The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1863-06-18

From the Lexington (Ky.) Observer
Remarkable Order Of the Treasury Dee
partment-Trade of fLexinSton.

Remarkable Order of the Treasury De-
Partment-Trade of Lexington.
Our mercantile community was taken
quite aback on Saturday last by an order
received by Mr.. Jane es a. Harper, who has
been acting as agent of the Treasury De-
partment, In granting permits for the ship
ment OF goods. A Mr.. Mellen, the agent
OF the Department, according to this re-
markable order, has brought our wants and
/ desires down to necessity. Our merchants
are hereafter to import in round numbers
but $34, 900 of all kinds of merchandise per
month into the county of Fayette-just
81, so per capita for the county-and no
N erohant shall job or wholesale and no
one shall purchase over two months sup
plies. Now what does all this mean? Ars
our N erchauts to be all broken up? for such
an order surely amounts to little less than
total prohibition of trade. Is all the busi-
ness done with this and the surrounding
country to be totally annulled, and Lexing-
ton to be further stripped of what little trade
remains since the Inauguration of this wick
ed rebellion? Our county, one of the rich
est and largest tax paying in the State is
classed with such COMMITTEES as Harlan, Clay,
Layrel, Estill and others The am cunt to
be purchased is based very erroneously up
on population, instead of wealth, PROPOSE
ton the absurdity of which will appear to
the merest tyro in political economy. The
greater the wealth of a people, the more
their wants and requirements.
We made it our business day or two
sincd to make some inquiries as to the trade
of Lexington, and learned that the business
of eight of our leading merchants-four. in
the grocery and four in the dry goods trade
-even now, under the untoward circum-
stances of the war, that their business Is
about million per anum. Are these m en-
to suspend business? IF the order alluded
to Is enforced, no other course is left.
Their profits would not pay house rent, leaV-
ing out clerk hire. Has Mr.. Mellen, or
whoaver is higher or above him IN auth ori- +
ty, no respect for the plighted faith of the
Government? 1t has been scarcely two
months since our entire community paid
their licenses to Mr.. Milton, Government
agent. 1t has not been a month since they
gave in: their annual sales and profits. pred
icated solely upon what they had done
since the first of January, and what they
expected to do. if trade was uninterrupted
the balance of the year. And thus, after
so doing, is it right to be ordered to suspend
business or to do it under such restrictions
that it would not justify one of them in
paying house rent?
We ask again what is the meaning of all
| this? Does the Government intend to re-
sign kentucky to the Southern Gontedera~
cy, and fear an accumulation of stock3
Can the Government accuse our merchants
of dealing in contraband goodsl Certainly
not, for the disleyal are not permitted to
| buy and sell goods? Is Kentucky disloyal?
Tue prompt response of her sons to every
call of tha Government says no; every bat
tie, field Of the West and South st re-
echoes from their blood stained fields. mol!
There certainly must be some mistake
about this whole matter We are unwil-
ling to believe that Kentucky is ranked by
the Administration with the States in re-
volt, such as Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi,
&C., which are named in the order, She
has surely done nothing to merit such q
classification, and, when the subject comes
under the consideration of the President,
we have no doubt it will be promptly corr
rected-the singular regulation at once re-
scinded.