Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-01-19
Legislation on sh,up,.s,,n.

We grieve to see the extent to which our Demo-
cralc rulers arc pcrplexed on this Subject. It gives
then a vast amount of trouble with little hope OF re-
lief They have already expended enough of lcgisla-
ton Sainst shinplasters, one would think, to set the
currety of the State to rights for all future time
But itSont do. 1t is loves labor lost, and the "shin-
plasterpcst" gets worse and worse every day. Some
Of the dSminant party have ~dispared and begin TO
think thN it is no use to dose the Old Commonwealth
with qua& remedies any longer, but that it is better
To adopt a\oncc the remedy which everybody knows
will effect azure, viz to permit our own State Banks
to issue not,s ola less denomination than five dollars.
Something must be done they all say. The pest is
too intolerabS to DC longer borne. 1t isa burning
shame that alithc fanciful theories of Democratic lcgis-
laturcS should lurn out in practice to be utterly worth
less. Besides, The time may soon come when the
people of the State will he gullcd no further the
old exploded schemes for Kidding the currency of this
abominable nuisance ; and therefore, new schemes,
in the way Of CT actmcRts against the circulation Of
shinplasters, must be proposed and perhaps adopted.
The Democratic majority of the present Legislature
have set To work with an indomitablc perseverance,
or logged obstinacy, to frame new prohibitory stat
utes on the small note currency. 4 bill has been
presented in the House of Delegates to swear all
PS'SohS Apply HS ID III tOUlilllSSlONcIS w NV wv
nue. and courts for license not to use small notes
to fine every person ten dollars for each otfense in
passing small notes-to impriSon those who are not
able to pay the fine, and 10 impose sundry penalties
upon sheritiS, collectors of the revenue, and other pub.
lie officers for receiving such notes. In the Senate n
bill has been reported for inilicting n fine of five dollars
for every oiiensc in passing notes of a less denomina.
ton than five dollars, ami to imprison the offender
for a failure TO pay the tine. To cap the climax, Mr..
Old has Introduced in the Senate his all healing rcs-
olution for constituting the Board of Public Works
a general regulator OF the currency of the State, by
the various provisions therein specified.
1t strikes us we Should have a nice state Of affairs
with those laws put Into operation as proposed
When you have sworn all your licensed business
men, determined TO intict the fines against all often.
dcrS, 10y bribing one half Of the community TO tell
on the other half, and are ready to imprison all who
are too poor to pay the p~enalty-when you have
prohibited your officers from collecting the revenue
in small notes, how is business to be transacted or
the revenue collected? We are in favor of as strin-
gent laws against the circulation of sii lplasterS as
can he iudiciouSly imposed but while you are TAX.
ing away the currency the public have, it is incum-
bent to provide some substitute. Now suppose such a
set Of laws As enumerated above to be carried
out-ior putting laws into execution is a very
different thing in these days from passing them
what would be the result ? Where is the circulating
medium TO come from? No body believes that there
is gold and silver enough in the State to answer the
purpose of change. The practical result of it would
simply he TO depress business by legislating the State
out of almost any currency at all under five dollar
bills, and that consequence must be apparent to every
one.
We copy elsewhere the respective bills before the
House of Delegates aud the Senate on this subject
The party from which they emanate have long had
the power Of le~gislating shinplasters out Of the State,
according to suci, plans as they may see proper TO
adopt, and all We have to say is, gentlemen, why
don't you do ii?
- Ioln MiIrhnlI rhn Iri.h Ill. sinc0 IL. an.;r.li In