Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-07-04

stuff was long ago "played out"
The Nations War and Finances.
q contribution in the n. Y Independent by Hor-
ace GreeieyD
On the eve of momeutous events, which
may decide the fate of tine Republic, the
Government asks the People TO Ieud-not
giVe-it the means of turning the now hesi-
tAting, trembling scale IN favor of Freedom
and the Union. Instead of begging for
money, and letting its soldiers pay tall into
arrears because it is not forthcoming, the
Treasury should be kept full by the Loyal
Millions as an earnest of their faith and
their resolution, If the war lauguishes
for lack of means, the People, not those
whom they have temporarily entrusted
with power, must be the losers. IT the war
should be arrested and broken down for
want of money TO prosecute it further, the
People, not the Administration, must bear
the loss and the shame. Men may be OBJ
tanned by draft; but money-other than
that raised by taXes-must be voluntarily
supplied, or not obtained at all. All classes
furnish soldiers and sailors but money
can only be adequately provided by those
who have something earned or saved be-
yond their daily needs. But all that is
needed cannot be supplied by men of large
wealth; they are too few aud not rich
enough for this. Uuless our farmers, me-
chanics, and merchants, who range all the
way from poverty TO wealth, shall bear a
manly part, the Treasury must speedily be
drained, the drafts of public creditors pro-
tested, and the war brought TO a disastrous
close through the failure of the National
resources. "The siuews of war" were
never more essential than now.
There are those who thoughtlessly, be-
side those who factiously, grumble at ;he
expansion of our Circulating Medium, and
the consequent exsggeratiou and pertur
baton of the premium on Gold, damaging
Trade and causing enormous mutations OF
prices. They wonder Vhy the Secretary Of
the Treasury don't prevent or eouI tsraet all
his-which is just like wondering why
farmer don't have it rain the day after he
sows his turnip- seed. The initiation OF the
Currency is the measure of the Secretary's
poverty and virtual defeat. lie would
gladly fund half his ''greenbacks" tO-mor-
row, or so many as would enable him 10
resume Specie Payments, if he only could.
Ii the People will but lend him the money
he would do this forthwith. II he could
otherwise have borroWed-at rates not ab-
solutely ruinOus-money wherewith 70 car
ry on the war and meei the expenses of the
Government he would never have issued a
''greenback" dollar. The Legal Tender
Demand Notes of the United States are
simply a forced loan, differing from other 7
such only 10 that it is imposed not on a
part, but on the whole OF our people. The
volume of his 'tgreeubLck" issues measures
the difference between the sums which the
Government has neeied and those which
the people have been willing TO supply
Had they stood ready to lend il I'VE hun
ired millions more as Ieeded, the premium
on Gold need never have reached ten per
cent. .t|I
Why is il that meu will lend money on
mortgage at seven (aud even six per cent,
yet will not lend it tC their Government,
though it offers then what is to-day
more than ten per ent2 Why should
every State, City, COuIty, and Railroad, be
able TO borrow to-day at a more favorable
rate than the Government Of the United
States2 Make all due allowance for that
| Governments present.mbarrassments, out
lays, perils, and still is burning shame
that 81 600 in gold will buy more than
| $4,000 of its bonds, payable principal and
| five per cent. interestin gold We're the
great body of our forehande1 citizens
| either brave or wise it would seem that
this could not be.
! Yet that would be rash conclusion.-
| The main difficulty Isthati as yet tue ma
| jority of our middliueclass are not familiar
with Government Sticks, nor accustomed
to make investments therein. They are
accustomed TO loans o their neighoors on
mortgages not to Toding TO their Gov
erument. And the trifty, proVideut class
are hat slowly and With difficulty induced
to enter upon uutried ways.
| Then there is to beconsideFed the pow
| eriul influence eXerte by COPPerheads, or
men in more or less decided sympathy with
the Rebellion, who rally wish the Union
| War broken down ad the Government
compelled lin efeetlo capItulste TO Jef.
| Davis. Some of thee have secretly con-
| spired not merely to ecline lending them
selyes, but to induce 0tbers not TO lend a
dollar TO the Government. With nearly
half the journals of ts loyal States decry-
ing the Public Credit, predicting National
defeat and failure, e1sgeratiug al our re-
verses and more or tss openly proclaim
l ing that the Naticna Debt will never be
| paid il is not SO strange that Federal seeu-
rites are far lower tiau they should De.
Beneath the abyss OF synPathy for the
j rebellion yawns the still lower deep Of
J hostility TO, Or distrust of, Human Free
! dom-despair OF the republican form of
government, az requiring more wisdom
| and virtue than inhsre in our corrupt and
fallen Humanity. Every nouarchist in
| Ameries, with every worsniqper of Despot-