Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-03-29


whom live. interest," deep niercst-in those CUES
lions occupying Of the public ention. And
going say something about wall apologize
Wing. ..fuff.Ir .. -Ilf
Ia. common sayng that we ha,r fallen upon evil
nmss,' It's Our condition. people. compared
With What Il has been, .lsmentsble In pecuniary and
ssaness lsons Ne are n,uch-very much embarrassed.
Ner h embarrassment or 20 the
preston. distress limited confined local habi-
taon.' Il IL general. From ell quarters Of the State
aud out Vt the Ssie-we hear the cry OF hard tines All
hear tell admit it-sll feel IT, There is disagreement
sbou, a. l. Gred fact But there questions
connected with this fired fact upon which the public differ
The the OF causes which have produced
our difficulties. The other, the OF relief
II s sometimes saidtho degenerate times" nm
persuaded the remark contains much truth poetry
Why we IN this condition. With n fertile soil, salu-
bou. climate; and after years Of peace and quiet find
ourselves burencd with debt aud appealing the Legs
s'ure Tor relief Is not strange-strange that such
PEOPLE, an suchn Country and under such circumstances
should be ouned in such condition. Yet IL is so. We
said be, and claim be industrious, prudent,
ssgseious, enterprising. and the Politicians will have
IL, intelligent and vruous They never let chance
slip tell he hard-iistcd yeoman," Gan intel
gent peope,""a vuOus and high minded constituency"
DE so. shall it, Blu, il be tina, the
people whn'the Politicians they areruous, hard
listed. hghminded. intelligent" and all that it becomes
pertinent enquiry whether the Politicians have been
come why other, instrumental in bringing about the
difficulties that surround But may be asked, Il ere
are two or three parties of Politicians which party has
done this thing p
blame IN this matter, that the people themselves have
wrought their misfortunes The assigned
for 1t too are, say the least plausible. not eCnclu
sive. The people is said, have been too exirNvagani
have specialized muoh and have used credit too freely
All tins is true-uue beyond doubt But why has this
been the case There have been moving
the people TO these things and which, fairly understood
might lessen the blame attached to hem-some influences
(nt this time little becouded by the miss that have been
ceated which supernduced speculation and too tree use
Of credit The OF the people in the MAN, conforms
the action of the Goyemert-they follow after rs well
direct the Government The policy of the Government
has been vacillatng, speculative, unsettled The people
have tracked after it, and both the diff
oulucs-up to their in debt, and in their
pockets.
not one OF those who believe that the poople-the
and body OF the people-ongnatc, move and con-
uol every thing in this country That may be theory
but practically and in degree least, the thing
reversed We have such things in this country leaders
acknowledged leaders, and If leaders others must
be followers sometimes think that public opinion is al
together manufactured nrce-manunctured ai Washing
and Rchmond-and that the dear people take IT,
and it-hough il Is secondhand nrticleand pay
besides, duty it, Ii Is tins very duty
that bearing downaax the most nonsensica whims
and theories that emanated from the moonsuok BRAN
OF political quackery
We must go back behind extravaganza, and credit, and
speculation find the moving the original source OF
our ills Extravaganza and speculation are the effects OF
We mustlook TO those changes which,
during the last twelve fourteen years. have taken place
in general OF laws and pOlicy-tO that tinker
ING legislation, both the Federal and State governments
which has driven thing OF accustomed channel
and which exhibits both government and people in the
humliatng condition Of debtors unable to pay.
