The Portland daily press., 1871-08-14
The Paper Credit Report.

We have received awhile it has been pass
ing through the press, by the courtesy of
Capt. S. W. Lane, the Secretary of the Sen
ate of 1871, the sheets of the Report of the
Commissioners on Paper Credits. The last
sheets of the work, which makes volume OF
534 pages, have just been received and doubt
less the work is now in the hands of the
binders and will be ready for distribution be-
fore many weeks.
While the report gives but little that will be
new to those who have been curious to inform
themselves upon this mysterious subject, it
puts the whole thing in tangible shape, so
that what was largely conjecture heretofore
is now in the form of testimony. While there
are special points of interest, the reader will
lind many matters of general interest. The
testimony is OF the mos: conflicting charac-
ter even where given by the same person at
different periods. What has been given as
testimony and What has been written in self
defense at one period finds its direct rebuttal
in later statement. The charitable individ-
ual will mourn with that generous patriot
who states that in his earnest efforts to fill the
quota of Maine, he lost from six to ten tbou
sand dollars, spent for the honor of the Pine
Tree State; but will in a measure be consoled
when later statements and figures indicate
that that sum or larger is on the other side
OF the balance sheet. But there is one fling
that above all others will impress itself upon
the mind OF the moral philosopher and that
is that mankind is last passing away, and that
the recollections of great transactions ONLY
few years old, are almost obliterated from the
memories OF the distinguished actors, Men
who kept books and sold names have the
most confused ideas of the money they receiy-
ed, or where they got the names, TO whom
they sold them-in short there has been
general loss of memory that can be only at.
tfiou'ed 10 softening of the brain. Again
sonie 'o"h ohicers signed an affidavit that
certain names that as likely as not never he
lonSed to any, living or dead, were the names
OF men who were liable to perform military
duty in their towns, and rendered as an ev-
cuse that they were told that such oath tax
Ing was "a mere matter of form" while in
other cases those obligng dealers signed the
names OF municipal officers in way, that in
old-fashioned terms, would be forging and pun
ishable by State service at Thomaston.
We have heretofore been disposed to be Sc
we're upon all the parties engaged in these
transactions. Now let us forgive them or
raIhef ask their pardon. Did thy not succor
the perihed honor of the State of Maine by
ming municipal quotas and thus avoiding the |
oiSgrace OIL oraitP What if they did han
pen to turn an honest penny-did not az
veterans in the field work for nav .,a
paper men would never draw ratio,a .1''o
shoddy blue or appear at the paw tahta. |
To be sure these names would NOT
extend the short lines of muskets in our de-
cimated regiments or be very effective in ac-
comprising The event OF March 9th 1865, but
then recruits would only get sick and would
not stand fire. By all means let the men.
who were SO considerate, so carried away
with love for and pride in the old States rep
utation, no longer be denounced. On the
other hand invest those of them who did not
acquire military titles in this patriotic SCI vice
to the State with them at once, or A