Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-11
Hron the NeH York Ttmes.

EalPh.
Prom the New York Times.
TIE BEEGHEs, Wednesday, Aug. 8.
If the country is fated to be governed
By lawyers, in all its departments, perhaps
Mr.. Fessenden is as good q choice as may
be made.
He has, however, terrible task before
him, to assume what may be called the
debris of the splendid patrimony of the
country, which, with carte blanche, was
put into Mr.. Chase's hands, but has, with
his manipulation, been SO wasted as to
leave the nation nov, We might almost say,
in a state of HUnfs 4ey-
chants Magazine.
Until the education of mankind is better
than it is, this and all other countries will
be governed by one OF two classes Of men
-soEdisTy OF lawyers. And, for the best of
all reasons, because no others have shown
themselves ft to govern. The great tri-
bunaI of the people is fully capable of
of Judging on this subject. What do they
WAut2 They want men Who understand the
lsws-the art of defence, and its relations
witt foreign nations. They want courage,
hrmness, patriotism, broad views and co.
lightened conduct. Shall they 60 70 Wall
street, or William street, or Lombard
street, for men who will lead armies or
| conduct State? Shall they ask for coUr-
age, or nobleness, or ambition of great
deeds among men, who have purposefy
| made inferior objects the pursuit Of
their lives l do not undervRlne other
pursuits. l place the Office of clergyman
above all, and the man of science next
but il is rare that they have either the am
bition or the faculties for public life. re-
member the many successful and houora-
bls merchants, but do not remember one
fit to be q Minister of State. This
csyil at Lawyers, therefore, is as much out
Of place as what follows is untrue. Law
YRS have governed this country from the
beginning, and are likely to govern as
long as this nation remains free. The peo-
pie divide OF into pSrties. and choose be-
tween their candidates; but each of them
puts up lawyers, as If q man like Wash
Ington, Monroe, Jackson or Taylor, bred
TO arms, getsin, heimmediately puts him
self under the care and keeping of lawyers.
I cannot, therefore, give the Merchants
Magazine any consolation in its Distress
But let Us proceed to the next proposition,
which is that Mr. Chase has so .DaSted the
patFIBsoBy of the nation that the country
is almost in 5tste of bankruptcy do
scandalous in the light OF truth or patriot
tism If it be true, it is scsndsious to put
it forth in Merchants Magazine in this
| hour of trial, when the Government is
using all its means to sxteRG its credit and
power. If it be not true, it is doubly
scandsIous, and this Is the precise
\ state of the case. 1t is In no degree
true. To show this requires but q
| very slight reference TO well known
facts. What is the PGtTfmoHy of
a couutry2 Its actual prosperity and credit
] derived from ancestors. Pray what has Mr.
Chase done to waste the property and credit
of this nAtion7 All bis acts are acts done
under the laws PISSED by Congress, and
Approyed by the President. But the mag
zine probably means that be had it IN his
power to pursue different policy, and
the policy he did pursue was erroneous
] Well, let as examine thEt, in the light OF
notorious facts. !. The property of the
nation is exactly where il was. II consists
of lands, forts, docks, buildings, mines,
forests, &c., sc. The Wild lands alone are
estimated at the sliai4U7H vslUe of q thou
s1si zTtiioHI Ct d5lEGrF. The right of the
Government n the mines, if put up st sale
! is worth hundreds Of millions more. and
the Tsrious prices of property held BY the
Government in the beat part of the cities
! and towns OF the country - unquSsIoha-
bly, worth an immense sum. Probsbly the
GoveFoueut holds st least tuso tE0usGEs4 mai
IioHs OF dollsrs in property. This is its &C
tuaI patrimony. Has Mr. Chase teGSts6 one
dollar OF all that patrinony directly or indi-
rectly2 Ne intelligent mRa will pretend any
such thing. The taaeazfEe probably means
that ne has wasted the credit of the couEtFy
for property and credit are the only things
which compose patrimony. Il is rather
far-fetehed meaning, but, since Edmund
Burke called tne hn0vEe6ge Of 8 nation :
part Of It's patrimony, We may consider
credit SO also What, then, has Mr. Chase
done to waste or injurs the credit of the
nAtion7 No man, with any knowledge o.
our pnblic affairs, will deny thEt the sus-
pension of specie payments, the issue o.
! Government notea and the loans on bonds
we're all inevitable in the progress of 6
great war. We might as we'll have at.
I tempted to turn back the tides as to have
i got along without all of them. Neither
Mr.. Chase nor all the bankers IN she world
could have AVoidsd it. 1t WEs inevitable
in the condition Of the country. ISEoGld