Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-11-02

3
country, and sincere desire to promote its best
interests. As to the best means Of serving it, a
man must OF course be his own judge. He should,
however, act upon due reflection. This l have no
doubt Mr. Boyce has done; it is what have endea-
vored to do. OMEGA.
~ currencv Ar.;o,. -
The following editorial article from the Charlottes-
vile Chronicle is worth reading. The remedy pro-
posed for the present embarrassments is question
able one, but plain talk such subjects is the way
to arrive at results: $685.
Perhaps tour wisdom is limited" as Mr. Sam.
Weller remarked on familiar occasion; but if any
body can see of what imaginable service the Con.
federate currency is to any human being, outside
the extortioners, We are unable to follow him. We
understand a currency to be a measure of values.
then may our tailors got the dimensions of their
customers by measuring their images in concave
Mirror and the tamblers that contain the drains Of
our farmers should no longer be plain, but formed
of series of convex lenses II we chilled upon
to dream with uniformity, then let our whole world
environment be brought to one standard. Supply
the whole nation with appropriate glasses; and let
US have general carnival of unreaiities. Is two
thousand dollars the measure of horse Is twelve
hundred dollars the measure of q suit of clothes
Is two hundred dollars the measure of pair of
boots? Is City dollars the measure of bushel of
meal Is eight dollars the measure of pound of
bacon? Is eight hundred dollars the measure of
a COW? Is nine thousand dollars the measure of
the board and tuition of child for nine months
Is tho president Of bank to pay his whole salary
for hundred weight Of pork? This is all very
we'll for the boys, that is the farmers and the mig
gers; but it is death to the frogs, that s. towns
people and the poor in the country 1t is crushing
ont the life of the body Of the people. Itis bur-
den too heavy to be borne. Patiently have the peo-
pie waited.
In February last (and this is September) we were
told that nous oUions changer tout celia; but the
currency act has produced no more impression than
shot fired at random through the top Of poplar
to make squirrel show. h,msef. For seven long
months has the country staggered under the mani
pulatiOns of the Secretary Of the Treasury. The
winter approaches the heavy expenditures of the
year are at hand; fuel pork, -four, clothing, are to
be purchased Where is the money to come from?
The mystery is the worthless notes are as rare as
precious gems Difficult to secure; ineficacous as
the Aydrogenerated compound with the color of
whskey. Mr.. Trenholm has the wsggery to an
nounce that the prospects Of his department were
never better. This may be so-they were never
good. But-as the fellow said when be jumped out
Of the two.story window of his apartment to avoid
his lsndlord-"we can't waltz" There is pc.
remptory and unsettled bill in the public stomach
and the amount must be casbed.
and this is twenty to one. The sham has lived long
enough. No government-no people can encounter
such system Of values this. The government
indeed, avoids the difficulty. 1t has its schedules.
But the poor widow woman, the nfrm old man
livingen his little income, has no schedule. What
purpose, then, We ask, does the currency serve?-
We cling to a currency from habit The fact is, in
our circumstances, we want no currency. 1t is
monstrous nghtmare--thst note bureau and the
sooner the spectre is dismissed the better. But it
is asked, how shall the government supply its wants
without money! How shall the people do with
out a medium Of exchange? To the latter question
we reply, that the currency does not effect pur.
chases; it merely ministers to oppression 1t is
medium of exchange where . thousand dollars
of coupons of interest secure only fifty dollars worth
Of any commodity. Nine hundred and fifty dollars
are destroyed in the operation. To the first ques-
tion we answer, that the government is entitled to
supplies for the army, and it must have them Let
it az is now doing give it's certificates Of indebted.
ness, bearing interest
All the notes in the Confederacy should be burn
ed-the government compromising the holders with
cotton or bonds-that is the remedy for the Con-
federate finances. Any other remedy will merely
tax Mr.. Trenholm with imaginary devices that will
end like Mr.. Memminger's. Mr.. Trenholm has no
lamp like Aladdin and he may rub his present one
till doomsday without getting dollar. What would
the people do the disappearance ofthe currency
Ihey WOutd 60 Is Ot0er natlOnS nave cone already
they would simply exchange one commodity for
another. The farmer>would give meal for sugar
| man would give two cows for q horse. Some ar
tcle would become the most common article of ex-
change, as, for example, tobacco. Persons would
procure supply of such an article, and give an
equivalent for an equivalent Inconvenient this
would be certainly; but something is better than
nothing. As matters now stand the presence of the
notes shut out all this =; you cannot even use gold.
We have tried to buy bacon with gold. We could
not do il. The lofty figures temps the cupidity e
! Sellers and the prices are unhealthy.
When a fact developers itself, it is the part o.
common sense to treat it fact Statesmen should
act upon existing facts, and not cling to objects
which the current has passed. There is time tt
be cautious; and time to be bold and he is the
| good surgeon who knows when to cut. The life il
better than an eye or a leg What is Mr.. Trenholm
standing there for steadying himself in the eddies
| of Confederate notes Let him shove out in tn,
current and the boat will swim.
The FORSYTH HONE GUARDs-Our brethren Q
the Way Of the World have fallen into an error il
their statement in their last ISSUE that four hun
dred Home Guards bad left Forsyth county TO