Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-10-07
TIE ALBExARLR HoYEYENr.

| A
CAUSES AND ETTEorS OF HIGH PRICES, EIC-PRACrICAL
SUGGESTIONS a..'t -
The Central Committee appointed at the late meeting
in AlbemRrle county, has appointed various sub COM
mtees TO canvass their respective dstrcts and obtain
the iten plsdge Of the people to carry said
lutious ByrsqusSt Mr.. Wgfall has furnished the fol
lowing brief sketch Of bis remarks at the September
Court: rf
GsntIsns,t,-In compliance with your request | here
with furnish briefly the reasons which induced me 10
advise the action lately taken by yourselves and Others
Of this county.
Ii seems to me that the people do notpropely realize
the fact that their interests identical with those OF
thar Governments IL is but their agent Il has and
can have no interest which lie antagonist to theirs The
President members Of Congress, Cabinet Ministers and
Judges are all citizens of the country chosen by other
citizens discharge Temporarily the duties which belong
70 their respective Offices. sd
The army is also composed OF citizens. 1t has to be
Maid clothed subssted and armed. This can be done
only by the Government The heavy purchases neces-
ssry for this purpose must be made either on credit OF
for cash. The Government itself has no credit except
that based on the property Of the people. Il has no
money except that collected by taxation.
Ifolows them that is the interest OF the To- pay
ere that the war shall be conducted with little cost Ms
possbls In other words, that the Government should
buy at the lowest prices.
ten times the necessary for the nent trans
action of the busness Of the country. Prices have
steadily risen as money has become abundant Reduce
the cuEeneJ and prices viii fall. The war debt will
thus be esseued and the taxes be ghtened ia proportion
TIose who are now selling for high prices will receive
less Il in true buthey will pay less for what they buy
and on the whole their condition will not be materially
changed. The farmer now protects himself against
what be considers the exloron Of the merchant by the
increased price Of his produce So the merchant pro
r,lF. mat fha A vho
thing 10 sell seem TO be growing rich How is it with
the government which buys everything and sells moth
ing! Il buys for the tax pay and every note is
sues must at time be redeemed by them in gold or
silver When that time comes they will see that In
stead Of riches they have been png upa monument Of
debt to fall upon and crush them.
Their liberties have been invaded and their right 10
government denied They have been involved ID
most cruel war. An army las been put in the field
To arm and subss il Treasury notes have been issued
and have become the currency of the country. They
we're issued in large amounts and prices imnediAt y
began to rise TIE higher the prices the larger the is
sues and the larger the issues the higher the prices
The cost Of the war the first year was Que OF two hun
ed millions of dollar, three four hundred millions
the next and it will be eight or ten the third f prices
are not reduced. Must not such debt swallow I'D not
the incomes only but the property itself OF the tax
payers If prices continue 70 increase in the future as
they have in tie pasl Let them no longer live under
the fatal deluson that they are growing richer and
richer by selag 70 each other and 10 the Government
at prices steadily growing higher ana higher. They will
wake from that dream Of prosperity when peace and
the tax-gAiherer come. ~ .-.f
The remedy suggest viii certainly reach the evil If
acted on. Then let every az once resolve t1 in
every surplus dollar in Government bonds. Every
dollar that invested will to that extent contract
currency and reduce prices. The cost Of the war
will then begin steadily TO decrease IL has increased
heretofore it Is increasing aud it must be dimin-
ished or the people will be ruined The present debt
can be easily handled if funded. The government can
well afford to pay eight per cent interest on the cost Of
army supplies when buying at from Ave hundred to one
thousand per cent less than is Is now paying Would
any farmer give for horse his note without interest
for thousand dollars, If he could buy the horse
for hundred dollars aad borrow the money at eight
per cent interest? -la z B
This il no government dsbt' we are contracting =
Il debt which ws shah have to pay Every man who
has one dollars worth Of property 20 be taxed will be
called ON for his share Then let those who inter-
ested at once turn 70 the government their one
tentl in kind and to that extent relieve the govern
ment from the necessity Of further purchasing and
further nha ing the currency, by additional Issues OF
treasury notes. Set aside also another tenth, and #
needed sell it 10 the government at Old prices
The issue Of treasury notes will thus, day by day,
become less aud day by day those now in circuatioa
vi become absorbed Prices then must soon fall Ia
the mean time sell to the sold ers family at reasonable
prices Deal not hardly with the wives and children Of
those who are fighting for the protection OF prop
ertS Upon the soldier the pressnshgh prices fall with
peculiar hardship. The eleven dollars month which
he receives scarcely worth one and he cannot be re-
eved by an increase Of pay. Itwoud but still further
initiate the currency and prices. If his pay were
double, the twenty-five dollars would probably buyles
than the eleven which he nov receives. ~ z ,,,s--s
Trustiug, gentlemen, that the other counties will fol
low The noble example yours has set and that ifthey
should do so the people the other States wa nosre
gard with ind ference the action Of the people OF this
great Commonwealth beg leave 60 remain, a-f-s I
: Very respectful , your obedient servant, 4 81
Ftsa al3 Louis T. WIe1ALL.
To Messts. w. W. Minor T. j. Randolph, w s. Dab
ney, J. J. BoWeock, s. W. Hcklin, w. Il. SOnthall,
ThOs. Wood, Committee. ~,
The State electiOns in Pennsylvania take place on