Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-01-22
THE LESSONS OF HISTORY.

world ayar r,1.nilicpd aoid that this
tory is philosophv teaching by exam
nlc,n II would be well for this coun-
try If our makers von,d ever re-
member This and keepitprominently
in Wow os a guido tn their actions
In fact, uusustained by the examples
which history has furnished us. phil
osophy is mere abstraction-a the
ory of but little Importance; while
for n statesma m and legislator the les
sons of history are of mestimable
value.
In the halls of Congress and
through the medium of the press, the
question Is now being apitated of
sudden return to specie payment.-
BEFORE adoptino this--in our humble
oninjon-vioIcnt meosure. would II
not he well to inorire whether or not
there has been n parallel case. and
what has bnen tha resulto History
yecords mn examine. and If we would
profit bv it's lessons. we should avoid
the donpers 70 which IFS unerrinr fin
ger noints rs.
During neriod of twontv-two
vears-fron, 1707 to 1s1o-there was n
susncnsion of snecio navment
throughout the Kingdom of Great
Britain, the richest nation upon the
Globe. Those We're years of wonder
full material prosperity at home, and
of national glory i'm wars abroad
The profits of commerce and manu-
features are said to have reached
figure unprecedented in the annals of
history. A thousand war ships, car
lying British commissions, patrolled
the seas, blockading all the ports of
Europe. Men were brought from the
confines of Turkey, Liberia and Per-
STA to Paris, and the whole forces of
the continent were under the pay Of
the British Government, the expen-
diturcs Of which were at one time
.e700, 900, 900 a wear, euual to 81, SOO,-
001, 900 of our currency at the present
time. One-half of this frightful ex-
penditure was paid, in the meantime,
by taxation, falling upon nation
which then numbered less than 90
10000 inhabitants.
At tho c,oso IF tho war Grant Rr;t-
min. like orr unrortuno,o country at
tho rrosopt tir,o vos r,,,od hv cot NJ
,hourbtIoss and y, ieouiIodn oIitic;,ns
IL, ,,.,,,,,,,. A.. 9
% '0 Va
tne Twenty-Five years past, strongly
advocated a speedy and forced re-
sumntiou of specic navment nv the
p,,,I, ,r1,,o,o, nv, oo,,IJi
o>' w - y
immediate or special cause assigned
for this movement. The whole coun-
fry was i'm n very nrnsnnrous condi-
'''"' "'' NV 0''' i"" P''''iO'i0" ioi "
chahgo III me medium OF circulation
vet parliament was guilty of the
prnss errnr of t,l,ino tho initi,tory,
" ''' ~ "i"''oii'
merely to pcheilu tne natlohal creul-
tors. intelligent commercial and
manufacturing classes, uDon whom IL
was to fall most dastructiyalv oIoorlv
-, .
~" '- '''''"'' '''o 'eS i'i''i"'0 ''
IeclS OF TINS ulWlse policy; ana IN or
der to avert, If possible, the impend-
inv o,,iI tha folI,,,,i,,. ,ot;tio,, WAC
n,,, -
GYM w "i''i'ichu W NV AieI
ana bankers OF London:
Your netitioncrs hovc rcoson IN onnro
hand thnt measures orn In cnuto,n,lotio,
with r,t,r.nsc ton rcsumntion Of cash INV.
mcnts by mo RAM, of Fn,1onl witch IN
thr hunble oninion of yo,,r netitionors
vlut,nltoof,t,i ,,,..ci,i,o,, ,,,d hi.,ll,
iulnri,,,s c,n,r,ctiar or Tho c,,rro,,cy -,
~, courtr,, ,rh,t ma cnnso,ro,cos -
,,,,b - c,rtr,c.i,ry,,lt n, ,s,,,u, ,,,ti,,or
,-. lln,I,l,. conceive IA ,dl IN tho I,nrdc,
OF the public debt; greatly to increase Tia,
pressure OF me iaNeS' to lower The value o
,' ', ',,' ,UI nm,rr,, h"th MINI TL'
and private credit; TO embarrass ana re
dueo al tho operations ofngriculturc man
Ht1eluros ana commerce ana to throw on
,DS ',',,'. ~ wy Wv H'',',o a'
I,5,r,nt clns,,. az t,ccor,trv Tbotvop
petitioners are fortified in The opinion thu
expressed 10y the distress experienced b,
'''ah' ,''' tt'ains' NOTWITHSTANDING an
,nn n,rIiL r,5nr,,,, ~ ,,,, 's,,,,. ,,,'
which, 1t appears, has recently tallcn place
$osther the manner nor the time whicl
yuur petitioners have reason to apprchcu,
itIutculcd to be proposed Cor the lrsump
ton or cash payments Ia suited oavold IN