Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-02-08
The Greenback Question.

The following remarks upon the question
OF specific contracts, which is now occupying
Ae Legislatures of California and this Terri
tory, are from the Morning Cal:
There Is now no law on the statute-book by
which an employer can be compelled 10 pay his
employees in gold, by which q creditinS trader
can compel his debtor customers 10 pay their bills
in gold, or by which depositors in banks can com
pei bank managers to pay their deposits in coin.
As the price Of everything in this State is fixed on
a gold basis there should, IL to us, be law
compelling everybody to fulfil their pecuniary OBJ
legations, by paving gold. Phere certainly can be
no objection to this proposition No business can
be carried on without extending more or less
credit TO customers and be the sum large or small
the law should protect everybody from the forced
acceptance of dishonest payments. so with work
Ing men. They are compelled to do their work
before they can demand payment, and yet it is
optional with the employer to pay them in com or
greenbaeSs. The only restraint in such cases is
the fear OF exposure, and that, we have seen by
the number of 'green-back notices. in the adver
Using columns of the papers, is but slender reed
in many Instances. Why not make the Av per
feet, aud include implied cou,racts-unless a con
trary agreement or stipulation can be proven-'and
make them amenable to the gold and silver rule
The books tell US that implied contracts such
as justice and dictates, and which therefore
the law presumcs every man undertakes to per
form II the small trador furnishes \ with gro
ceries for n month, on trust, the presumption Is
just that A implied his willingness to pay for them
IN coin; and if \ refuses TO do so, and when
brought into Court hquidate in deprecated eur.
rency, he has certainly violated such an implied
contract "as justice and reason dictates" he had
entered into. Oae contract ought to be rs binding
another, where il be specific or implied; and il
u IMAM takes up goods from a tradesman, without
any agreement of price, the law concludes that be
contracts TO pay their value" but if that value
computed at dollars and cents in gold is paid in
greenbacks, surely Justice and law are both de-
feated, Just as much it would have been befeat-
ed had specific contract been entered into for the
payment of coin and the coin successfully refused.
so long as our statute justifes distinction be-
tween specific and implied contracts, SO long will
there be instances OF individual oppression and
dishonesty, TO the injury of those least able to
protect themselves. There should be no discrimi'
natiOu. An implied contract is sacred as spe-
cific or written contract. By universal consent
and usage, the currency OF this State is gold and
silver; and all transactions are presumed to be
based on that money Standard and all transac-
TONS whether they be credits for goods credits
for labor, should be fully protected by the law
rs transactions of nature to admit of written
contracts in every instance Let the law be so
amended as to enforce the payment of gold and
silver in all cases excepting those in which legal
tenders have been specifically agreed upon as the
money consideration