The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-28
4 PAPER DIET IN RICHaoND.


Prom ne TfRune
There is a coarse but amusing story Of zen.
tlcmsn who came ON board q western steamboat.
with but one car, and still bleeding from the
amputation of the other in single combat. Upon
being condOlcd with for his loss he smiingly
replied :-"Oh, never mind | have the other
mans eyes in my ycstpockCt." When the Re.
beOn first raised is head. the secession wiz
ards told us that VIC were rushing to ruin that
grass would grow Ia our streets, that our shin,
would rot az the piers, that our manufactures
would be uRlsicd, that our banks would all break,
lnat hoihlnS could save US from sweeping
epidemic OF Insolvency, that mubs would rule our
cities that our wives and children would howl
for bread, and bowl iu vain.
By the blessing Of God, none Of these things
nave come 20 pass. No man can calmly look
about him, and say that we have not been, that
we are not STILL cmiuCntly favored. We have, it
is true, been subjected to iucouyenicnces, such as
war always brings with it-fUr many articles of
prime necessity we have boon compelled to pay
gteat prices, ,ut we have never becn within sight
OF general famine you may walk to Bloe6er
street from the Battery without seeing any too
much grass, rs we can testify; our trade and
commerce, foreign ana domestic still 20 on pro-
h6bly our mOneyed institutions rem liu solvent
we still largely manufacture everything oXcep
cotton goods there are no signs in our thorough
tares OF any alarming destitutiOn
IL was the firm opinion of South Carolina, upon
all occasions, proper a0d improper, reiterated
that we could not prolOng our lives for a year
without her sweet and sustaining com oany, yet
we still live and move and have our heing; we
are sill enabled 10 stand fast by the land which
we love, With comparatively little loss Of comfort
or even convenience. All that has thus far been
imposed upon Us we can continue to bear if need
be, for years to come.
II we may credit the Richmond ENQUIRER. the
empty cups and paitors which were to tanttlize
us are doing service upon the dinner boards Of
that city. Money" we are tOld-and 1t is
startling cOnfeSsi)n-"has ceased to be "a standard
OF value in the CoutcdCTscy." The Government
keeps its money manufactory hard at work.
Artists engfave, pressmen print, auditors and
other officials sign, cash is furnished by the ton
with very excellent quality of cash, except that
you can buy nothing with it, and cannot even
pay your taxes with it upon equal terms with
those who pay in beef, squashcs, potatoes, and
tobacco. "Government," says the Examiner
"oilers an immense premium on taxes paid In
kind, by assessing provisions furnished for that
purpose a. the highest market rate" Govern
ment Is evidently "up 10 snuff"
Government knows q thing or two, as well as
the governed. Government is only too glad u get
nd OF its printed rags, and rCsOlutcy declines 70
take them back again in payment OF taxes. Why
should IL lt can grind out as mach of the queer
stufas IL wants-one hundred bushels per diem
If II plea 'es-and wherefore should it receive ia
payment that which is Of no value 20 II whatever?
Why, the iron money of tue Spartans, every
penny OF which was as big rs cheese plate, and
OF which IL took II mountainous pile TO make u
man comfortably well otf-irOu money, or lead
money, or brass money, or leather money, which
might be turned into balls, or bullets, or boots,
would be worth something to the Davis treasury
but greasy, dirty, tlimsy pdpgr-what is that
coed for, except 10 consgn 10 tue chOpping-trough
90 be manufactured over again for the sake of a
little fToshuessS
No wonder the Confederate tax. gatherer pre-
fers corn aud potatoes. No wonder the COniede-
rate shcpkeepers sell at tone pound of tJbacco
per yard" or Three squashes per h." No won
der the Confederate authorities, with a hungry
army to feed, do, by stringent ordinances, forbid
the poor Confederate shopkcepers to take pay in
kind. No wonder the huCkSter, savaJely reject
ing the tlimses insists Ito use the Examiners
wordsl upon "a small pittance In eataDles :" and
that mechanics "refuSe 70 work for anything but
provisions" Even the farmers are not allowed
by law "to barter their crops for indispensable
machinery" Mr. Davis Government has re-
solved itself into grand vic.ualling department
ana monOpOlLes, so far as it can, fish, flesh, fowl,
and grain. Ii Is pretty hard case when a
mechanic is not at liberty to work for his vctuals.
Society can scarcely DO in a condition of Joy
when 1t is as bad as a felony to make simple aud
necessary exchanges. Grass or no grass in ou
streets, we have not come to that pass in New
York as yet.
The Examiner tells us briefly what the Con.
federate Government has done for its suffering
subjects. "It has" says that paper, "hooded tho
country with certificates of debt'-certiicates,
tho validity Of which not Que human being is
fteble-minded enough to believe in-c,rtifcates
which are hardly worth more in Richmond than
they would be iu Ethiopia certificates which
fill their largest possessOr with depressing sense
Of personal nsOlvency-certihcates which are the
scorn of tue butcher and tho horror of the baker
certificates which certify nothing eXcep. an i'm
pecuniOus treasury, and Government which
only escapes actual beggary by swindling. Grass
In the streets would be blessing in comparison
with such a sluggishly circulating medium.
Grass could, at a pinch, be oaten but, boiled,
fried, stewed or roasted with salt oil pepper, and
mustard at discretion, who could make dinner
upon Jefferson DJyis's Certificates :"
There are two ways in which we may look at
the material suffering, which, by the confession
OF its own Journalists now tortures the COntcde-
racy. We naturally pity those upon whom the
crimes and dcusions ot ambitious adyenturers
have brought the distressos, and especially we
may pity lunsIy women aud pining children.
On the other hand, it IS no, inhnman to regard
with a certain COnpIaceucy THE discipline of
starvation. Firmly believing that the btSs iu-
teIeSts OF the human race IN the future depend
upon tie extinction Of this in. direction, we see
the same hand OF Providence in the naked mar
kets Of Richmond and in the sullicieRcy by which
We are surrounded aud We gather courage alike
from the curse which has fallen upon the enemy
and the many blessings which have been vouch-
Bated 10 ourselves.