The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-05-24

bill to establish general criminal court for the
9Th judicial circuit. Resolutions of respect to the
memory of N N Fleming Ia member of the House
from Rowan) who was recently killed in battle,
were adopted, and the House adjourned.
On Thursday. the Senate passed bill increasing
the pay of members to $50 per day; also bill to
exempt from taxation the property and funds of all
corporations and societies for the education of the
orphans of soldiers, &c. In the House, Mr. Brown
| introduced bill to allow j Hood of Mecklenburg
| to collect tax arrears.
| RUNoUs Proposition regret to see
| that Mr. McAden has introduced bill into our Le-
gislature. proposing to suspend the collection of tax
es during the present year. If such proposition is
adopted it will ultimately the injury if not the
ruin of many taxpayers, The.tax will have to be
paid at some time and it is best to let the people
pay it now with Confederate currency. and not
postpone the collection until money gets scarcer as
it certainly will year hence. The assumption by
the State of North Cardinals quota of tho first Con-
federate tax was a most unfortunate thing for the
general good and the suspension Of the collection
of the State tax for this year, will prove ruinous in
the end. for it would leave the burden to be borne
hereafter when different sort of money may be
| required in payment. and at a time when money will
be hard to get. We hope the Legislature will do
no such unwise thing as to adopt Mr. McAden's
proposition; Let US pay as we go, and not pile
debt upon debt -. -
P. S.-We are gratifed to see that the commit
tee of Finance have reported against the proposition
GLOOMY PEoPLE.-Ever since the commence
ment of the there has existed in our country
class of people who could see nothing but ruin and
disaster in the signs of the tmes-they utterly
fuse to be coaforted, and when they hear of Con-
federate victory they shake their heads because they
arc not assured that every Yankee southern soil
has been exterminated. The slightest reverse to
arms causes their eyes to the position of
those of calf with the blind staggers. OCCASION
ally. one Of mis- class cuts his throat hangs
himself, and thus ends the far he is con-
cerned. Such people are no great loss to the
country. But we hope the dark day of these gloomy
people is past, and that they are now enabled to
take courage and hold up their heads The news
from Virginia and from the West will justify more
cheerful countenance and better spirits. There
never has been any good cause for dscouragement,
except occasionally in the unpatrotic conduct of
some of our people at home. From the beginning
of the contest our arms have been blessed with
prccedented success, and recently that success has
been extraordinary. But if we should yet meet
with reverses it will do good to put on long faces
and become dsheartened and discouraged All
must constantly bear in mind fact: that is, the
will mover stop until the Confcderacy is estab
lished as free and Independent nation. The more
encourage each other in tho struggle, and the
more cordially we sustain and aid our authorities.
the sooner we shall have peace. Every sensible
is in favor of negotiations for peace but it is
worse than foOlshsess to be talking about "negotia
ton" until the yankees arc willing to receive our
commissioners.
PRICES DECLINING read in our exchanges
of the steady decline in provisions in various
sections of the Confederaey. The Fayetteville OBJ
says that Flour and Bacon have declined in
that place to half former rates, and that other
articles have also declined We hear the same re-
ports from all other parts of the country. There
has been decided decline in this place though not
as great at other points As to the which
have produced this change Ia change which we feel
certain will ultimately prove beneficial to all classes,
the producer well the producer,) the OBJ
server very correctly remarks: Il.
1.-THE most probable causes assigned for this great
change are, the appreciation of the currency in
sequence of its scarcity produced by the late Acts
of Congress; the cheering promise of rich and abun
dant crops of small grain; certainty that there is
surplus of both meat and breadstuffs in the coun
try; and finally, the recent unbroken series of
cesses to our arms with consequently better feel
ing in regard to the value of the Confederate cur,
rency: No one can have failed TO perceive the
marked scarcity of money during the past few
weeks 1t had greatly affected the extent of bu.i-
ness in almost all its branches These had been
far too much circulation for anywholesome require
ments of trade. A sudden Withdrawal of one half
of the amount, -four or five hundred millions Of dol
ars) could not fail to have powerful effect upon
the value of the remainder. The natural conse-
quence is fall liz the prices of commodities pur
chasable with that currency
BY the first of July, money will be a grest deal
scarcer than it is now. The old S. notes will soon
go out of circulation altogetherthey only pass
at two-thirds of their face and people prefer the
new currency at par to the old discounted. None
but the new issue will be received in payment Of
State and County taxes and therefore the will
be in greater demand after awhile than it is now.
PAPER.-Whilst prices generally declining,
are sorry to know that there has been decline
been a recent advance from 81 to 81 80 per pound,
for 'dingy looking. and inferior article.
This advance is caused by the scarcity of material
of which paper is made, and the small number of
paper mills in the country. We should not be sur
prsed if paper advanced still further if so, the
price ofneyspapers must go up, or the prOprietors
must involve themselves in debt to the public
with news. Thus far, the advance in the price of
nc spapcrs haS borne no proportion to the advance
on~al other articles. Editors generally, can GER
tainly say, with truth, that they have not made
money oat of the war. but have lost considerable.
although, We suppose, every where their nuDber Of
have largely increased. For our own !