Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-12-20

compliment which one Of the most spirited of our
city papers besowE upon the friends of the bill for
loading the Bank Of Tennessee with the war tar.
Wskavs tabsn care Of to day. and the morrOso rosl
take care Of asslED
The intelligent writer had the ssgacity, no doubt
to foresee that the bill was at best but soOthinQ
oPiAte, which, though it may lul the patient into
nOmentary slumber, will en- The morrow add ten
/ fold to the agonies Of to-day.
Though il be among the shortest of the year, at
least "we have taken care of today" Let it be
held in perpetual remembrance let it be inscribed
in lettels Of gOld,.deep craven upon the walls of
our Senate chamber, the motto of the august
body therein convened, in the year of our Lord
eighteen hundred aud sixtySone Take care of
today, the morrow win take care of itself" and it
might be added, by WY of giving additional Iustre
70 its proceedings, and of casting additional halo
over the spendor of their achievements, as well as
TO do simple act Of justice to the departed dead,
that the genius of the immortal MIcAwBER pre-.
sided over its deliberations. Such, but for the
necessity Of editorial brevty might have been the
eulogy of the Banner.
If those whose duty it is to guard, proteet and
provide for the permanent well-being of the State
will not look beyond to-day, if this, ndeSd, as the
Banner would seem to intimate be tine limit Of their
statesmanship, if the .clamOrs of those who seek
! only the plaudits of the hour, or of those who
wonld sacrifice the future interests of whole PEG
pie for an hour of ignoble rest are alone to be
needed then indeed is the time come, when those
Of higher aspirations should begin to set their house
in order-whsn they should speak out fearessly
that the legitimate consequences of those ill-hmed
measures when they shalt CONS to be developed by
the pressing reality of an overwhelming public
debt the loss of credit, and dIsOr dered currency
with its long list of private ruin aud bankruptcy
| may rest where they properly belongs.
| The instability and hckleness of those who have
sought only how to postpone this tax, should Of
itself have admonished US of the danger which we
/ are about to incur. 1t has not been the steady
perseverng effort of the skillful artillerst directed
At the most liable pOints Of the enemys forces
but the wild, random shots OF confused, brighten
| novice, who, though he made the heavens roar
had 10 fact carried death sud destruction into the
ranks of his own friends.
Long nights of sleepless toll have for ages been
occupied. in finding out the philosophers atone.
the means of converting the baser metals into gold.
But the distinguished honor Of finding out how to
release ourselves from debts by single dash of the
pen has been reserved for the present age.
Tennessee assumes the Confederate war tax, and
directs her agent, the Bank of Tennessee, to hand
over the amount" brilliantly and msgnsnimously,
Il was about to say executed Bat wait where
is the agent to get the money.
you kdvs already exhausted almost the entire capt
tai of the Bank school fund and all. " Why then we
suthOrzs it to issue three dollars to of Its capt
tai" Indeed. Hide your diminished hesds,ye Laws
yea old fashioned financial fogies, who have hereto
fore deluded yourselves with the idea that dollar
was something real actual, tangible thing to be
4eeu felt sad handled to be worked for to be
had only By the sweat of the brow. You old bald
patsd, supersnnusted Bankers that have all your
Iifstimes lived in state of perturbation and anx
iety in striving to preserve proper equilibrium
between the amount of your paper promises in
circulation, and the actual dollars On hand, know
ye and all men by these presents, that the Bank of
Tennessee hiss authority to issue dollars t, the
amount of our Confederate war tax
We ought, perhaps, to feel duly thankful for so
great boon but since costs so little why not pay
our entire indebtedness at once and let US begin
| anew. Il will cost the bank but 9 mere trils to
strike the amount-ndeed, it will coat nothing for
We can sris the moAsy to pay the expenses Of put
the machine in motion. And then the process is so
simple, that of course the maehinecan get out
Of order. Just deposit an amount Of State Bonds
in ths vaults Of the bank equal to the number of
dollars WKnted--they need not even bear interest
turn 8 erank-set the machine in motion, and out
flies the precious documents, the almighty dollars
The bonds, upon their face, payable 1t il true
10 ten years. But what OF that. Our machine can
soon shell out the amount upon the deposit OF sn-
other two million, and another, even ad infaaum
Nay, more We shall doubtless have made improve
ments on the process long before these bonds fal
due, so as perhaps to be enIbled to dispense with
bonds altogether.
Wouldn't it be. well to take cut patent in time
lest other States get to work on our aud
fall to making money Of their own. At all eventa
let Us keep the thing secret. And no " L think of
it, what il We issue about hundred million or
more if need be- buy up ali the cotton, send it to
England, Francs, Germany and elsewhere, bring
back the amount in good thiAgs, land Just 20 it
while we're young" But rather, what may we not
do! The imagination is bewiIdered at the bare eff.
fort to contemplate the blessed uuses that are 10
store for US, If We emily keep our new process Of
money making in active operation.
But seriously have one question to propose
on behalf Of all those, whether they be |
farmers, merchants or bankers, who are expected |
to receive the paper promises of the Bank, digniied
though they be by the Legislature as so many dol |
lars. Where are the actual dollrs to come from |
with which these promises to be redeemed
We are not Catholic community We cannot
easily be made to believe in the doctrine Of trans
substantiAton ia reference to things spiritual
much lees we be made 70 accept upon mere
faith, the doctrine that what seems TO the natural
eye to be but bit of paper, however deliberately
and beautifully engraved, with promise on its
face to pay so many dollars on demand, ia in fact
so many genuine dollars of pure metal Nay more,
we are such H9 alter Of fact, inereduous people
that when we see thu State turn a deaf ear
to the creditor of to day and put bin off with prom
ises Of pay ment at some future day, we must not
be surprised if the creditor begins to doubt wheth
err It ever meant to pay at all.
| will endesvor in my next to show, that II the
senate's bill should become law, that we shall
have illustrated the fable of the old woman who
killed the goose that laid the golden egg In other