Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-01-28
tFor the Spirit of Jeserson.l
The Ruling Passion Strong in Death!"

1.-The Ruling Passion Strong in Death!'
In the Spirit of the 26th of November. I
published an article headed ..The bargain all
on one side" The article was called forth in
answer to the following notice copied by the
Baltimore Gazette from some Philadelphia
paper.
business MEN AND BoUTwELL's PoL-
1cY.-P PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1st-A meeting Of
business men of Philadelphia was held at the
commercial exchanges, to-day, to discuss the
proposed reissuance of s44, 100000 in legal
tenders The only business done was the
submission of resolutions by Mr.. George Fox
to the effect that the business men of this city
would endorse the continuance of Secretary
Boutwells former policy, viz: the purchase
OF bonds from time to time to relieve the
money market. The resolutions were referred
to committee. The next meeting will be
at the call of the chairman of the committee
on resolutions"
1t was my cndeavor in my comments on the
above notice of the doings of the Philadelphia
"busfnGss men," to show that their object was
to regulate the trades and exchanges so be-
tween the cities and country, by the control
OF the currency and its quantity, as to have
all the commodities and trade of the country
subject to their one. sided valuation nay, tie
ve,y lands that produce Men' How far I
succeeded, and with the clear opinion OF Jno.
Taylor of Caroline to back me, others must
judge: But, right upon the heels of this
most e-slded and arrogant proclamation of
the business men of Philadelphia; and in the
same vein and spirit. in fact, though with most
consummate hypocrisy, holding up the burnt
"stump Of Scavola," and in the name of
patriotism and the ''counfy"-sthe 7vhole
ro""try'-comes from the ''holy city" of
America, Boston to-wit, its ''orotest!" and in
the following words aud figures to>wit:
"PRoTEs1 AGAINST INITIATION OF THE
NATIONAL CURRENCY. Boston, November
13.-The following was issued this morning
from the relief committee - the business
men" oc Boston, I take it'd
''It having been suggested that the scores
tary OF the treasury might issue an additional
amount OF currency in cieO Of our coianaiiy,
"Rcso70ed, That this committee earnestly
demonstrate against any such issue as unwise,
unnecessary aud prejudica to the ,ol.ole coun-
try"
Aye! the "scho1e country" is it? Net at
all, Gentlemen of the committee 1t is to
the cities, and Boston among them, that the
issues of more money, the very thing the
"whole country" is languishing for, would be
Boston, like the "business men" of Phia>
delphia, would he perfectly willing to relieve
the ''money market" by "a sale of bonds from
time to time" because they own the bonds,
aud by sale of them at enormous and skin
ming premiums, they would relieve the money
market at the suffering and expense of the
"whole country They own the bonds you
may say the hond>holders own the "whole
country"-and when it is relieved, though
they would share in the relief, they are de-
termined to be paid for it. On the other
hand. if the government issues the money
directly, and as the Constitution requires to be
done-"Congress shall coin money and reeu-
late the value thereof" f"-their mil-the mill
OF the bond -holders-would be hilked of it's
precious tolls in the shape of premiums and
bonuses, on the sale of bonds, whenever the
currency is to be increased o no! this is
not to be done, the currency is not to be in-
creased without their "say SO" and when thev
heve finger in the pie! And besides, it
would be of most dangerous example. Ito let
the people find out and practice on it, of re-
hectnJ MemSctces, even in an emergency of
fire. The people might find out, as the pions
ond-holders did during the war, the oppor-
tunity to take into their own hands, and ont
OF the hands of the bond holders, the whole
control and management of the currency of
the ''whole country" and to whom it proper
ly and Constif~iionaHy belongs: For again,
"Congrcss shall coin money and reyulate the
Un7ne MerroE," and, nat the 6ond-holders =
The people mi ght find out too, and 90 back to
the good old-time example of Pennsylvania
before the revolutionary war who, when her
people wanted currency, became Banker
herself, and furnished to her people cur
rency at D per cent per annum, which was
paid by them in the shape of tax, and went
into the public treasury, and where hcy got
the benefit of it in the support Of their gov
ernment; and so that the Miny-and the only
thing to be done by money or currency-to-
wit: erchan1es-wss done at little or no cost
to the people. They clubbed together, and
did it themselves; instead of paying Corpo-
rate monopolies, ten aud twelve per cent to
furnish the same currency; and as they did
afterwards, and when. by the corruption and
bribery of their Legislature this mower to
issue the currency was taken away from the
people and handed over to knavish and usu-
rious corporations and monopolies; and. who
put the same ten or twelve per cent. for the
acorh of exchanges not into the public trea>
sury, but anto their own pockets The people
might find out too, that in regard to the safety
and soundness of the money or currency the
money or currency, based on the entire pro-
duction, and labor, aud capacity to labor, aud
credit, and specie of the whole country"
was sounder, and safer, than the currency or
money of any combination of swindliug cor
porations, however high sounding and specious
their designations and pretentions The peo-
pie might find out too, in this experiment of
relieving themselves by issuing greeubacks,
that they were as effective in times of peace
as war, and all that was necessary in cur
rency or money and that the old idea of gold,
OF specie convertibitty, was not simply fall
lacy and humbug, but wicked and fraudu-
lent contrivance on the part of the few and
initiated, who can at any time monopolize the
insignificant amount of specie, to have under
their CONTROL and at their mercy, all values