Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1863-04-01
The Gold Panic.

duties of the journalist. 1t is to combat
dangerous errors, illusions and panics in
the public mind-to keep cool and hold on
to reason as guide, while excitement and
apprehension are doing their fearful work
out of doors, and scattering the senses Of
those who ought to be sensible men, like SO
many timid bares. We have spoken else
where Of the food panic as of q class with
the powdetpanic, the arms panic, and the
salt panic of former epochs of the war
The gold panic is one of the last hallucina-
tions of the times. The currency question
is vital to US; tits our weak point, because
it is sensitive as an exposed nerve, and most
inviting to the operations of speculators at
home, and enemies at home and abroad
Timid men among the people are the ready
dupes of these operators. 1t becomes eve.
ry man Of sense andemotive, who loves the
cause and his country, to fight the evil man
fully.
1t is telegraphed from Richmond, Cad
vance in gold.! Exodus of foreigners J
Gold has risen in Richmond to 400, and
Bank notes to, 60 premium" The exodus
of foreigners, as cause of the rise, is a
fable. Itmight temporarily affect that mar
ket, but there is no exodus of foreigners
here to account for the futter on St. Fran.
els and St. Michael streets.
Can any man perceive any rational cause
in the present condition Of our military at.
fairs, why Confederate currency should
suddenly jump down 160? If Richmond
or Charleston had been taken, or Vicks-
burg reduced, the reason would be clear
enough. But it comes when there is no
defeat or series of defeats, of our arms to
dampen the hopes ofultimate triumph, and
when everything looks more favorable for
US than at any period of the war. Noman
with magnifying glass, can discover any
single reason why Confederate notes to-day
is not worth just as much as it was yester-
day. Yet, upon breath Of report, a
gapor of suspicion Of evil, lots of people
are, while we write, running to the brokers'
Offices, eager to exchange their paper for
gold at any price They verify the maxim,
"a fool and his money is soon parted." -
Tomorrow, the wind may sit in a different
quarter. The wireworkers, having succeed.
ed in bagging suficientlot of dupes, may
find it convenient to let up the snare, and
a good piece Of news may come along to
justify an advance in Confederate paper
Then these dupes who bought at 400 will
begin to think they had been too easily
scared, and come back to sell again at 800.
One thing is worthy of remark, and we
commend it to the timid patriot who is the
possessor Of Confederate money. 1t Isl,
that it takes two to make bargain, and
when he can sell his paper, there must needs
be buyer. Now, it is as good in his hands
as in those of the buyer, and the buyer as
the sn,artest and sAarpest hand an the
bargain.
There are no more dangerous enemies to
our cause than these timid possessors of
Confederate money. Most of them have
made it out of the war and out of the de.
rangements in prices and currency OCCASION.
eddy the war. They are now usihg their
gains to weaken the general cause, to strike
a blow at public credit and public conf
dence. The alarm they create by the mis-.
use of their illgotten wealth is more dan.
gerous to the cause than the fury of cur
enemies and their countless armies. 1t is
IN their power to copquer us when Lincoln
cannot do it, with all his vast Dietatorial
powers. And some times we think we see
the hands of our own willy and bitter fees
in their attacks upon our currency. It
would be scheme worthy of the cunning
brain of the Machiavellian Seward. He,
and his brother Yankees are money under
standing people. They know what an ele-
ment of evil disorganized currency is
worse than disorgsnized army. They
know both by bitter experience. Having
failed to disorganize our noble armies, (and
they never have been in such splendid
fighting condition since the war began) may
they not be trying our currency? General
Brasg's army left in Tennessee and Ken
lucky several millions of Confederate dol
lars. 1t is no great stretch of the imagina.
ton to suppose that Seward may have or
dered them to Richmond by agents instruc-
ted to invest them in gold at 800 premium,
the $50 premium, then 400, and SO on, at
any premium, until they run up gold to 8,
6, I, 8 or 10 for one. a panic is the con-
sequence, and at cost of half a million of
dollars, Seward effects the ruin of our Fl.
naHces.
If Lincoln is not doing this, it is certain
ly being done by speculatiug sharpers on
one side, and timid fools, and, in patriotic
sense, vile knaves on the other. The rem.
edy is in the public-in its courage and
nerve, its determination to stand by the
credit of the Government, to sink or swim
with it, and its frowning down the cowardly
herd who do not hesitate to leopard the
cause Of a nation, and set at naught all the
precious blood and Godlike heroism which
has been expended in it, in order to save
their vile and paltry dollars. There is no
cause for this alarm. It is of the very es-
sence of a panic. Our prospects were
never brighter, our success is certain, (for
its ouly real enemies are the engrossers and
the panic makers), and with success the