Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-04-13
Newspapers Enforcing the Small Note Bill.

The Democratic press of this state is making a
desperate effort to write the Small Note Law into
force They have such strong msgivings of its eff
cacy that they think 1t necessary to try and bolster
up with the support Of party press. This is new
way OF enforcing laws. The Press has heretofore ex
erted considerable influence in getting certain laws
passed. but 1t is late thing that it has to be become
the medium for carrying them into execution Our
Legislature has come to nice pass that it canno. ex
ecute its own laws, or rather that the laws which
emanate om it are Of such character that the off
GERS Of the lands cannot enforce them by virtue of the
authority with which they are clothed There must
be deporable want of capacity on the part Of those
who make the laws that they cannot adapt them to
the wants of the public great lack of respect for
their legislation, among the people when it comes 10
this.
1t is quite complimentary to the press to presume that
It can do that which the strong Of the law fails to
effect and more so to think that it produce good
results out OF such abomnaLc legislation as has fall
len to the lot of Virginia for years past Our Demo
cratic contemporaries try it, but we fear they will
have a hard job Of it. We have really dcspared of
our feeble efforts effecting anything in so hopeless
case. 1t is very easy for the Press to ta about the
vast importance Of strict obedience to the solemn
enactments of State Legislature-to call upon the
people, in pathetic and eloquent terms, to see that
those enactments faithfully carried into effect
1t is fruitful theme for newspapers to diate upon
the denominations Of "rag money" and to picture the
beauties Of a hard money currency. But all that will
neither abolish the one supply the other, with.
out being accompanied with the right sort of legisa-
ton 1t is no use to preach to the people about the
wrong OF passing small notes while you refuse to
give them any thing better. Were the question con.
fined to choice between shinplasters and gold and
silver then you might attempt to write down the use
oil the former with more hope Of success but when
the people have got nothing but shinplasters and
can't get any thing else, how are they to avoid the
circulation of them How are they to substitute
gold and silver when they bavn't got it2
We have some curiosity to see whether the very
men who voted for this small note law in the Legis-
ature, and those knights Of the quill who arc SO loud
in denouncng the use of small notes, will obey the
law themselves, after the LIST Of June, by refusing to
take them 1t is more than they are doing uoy. and
We very much question whether they are more scru.
Pulousn practicing what they preach after the law
goes into operation than they are at present. The
same legislators who enact laws against the use nj
shinplasters, imposing penalties Of Imprisonment, and
hnes upon the people for a violation thereof and the
same editors who pen such indignant editorials on
this subject soonerleavo their legislative halls and
editorial sanctums than they turn passing shinpas
tiers for The first purchases they have occasion 10
make We shall sec il they do not continue to do 8,
just as freely as ever TLey do it because they hav,
no other money to offer, and other people do so fol
precisely the same reason. No. no gentlemen editor
you can't write shinplastcrs ont of circulation. whu
the people have nothing clsc-you can't write col,
and silver into circulation, while the people hayn'
got II, and cannot get it, 1t can't be done.