Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1864-09-21
A Word to the Sober. Sense of the
- PeOnle.s

the cause Of their, ,pecunary difficulties, and tho
cost of living. The FIRST and great
cause of the present famine-price Of provisions
is the conduct Of the Government Commissioners
for assessing the price of grain. With the mo-
tYcs of thosegcn,lenen wehave nothing to do,
and shall say nothing On that point. We consider
tbs question simply ip:a financial light; and in
that apect we are bound-is pronounce tho con-
duetcf theee Commissioners marked by the most
Unparalleled ignorance. Just at the time when
The new Currency Bill had commenced its opera.
tions, when several million of Treasury Notes
had been withdrawn from circulation on the
day whom the people bad been promised that the
currency would be improved and the cost Of liS-
ing diminished, those Commissioners come for
ward-liia the evil genius of 'country-.and
jim the emeri,J Of then ignorance, hy one fatal
net, defeat utterly all The Legislation of Congress
ON the currency question: They destroyed eiec'
,ually by their decree, ull that the uri ed Weldon
of the country had done, or could do to reitors
the currency. When they rsiscd the Govern
neut price Of corn to IS; they struck fatal blew
ut Government credit 1t was not SO much the
mere amount of money that. the Government.
would lose BY the increasaapriee Of corn, but the
injury was this. 'Just at the moment when the
whole country Was exIeetinslan imFroremestin in
the cur, ency, Government officers raise tho price
of corn 100 per cent in day j; thus proclaiming
to the public that, iotVithstandng all Congress
had done, the currency of the country had de-.
precioied, and ,eould continue 70 depreciate. Their
proclamation had the effective do not ray the
desired or anticipated eFect-but tho efF.ct that
every sensibls man foresaw. 1t destroyed st
once the confidence Of tho public In the rev issue,
and corricd jup the pricc Of everything TO the
present ruinbus point q"
The question now pTcsonts itself: who is beue;
fitted by putting bread at famine priees3 We
answer, no one-but every member Of the conf
munity is Injured. This we hops to show you,
whe is benefited by putting corn ut 81" bushsl2
Every man, we suppose, who has corn. to sell,
thinks himself benefited; ah is just this de-
luson that is running the county. Suppose
planter has CORN to sell, and be gsts tbs market
price-SlO or SIS busbel This Boneybe must
either spend for the nece:aares Of life, er invest
it in property, i. e. land and negroes, erin Gov
ernment Bonds. It will DO remembered that,
having no specie, bread has become in the Con-
fsderate States, the standard of value; and ns
the price Of bread rises or falls, so lother COM
lnoditiS. rise or fall in proportion. Thus when
corn sells at $40 bu,hel, you will get no moro
meut, or cloth, or sugar, or salt, for bushel Of
corr than you would if corn wac selling At 81. co.
If you want to invest money in lands or slaves,
you Gnd tho same fact staring you in the face
The people arc nnser most fatal delusion that
they are getting rich under these high prices for
provisions. Nor rs tia ythiDg new. that a,whole
country should be fatally deludcd upon inan-
cial question. "Ths South Sea Bubble" in the
reign of George LIST, deluded tho whole Eselish
nation millions were sunk and Thousands of in
noceat persons hopeles,ly ruined. II the people
of the Confcderacy can accImulate property at
this time, it will be done in oppssitioRto to oil the
received rules of Political Economy.
A man was never knswn togrow rich by ira
ding with himself This is just the condition Of
the people of this Confederart. To whom is the
Planter and tho Manufactured selling. his grain,
and his cloth. He sells for I" Confederate Nuree,"
and consequently to the makers OF those notes.
But who is the Drawer of these Treasury notes
The common answer would be: the Government
Now we know that The Drawer Of o note is re-
sponsbls for its payment, tbatEe can be sued at
law, and his goods sold to satisfy the note. But
We opiue thut it would prove rather an unprodta-
BILE business to sue the Confederate Government
for one tb, usand million dollars. 1t might turn
out nullu bona case. While then the Secretary
Sf the Treasury is the ostensible drawer Of these
notes, he is in point of fact but the agent Of q
Company. The Principal, the responsible party
for these notea, is the people of the Confederate
States. If these notes are ever paid they must
be paid by tho people Of tho Confederacy..
It would be we'll then for the Planter and Manu-
faoturer to nnderstsnd now that when he is SELL
ing his goods for Treasury notes, he s'elling for
his own paper. He promises to pay the holder
Of the laid notes SO many dollars in gold or sill,
YER coin six months after treaty Of peaco with
the United States. Heree the exact amount Of
promissory note, issued by the Treasurer, will
be the amount Of the debt which the people will
have to pay at tho end Of THIS war. Now tie
amount of that debt will depend upon the ocst Of
the war; and thi. cost will depend upon the price
that Government has to pay for provisions and
clothes to supply the Army.
Hence it is self evident that if the Plantc. and
Manufacturer require tho GOSe'e@snt to pny ss
instead Of 81 for food aud clothing to supply the
Army, they will have debt Of five instead Of
one to pay at the end Of the war. Instead Of
ascumulstipg national debt annually Of one
million, they arein faot making debt Of five
million. The question recur'; who is to 10
benefited by tho operation Tho sn,wer is
plain; the people generally must be irjurc;.
The debt at the end of the war will be paid,
or it Will not. Take either alterIStye you think
most probable: If the debt IS paid, nho il to
pay it? The people Of the Csnfedsracy; there
is no other suBpoSition possible. How is this 20
bo dSne7 These Treasury notes must be frudea
the Government will issue bonds for the amount