Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1864-08-31
For the heAd1ertiser. a@v,scts,
of 4appraisement..Far.
mers of Virginia.. Mr.. Trenhoim's
-. I:ctter to Gov. Ronham.
For the Advertiser,


# mers of Nirginia..M r. Trenhoim's
-, Eetterte Gov. Bonham.
wo believe that it ia q principle generally re-
ceiyel among Political Ecccomisis, that prices'
begin with tho producers of the hecessaries of
life, and consequently the value of labor, o. the
product Of labor, is elevated depressed, as the
prices Of the nccossaries of lie are increa,sd or
diminished. Money which is the representative OF
mbor in exchanges, by which We mean
the uctual or legal measure Of. values, is affected
BIZ the same law as the subject which it repre-
senta, and requires to be increased, OF diminished
rs the prices of provisions rise or fall. When
ever therefore, the prices of the necessaries OF
life are raised, there Is q corresponding increase
in the wages Of labor, and the prices Of products
in every department Of business, and OF course,
only a1ntminal increase of prcGt to the producer.
/ Men are doludcd, by tho idea of large prices,
into the belief, that they accumulatng wealth,
forgetting that there must necessarily be O cor
responding ard propsrtionate increase in tho
products of tho labor of avery clasa in the c1m-
,nunity. Ifthe farmer 5aisss 1.-The price OF his
wheat, corn, bacon, &C., nll other persons whose
I labor is 10 demand, must meet him With elevation
of price, and values necessarily besomeSdjusted,
by that law of equilibrium which regulates
healthy state of trade. If the farmer raises the
price of any OF his products, from one dolar per
bushel, to Eve, ten, or twenty dollars, does ne
no. know that he must necessarily pay an in
creased price fol. the labor lie requires, and-the
articles he consumea, and that consequently his
1 prices do not in reality improve his pceuhiary
condition any moro than The prices from which
he started, and which wers the Legitimate and
remuncrativs profits on his capital Ina word,
that if he raiIes one, two, throe, or fvsh hundred
per cent in his prices, other persons mustdo SO in
the came proportion, and the only effect Is TO
produce continuous fluctuations in the proper
measure of values.
These positions ore denon;traiiyely truo in
times Of peace, and with currency recognized
by every one to be unohjsctionable. But in time
Of war, when the financial condition Of the eoun-
try isdssased, when the precious metals (Which
ure alune deemed money! are scarcely to be
found, and the currency consists alone OF paper,
resting on no valuable basis in the opinion Of
capitalists, far graver evils occur than any that
we have yet allud>d to. High prices Of products
arc absolutely attended with the misfortune Of
impovsrishnent to those who imagine that they
. are realizing wealth, because they tend to the
expan sion of the currency, which becomes more
worthless in proportion to its increased volume.
High prices at such Time indicate depre-
ciated and worthless currency, and every accumu-
latisn of such paper carroncy is evidence Of e1-
: treme folly. Men accumulate money either from
the love of it, or from it, capacity to crafty thsil
+: want. and desires. If it is of itself worthless
there can be no advantage in accumulation. II
itcan grutify their wants and desires, it must dt
so at very heavy expense, in the necessarily
Increased value Of ths articles which it purchase
't and for which such deprecated money is paid.
But il our position be tru', that increased
p prices produce corresponding resultsNin oil
II other departments of labor, then the surplus o
even this deprecated currency, does not ALLOW
" the producer any greater latitude Of cnjoymen
:; than he possessed with prices ut their normal o
- healthy point.
:. In word, rs is we'll said By di:tinguishe
Political Econnmitt, :" Prices ara as remunsrs,iv
at enc limit as at another" and consequently
~ farmsr makes no more by selling hia wheat
Il corn at ten, fifteen, twenty dollars per bushe
tthan at ono dollar, if the prices Of all ar!icct
III consumption, are increased ut the samO rate pc
ri cent which they necessarily must be to enable tn
6 consumer to live. The effect then OF the hig
rprises of producers is evidently injurious to tn
&prosperity and safety Of the country.
:. Thoso reflections are iriuced by the conduct 9
: the people of Virginia, and the schedule
prices Of the Commissioners Of AppraisePent al
luded to in the newspapers and in th' lett0t
Mr.. TRENHOLM, Secretary Of the Treasury. By
sotu;ty as unaocountable as it was dangerous, th
a Commissioners for the State Of Virginia had dIe
is their schedule prices for wheat and cern at $s
!" and s2i per bushel respectively, for the month
of August and September, and this too in th
very face of the fact that the currency had bee
reduced from about SsOs ,OO0, 900, to 100000 90
g IN round numbers. The farmers Of.Firginia
profoundly sensible of the fact that the inereas
in the prices Of mcc.ssaries inevitably produce
increase in price. generally, causing unqusstioRa
bly, 4 necessity for Iurtnee 'Ssue " NsA'" "
Notc.. and thereby further depreciation of tn
k currency wisely met and objected to the schedul
n proposed by the Commissioners at Richmond.
= Was there ever manifested BY people sue
d thorough abnegatiOn of ssldshne.s, ,-sa0A tota
G. disregard Of gain,-such devoted con'tancy t
: the Gauge of freedom? Virginia glorious oil
;. mother Of States, torn, lacerated, inansled, al
10 most in ruin, yet from hOr desolation, standing
.. forth the chastensd lumiuary of a sublime Ma
l. tional natrioism.
g Dutiu what light shall We regard the cOnduc
g g Of the cemmiss toner's, in fixing their sehedul
;, ,, prices at such ezorbitapt fgprcs2 Tha'opsrtc
- - are Agents Of the Government, (whoss duty, on
3. acme, it is to improve the currency by lowerin
3 prices,3 yet they deliberately countcraclin
D. such purpose, by officially declaring in effect tina