The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-12-15
APrecedent for the Gold Bill.

APrecedent for the Gold Bill.
Many persons seem disposed TO give
TH,p. STEPHENS credit for originality IN his
sebeme to set aside the immutable laws OIL
trade and regulate the prices OF dold by
legislative enactment. Such, however, Is
not the case ; the thing has been attempted
in this country before, and Mr.. STEVENS is
,nerelv and imitator of the lawmakers who
aourished one hundred years ago. In fact,
the Gold Bill has q precedent in the early
LEGISLATION of the commonwealth ofVirglnia
and it may be owing to this unlucky cir
cumstance that the scheme has found 50
little favor from the present session OF Con'
gress, that body being evidently determined
to do only unprecedented things in an un'
precedented way. .-..-
Like Mr.. STEVENS. the wiseacres OF tne
Virginia General assembly, gravely deter
mined tomake promise as good as perform
ance-a slip of printed paper equivalent to
eold-and this is the way they did it, At
the May session in the year lfH, they
passed the following act: 81 Tr0g
An Act to support the credit oftae money is-
sued by The authority of Congress ana oy
the authority of this Commonwealth, ana
to make the former current ao'thm m's
Commonwealth. 80 =,
I. WHEREAS, The continental money ana
tho money. of this Commonwealth ought 70
be snnported at the full value expressed In
the respective bills, and the perniclous ar
tifices of the enemies of American liberty,
tn imnair the credit of the said bills by
raising the nominal value of gold and sill
yer mr. any other species OF money whatso'
ever. ought to be guarded against and pre-
vented:
If. Belt enacted by the General Assembly,
That all bills of credit emitted by authority
Of Congress shall pass current In all pay
ments, trade aud dealings within this Com
mouwealth, aud be deemed equal TO the
same nominal sum in Spanish miHed aoi-
lara. and that whoever shall offer, ask or
receive more in the said bills, or in the
hills Of credit emitted by authority OF this
Commonwealth, for any gold or silver
coins. or any other species OF money what
soever. than the nominal sum or amount
thereof in Spanish milled dollars, or more
in either of the said kinds of money tor any
lands. goods or commodities whatsoever
than the same could be purchased az OF
the same person or persons In gold or Sill
yer. or any other species OF money whatso
ever. or shall offer to sell any goods or cons
modltes for gold or silver coins, or any
other species of money whatsoever, ano
refuse to sell the same for either the salo
continental bills. or bills of this Commons
wealth. every such person shall forfeit the
value of the money so exchanged, or OF the
house. land or commodity, so sold or OF
fered for sale, to be recovered with costs
by action of debt, in any court OF record
the one moety to the use OF the persoo
suing for the same, and the other moletJ
to the use of this Commonwealth.
This law may be found in the 9Th volume
of '.Herriug's Statutes at Large" 2s7.-
Its practical effect was just the same that
would be achieved by Mr. STEVENS Colo
Bill should it become a law. The CONT,
mental money and other bills of credit con-
tinued to depreciate Notwithstanding tint
patriotic devices of our forefathers. Thu
act to the contrary notwithstanding, they
svould sell one thousand dollars OF first class
legal tender, continental paper for ten dol
lars in gold, in consequence, doubtless, o
the foolish, aut>ipatriotic, "butternut" no.
ton that when one wanted something t.
eat it was perfectly immaterial whether he
paid ten cents in silver, or piece Of badly
printed paper stamped "one hundred dol
lars" The Gold Bill deliberately prepared
by Mr.. STEVENS, the so>callsd, Statesman
of Pennsylvania, deserves to rank along
with the "Pope's bull against the comet,
and it's modern counterpart dated January
LIST. 1868, and the thousand and one othe
efforts of wise men who wanted to do I'M
possible things and couldn't contrive how
to do them.