As people we began the world with certain fixed prn-
cipes; and with laws customs habits and general policy
based those principles, have lived moved and had
our political and social being. 1t has been attempted 10
discard those pnncpes-to give us other aws-to drive US
other habits and make US conform 10 another pOcy
We may have started wrong may not; and the new
system proposed may be the preest in theory We are IN
the progress OF the experiment. however, and we must look
practical effects upon well being, rather than Its
theoretical beauties Our old system has been shaken and
established policy has been sought TO be set aside aud
just far effected as to produce the confusion and dhc
prevailing throughout the land We began the
world with credit-with the principle OF credit running
through all transactions private and publc-wh ere
dit currency and with laws regulating credit SYSTEM and
general policy growing out OF, and adapted 10 H. We
have grown up under this general policy In our manner
and habits of businessn thoughts and ve~s. aud IN
associations accustomed 10 ito its effects and
bearings. That system and policy have been attacked
and hence the arrangement OF every thing The cry IS
down with credit and credit cuuencyabandon the OLD
of doing things your position the new
sysiem-the cash, hard-money sysem-and well give you
free trade in the bargain, We'll, trying II little
in the fogs of the experiment. entangled, hred' en-
barrnssed, and not htile cast down. But mere we
are, as the wagner says TO ms team W"ch nc
sticks in mud Shall retreat or advance -
Shall 60 back the old policy, meet our engagements
redeem our promises and stand erect; shall
20 forward in pursuit of the bubbles OF free trade and
hard money-eaving engagements and promises uhfe
deemed We can't stand where we are. We must
rerudiate pay. And If we go forward VIC must re.
pudiate-if old ground we can and
ioH pay repeat ore TO abandon the credit SYSTEM
repudiaei for 'o that complexion IT must come
last" is idle suppose that people IN debt
with credit currency credit prices and get Of debt
with cash currency and cash pnces GU might as We'll
suppose you could pull stad Wagon well with
horses six By the way, believe specie currency
and credit-even if we could come to t-wcuid be
take in We should lose, in good degree, the spirit Oi
enterprise and be deprived Of the comforts which hope
grants looking the future for the rewards of the present
We should grow little sluggish and dull; and whenever
CHANGED 10 get hold OF enough OF the yeilo boys TO
gngle, should be like the old fellow in the song;
There the King counting Of his money"
There Disgusting the fact that If is expected the
country will relieve itself from its difficulties II must have
something do it with. You may have this scheme or
ihai-stsy laws valuation lawsuit nothing will
conpsh but that with which debts can be paid And
may have crop two crops hut IL there be
thing 10 buy with, there will still be nothing pay with
Bot said IL will practice industry and rigid
nomy for year two, all things will night again.
Industry and economy il Is true will do much 10 assist
and II had practsed these virtues little hereto
fore we should have been u better situation But
unssted by any thing else, the practice Of these virtues
tcommondable al all hines) would avail but little The
operation would be too slow We shall be used up before
their fruits be gathered and brought aid tn,
Of meaHs-the absence Of circulating medium suii-
cen sustain the business Of the country and thereby
give fair prices for our labor renders industry almost
fruiless.
Nothing, il me, will reach the but Gil
again, in degree least the channels Of circulation
Our Indebtedness contracted when money abun
dan aud prices high. And, be it remembered when
contracted the debts that embarrass locked
continuance Of the and circumstances then
rounding US, fully authorizing engagements and
guarding IN the Of events, against ultimate Difficult
ties. We have been disappointed however Our condi-
ton hns been changed. Our Of meeting those
gagements have been essened and essened too great
measure by causes foreign to our control II is e we
have much properyas much Of every thing cell and
trade upon had then; but value has been dinn
diminished by the scarcity Of money. The
whole difficulty grows Of contracted currency. And
whether that has been effected by the anc-edt tendency
of certain political doEmss-by mproviden action the
part Of the Legsls'ureor by the will Of the Banks, still
Is the cause, and being the cause pleads strongly behalf
81 the people for legislative action.
Our condition pretty much like that Of the boy who
up tho ladder. While he there gathering
fruit naughty little urehng threw the ladder down, and
,aed on win he roundabout, snying-yOu get down
l put the ladder up again Our condition,
rspeaf j. Ike that boy-and say 10 the Legislature he
aid The rsggith e uTchinpui the ladder back Res
ts me currency ihat may get down from the Of
ds5 Which have climbed By the II The T0uHds Of
high grces. We get down cher way without Jar