The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-09-26
COLUMBIA, s. G.
Friday Morning.Is .Iseptembef sss. 1873.


The people. many years ago. believed
that the power possessed by the officers
OF the United States Bank to cause q
money panic, by making money scarce
or abundant, at their own good plea
s.-e, vas TOO dangerous TO he placed in
the hands Of any man or company of
men, and 60, after the county had
passed through several financial convul.
sions, brought on by Nick Biddle and
his bank ring, for speculative purposes,
they made war upon the bank monster
and crushed it out, under tho lead OF
jackson. For many years afterward,
tho name of the United States Bank was
so odious that politicians popularity
was in jeopardy, if he labored under
the least suspicion OF being favorable 10
the revival OF an institution whose pre-
sident could make the money market
tight or easy by the stroke OF his pen.
The Administration organs boast conti-
nually of the excellent financial system
which has been instituted under the
present regime But the fact is, that
the President and Secretary Of the
Treasury hold the finances OF the coun-
try to-day in the hollow OF their bands;
they possess power beside which the
power OF the Biddle ring dwindles into
utter insigniicance. They can, by the
stroke Of pen. enrich their favor,tes,
impoverish thousands, and PROSTATE the
commerce and business of 40, 600, 900 of
people. But We nre told that the Presi-
dent expresses his determination to re-
lleve the money merket Why should
he or any other man possess such power
over the national finances? If he can
stop the panic, can he not start one at
his pleasure? The business of the coun-
try shonld not be placed at tho caprice
of any official, as the dispatches show
that the financial situation is placed at
the caprice Of the President.
- >-@
VERY DRUSK.-Is was when civil
strife prevailed, that ono Simon Cameron
was for little while Secretary of War
under Abraham. And Simon waxed
very wroth, especially at Charleston,
forasmuch as her people had fred upon
the towers of Fort Sumter. The coun-
try never knew how exceedingly hot the
wrath OF said Simon wa1ed against
Charleston until recently, when he told
o newspaper reporter, that while Secre-
tary of War, he made q VOW that he
would. with his own hands, plant corn
in the streets of that rebellious and
stitf,necked city; "and," said Simon,
II did not forget that resolution; and
when our troops gained possession Of
that seditious city. / went there, planted
the corn with my own hands in one OF
the streets, engaged man to attend to
1t and cultivate it, and to this day I
preserve the fruit of that crop in nv
cabinet at home"
AS this is the first time that mention
has been made of this important his
toric event, either verbal or in print, we
suspect, says the Courier. Journal, that
Simon has dipped the pencil of his yer.
bosity in the paint-pot of his imagina-
ton, for the pui pose OF ooloring bit
OF imposing scenery for the Patrons Of
Husbandry. Simon is very fond OF the
extract of corn, known by the various
names of Monongahela, Old Bourbon,
or, in vulgar parlance, whiskey, and he
probably confounds the honorable occu-
patton of corn planting with that of
whiskcy drinking. which is a daily per.
formancs with him, often repeated, in
liberal quantities. That Simon got as
drunk i'll Charleston as n fiddler at Don
nTbrook Fair, is quito probable so
drunk that he supposed his demijohn
was seed bag, and that he was really
laying Oft corn rows while he was recing
from ono pavement to another in the
streets Of that city. As to Simon's
assertion that ho has the ripcned yield
of that wonderful crop preserved in his
cabinet ut home, it is to be regarded ms
n cunning scheme Of the tx Secretary to
get money from credulous loyalists over