ignorant for good money. Numberlrss have
been the instances Of rgery and frauds practised in
renew both with the authority Of Lawmakers and with
nut their authorlty;-a these frauds worth
portion of what they pnrp"red l" be worth, e.-
cept a paper currency. To that government of so
mysterious construction that her continuance TO ex-
st has been a puzzle to the wlsest statesmen, are
we indebted for successfully exertng power veIng
with Omnipotence ITSELF by creating something out
Of nothing, and that something TOO ny divine per-
mission governing The hearts OF all the nhfigh,eoms-
To the British Government, of such mysterious struc-
ure that some begin to suspect her very name to be
mystrry indebted for introducing with effect
currency to be given and taken as representative OF
property which has not one attribute OF wealth:
power far surprising the imaginary Philosophers
Stone The Philosophers Stone would indeed give
US the means of building ships and covering our
houses with gold; but the nation that successfully ex
erts the power of making something to represent pro-
perty ont of thing that possesses no one quality OF
dred and fifty millions of acknowledged subjects, land
would could say there not many, many millions
more who are subjects, without an open acknowledge
ment)-a nation that commands and controls the whole
commercial world These powers the Philosopher:
Stone could not impair. This imaginary Stone, which
converts by its touch oil base metals into gold although
it would possess the power of expansion and temporal
rly of monopoly would lack the essential requisites Of
contraction and concentration, and above all the secret
operation that attaches 10 the paper system.
Is this mighty power welded by Britain from her
superior physical strength is it from her superior
wisdom and science Is it from her superior courage
- Co., hor local nostion M IL il from the ma1Ical