Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-09-03

Quite an alarm has been created among
those whose holding positions under the Gov
emmrnt and receiving their pay in paper eur
reoey. BY further depreciation in legal ten
der notes, which now command bot forty
cents on the dollar. in :. trade" We note
in this connection. one peculiar fact. which
must be apparent to all. When gold and ell
Yer Was the only currency. much competition
existed between trades men, and the buyer
could take advantage Of Auctuating prices,
and buy where he could obtain his supplies
cheapest. This is not 90 now. The intro
due,ion Of paper currency ~as the signal Coz
an understanding among our business men.
and q general healing up Of old rivalries. and
the Olympia Stock Board" if it DOES not
WELD the influence Of Wall street. its cdicts
are quite as immutable We should not OBJ
ject to this, If We could believe that the move
ment was inaugurascdto save actual lcss /; but
we surely expected to see the usual rivalry
common TO business men, instead Of q united
phalanx to maintain the ruinous prices
charged for every staple article Of common
necessity, and At the same time place the
Government currency at figure which will
compel every man who depends upon Gov
ernment alone for his means of livelihood to
literally 60 ragged and hungry. As the mat
ter now rests. they arc the only losers on this
coast, to any great degree, from the hardships
incident to the war. These whose salaries
range from thousand to eighteen hundred
dollars, it would appear. have no alternative
left them but to either abandon their positions
or literally stint themselves, and drug
out an existence subject to the within or
caprice of the merchants and business men,
who, upon the principle Of Knight makes
right" are in reality their masters. The m-r-
chant who receives currency at given figure.
aud exchanges it in the markets below at the
same rate for supplies. loses nothing; but
should it happen that he loses five or ten per
cent. upon single transaction, the town re-
sounds with his lamentations and he is indeed
disconsolate. He appears oblivious Of the
fact that the transaction but reduces his pro.
fits on that amount one. fourth or one-sixth,
and that instead Of losing he really makes
profit which should satisfy all clamor. Now
We believe that Government employees should
not be the only class who should suffer- We
believe that the burdens and hardships of the
present hour should be borne by all alike, or
at least nearly so. Many Of the positions
held under Government have laborious duties
attending them, for the proper discharge Of
which the pay apportioned in coin is no more
than a fair equivalent; aud in all cases, time
may be justly considered fair representative
Of money. We would not counsel course
which we believe would be unfair to either
interest, nor do we intend to be so understood,
but we are convinced that more accommodate
ing terms could be advanced for those whose
bread and butter is to b. bought with green
backs, and greenbacks alone. Our business
men should reflect that so far as our town is
concerned, with the very moderate zeal and
enterprise manifested for the past five years.
it would have gone to the dogs had it not
received the no uncomfortable patronage of
the Government employees. We submit. if it
would not be good policy on the part Of bust
ness men to seriously consider these sugges-
tons. This point is not so isolated from the
San Francisco market that supplies cannot be
bought by an association of parties interested
at prices quite as low as the merchants can
and if the profit realized by trad
ers be added to the wholesale price paid be-
low, saving may be effected which will
mako their their greenbacks realize from IS
to rs cenes on the dollar.
We would likewise suggest that threats Of
. blacklist should not be- heard until tho ill.,
lentions Of those for whom they are designed
are indicated by at least one instance which,
would render such course excusable. We
believe in presxming every man honest until
The contrary is proven. In ordinary circum-
stances. to pay coin debt in a deprecated
can be regarded in no other light than
robbery. but there are palliating circumstau-
ces when necessity renders such course the
only alternative short Of bankruptcy. This is
surely the view taken in the enactmen. Of stat
ntory provisions reserving . homestead. the
means of subsistence, or the tools
ofa trade from liability to seizure for debt.
II such breach of faith justi6es . violent
remedy - pledge to refuse credit to all who
receive Government currency At iis face, how
much more rrprrhensible it is in q merchant
to buy greenbacks TO pay At par debt con-