Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-01-05


a speedy peace.
To one subject would call your attention. Thirty
Eve hundred men are to-day bareooted without other
means protect them from the inciemency of the
son than the rags they may strip rom their backs When
you remember thh the weather Ia 30 cold that water
freezes in minutes after nightfalhas the cicles
which fringe the miracss thick as mans body.
and that the poor soldiers driven to the extremity Of
cutting up the reekng bloody hides of slaughtered beef
to form temporary pair of moccasns which may last
oaly ten o. twelve be Of marching at best you c
imagine aomewhaI Of the sufsrings 70 which brave
troops are exposed The are useless TO the service in
their present. condition. and unless Government or peo
p can afford relief promptly, few amorg them will ever
again be in condition to take Their places in the ranks
Of our country's defenders u q. De y.
t oUGHIs ON THE TfMEs-PRICEs-CURR
TO !hs Editor Of the Wing:
The principle which is fundamental to both these
subjects Ehich bears any step Of the discussion of
them, and should always be borne in mind, that money
or currency of whatever kind paper gOd tobacco,
is each commodity, Ike everything else useful to man,
and worth like everything Else, just wta you go.
for it. You much buy money with wheat, as wheat
with money. Else why do you make the exchange at
ai Because for reason you will say, to pay tax
e. or 10 buy other things with, it is convenient for you
to have It. EIscy and these reasons x its value. Like
wheat when plenty it iof less value, and when scarce,
Is of more vaue Ii wheat be plenty, that numbers
want 10 sell and few want to buy. no lew can peiml-
nenty mako it bring more Of money or goods, than
people choose 10 give for IT, nor mase people pay less
for IT, in money, goods, than they choose, when it Ia
scarce. So of coined money, of Bank notes. 50 of
Confederate SO OF all currency. If il Is plny, is is
off of far Ia nf nj her n
Fit scroe its exchsngsable value rises according to
its scarcity A maximum YOU d compel men, whsn the
currency plenty 10 take less OF it for theit wheat
goods fabrics, thin those who have Is are willing to
pay rather than not get them. Ii not the attempt alb
surd on The statement Of III Currency S commodity,
that is convenience, and like al othsr commodities,
share the law Of the Of all OF thsm to rise
fdT in value Uih s plenty or scarcity Il has real
value OF its owns value 70 pay taxes-a value as
medium OF exchange for other commo iities, besides
What value il may possess from the credits OF the Gov
eminent issuing it, For these considerations, what
9 worth in other commodities. 1t will commsnd-and'
laws aud forcs impoten except temporarily, and TO
limited extent to make it worth more. What ID true
Of currency. and Of wheat is true Of all property.
The property OF the working man is hi, labor. he
IN entitled 10 what be get for IT, and no law to hx
amount than whea lie shall lot take for it. Ia
just
The property of the MECHANIC is bis skill, and no law
should arbitrarily cut down his remuneration.
The property of the manufacturer is bis fabrics. He
is entitled 10 what he can get for them, aud no law
should make him take less.
Tee property of the merchant 'is bis good,--of the
farmer Is his crops-of the gardener vegetables
all alike entted TO whs! they get in free and
open market, and Law should forbid agreed price
lor them between the owLer and the buyer.
Let each and ALL ator, skin, fairies, goods,
crops, come freely and fairly to market, and they
will al get the share they entitled 10 OF tie
ey in circulation the sole and tue measure of just
compensation" All prosper alike il it is Tune
of prosperity; oil suffer alike If is is a
time of adversely. Deny any Of tom their just
reward, and that one languishes, or IL driven
away. If labor or skill, they 90 where treated moro
Justly. If goods fabrics tney cease to come, or be
IN de. Ii crops to b. raised. Thea all suffer. You
commodity. The suffering from high prices Ia succeeded
by the suffering for tie want ofsrppiies.
Shall the experience Of the pass teach Us noihlngs
Shall England under he I'd Edward; Frarce, during
the revolution; the Netherlands in her great struggles
our own country in 7s9-shal all these to, ehinss be
vain The cases are said to be different. EKospt in
time ard people, they identical In all
IT, high prices, regulation by law, asd tn, nature
man, everywhere essentially the same. SWsrved, in
Decd always, more or esf it may be, BY selnierest;
ba: of the revers and caumniatcrs OF it. no sss than
the reved yet human nature responsive essentially,
and everywhere, if rightly treated, to every call of
duty to family, friends, and country StHi good, bad
or mixed, you must deal with he Il, and he il
essentially what he has always been, and will be,
i'll Ged-not laws of men claiming pharisaical ex-
empion from the fisy of their fellows -interposs to
In all these the ultimate result Of fixing prices
the same-inc eased city, increased prices, in
creased distress increased dsJderr forcing earlier or
later after terrible interegpun Of suffering the re-
peal OF the regulating laws.
Amid our sore trials let strive to possess our souls
in patience War, we bnt too well KNOX, however just,
however necessary, however GLORIOUS 10 but tree Of
bitter fruits, GDd this Il of them. Il mows down our
children in battle- contracts the comforts Of every
hotseAold-it demoraizea soldier and c.tiz,n-it de-
ranges and disorders the raises prices
From sense of its necessity we eat Of thoss fruits
which il spreads before We give up children
services and lives to our countIy-we give up
perhues and comforts bear with social disorders.
Is the necessary concomtant evil o. high prices the in
evi able consequence of inflated currencyvthe only
cannotbearf Oh prices the nitura cans Of
absorbing, and maintaining at its us value vary its
quantity may, the currency that Is issued Reduce
prices by Law, unless q every conceivable subject of
traffic, (which is simply imposSbe) and you make the
currency worse by leaving much OF it unabsorbed
which otherwise would be by purchase; and this
plus will be used, at increased depreciation, in some
mode or o.her-or it be used at rate Of depre-
ciAton for obec! of desire which Is not better
than to keep it idle, aad barren, on hand.
Leave then, prices fee, aud you keep the c1rsncy
at itj true value. Vaue is but opinion mans opin-
ion Of wha thi0g is worth is is value TO him. and till
you learn how TO regulate by law mens opinions, you
WILL try, valny, to regus valaes, o. prices which ia
but he foim in which mems options Of vslue, arc
pressed. And try t when you WILL and as you will you
will fad opinion stronger in the end than laws and all
the penalties aud terrors with which you nvsst them
You may daunt it for tine, you may terrify 1t into
sile ceifwill yet speak with most miraculous organ"
aud act through mysterious and hidden sgencies-but ID
VII conquer last all your bills of pains and penalties
and repeal or nulify them Opinion that universal,
inherert, Godgiven right OF man-Hheher religious,
political moral or financial is that rock against which
laws and force hays broken always, aad will break
forever Ii4 the ultimate aIbts of ali things and the
final recier Of bsd laws. But law aud its powerful /
agencies may still go q deplorable conflict and much
disorder aud grsat distress ersue befors the victory
won. This war upon meme opinions Of whs. u fair |
and just in their transactions Ia of the nature Of thoss
that ara fnl only of woe Lat our Ryan eHarnhaK