Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1858-09-09
Ghe Gurrenry Questiun,
Speech Of Hon. Geo. W. Jones

IN the Bin to I'rOGade for the Bette,
Organization Of The Treasury. ana
for the Collection, Safe keeping
Transfer and Disbursement Of til.
Pubic Revenue.
Delivered in the House of Representatives
April /, 1916.
The House being in Committee Of
the Whole on the state of the T.
MON, (Mr Daniel, of North Caro-
lima, in The chair, on the Bill for
!, the better. organization of the
T Treasury, &c.
Mr.. Jones addressed the committee
as follows:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN:--Tbis is an old
and rather thread bare subject; yet ]
trust it has lost none of its interest
with its true friends and advocates,
but that they are as anxious now for
the establishment of the system con.
templated by this bill, as they were
when it was first recommended to the
consideration of the Representatives
of the people, and, them, to the peo-
pie themselves. When / first saw
the Message Of the President of the
United States recommended a discon-
nection between the business of this
Government and the banks of the
country. the proposition met with
my sincere appreciation. l was then
its friend and advocate; and / have
continued to be so from that day to
this. l trust that now it is near con-
summation. / hope, and ! elieye,
that this Congress will pass this bill,
and that il is destined to remain upon
the statute book OF the country until
it shall, at least, have bad the benefit
of fair trial Of its merits. If, 10
practice, it should be found to work
detrimentally to the public interest,
or to the safety Of the public funds,
| shall no longer be its advocate
But. believing that its practical oper-
atoms will be the reverse Of this, l
shall vote for it, with . confident ex-
pectation that all the good which its
friends anticipate from it, will be real
lied. Isball vote for ii, because be-
lieve that this Government, under the
authority given to it by the Consti-
tuition to lay and collect taxes, and
to appropriate the money, should &C.
eomplish these objects through the
instrumentality of its own officers,
who are subject to its control and re-
sponsible to it for their action, and
not by means of fictitious. law-created,
soulless, bodyiess, and corrupt corpo-
rations, whether brought into being
by the General Government or the
Governments of the different States
of the Union. l shall vote for it, be-
cause / believe it to be the great an
tagenistic measure Of paper money
and corporations in this country
And. whatever arguments gentlemen
on the opposite side may ostensibly
urge against the passage Of this bill
| believe that the true cause of that
opposition is to be found in the fact
that it,is the antagonistic measure Of
paper money and corporations. 1t is
true that the measure will not, of it
self, annihilate paper banks, but, b
its adoption, the Government at once
refuses to touch or handle the paper
of these worthless institutions
Those who have to pay money TO thu
Government, and who use the paper
Of these banks, will be under ths
necessity, when they come to make
their payments, to demand from then
gold and silver coin, with which t.
pay their dues. I cannot agree will
some Of my friends who are in favo
of what they call well regulated STATE
banks. In my humble opinion sucl
a thing has never been seen or rea'
Of by any man. A well regulated
or an honest bank, practically speak
: ing, is, in my opinion, something
which is beyond the sagacity of hu
man nature to make. The history Q
the world, believe Can show no re
cord of such a thing. ] believe tina
those who established this Govern
ment intended to create, and though
4 they had created, hard money Gov
eminent; and that they believed tina
they had precluded and excludes
from the United States all that worth
, less trash ahich we denominate pa
per money.
What are the facts? Let us 6