Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-05-08

From the Chicago Inter-0cean.l

From the Chicago Inter-0cean.l
"a lie." That's what it is. Not a
| dollar in greenbacks, which we have
fondly supposed, but "a lie" That 8
what Vallandigham and Voorhees, used
to call it. That's what the Chicago
Tribune and Times and the Rev. Minot
j. Savage call it now. "a hel" How
fondly these followers of the Copper
head statesmen of 1868 and 1864 cling
to the epithet They roll it like a sweet
morsel under their tongues, and when
all argument fails, and they find them
selves unable to put forward single
| legitimate plea against greenbacks, they
suddenly whirl round with the light of
triumph in their eyes, and yell in unison,
"a lie Every now and then we see
going about the country a couple of
men with show made up of boa con-
strictor and two wild Australian child
rem (admittance twenty five cents, child
rem half price) One of the showmen
gets the largest of the wild men before
the audience and lectures on the habits
and history of the creature. At every
point he is answered with the only SEN
tence that the wild man can utter, viz /:
you lie These singular specimens of
humanity" says the Snowman, were cap
tured by party Of hunters in the interior
of Australia. " You lie, says the chief
specimen, with grin. Their dispesi-
tons are most singular" he continues,
they can be governed only by kind
ness. We never whip theml You
lie;" again screams the wild man, and
so on, through evil and good report, the
response is always the same" You lie
Something strikingly similar to this is
the parrotlike cry Of the contraction
lists. For the first time, say you, lin
the history of this country, we have q
safe, uniform and satisfactory currency"
"a lie" responds one of these analyti-
cal sharpers. tits popular currency"
you continue. No man fears that the
bank will break, and no man hesitates
to get rid of it for fear of loss" "A
lie," chimes the astute contractionist
again. But you are greedy to get it
and 10th to part with it, say you, TAX
ing the case home to the fault-fnder.
You work for greenbacks, wrangle for
greenbacks, lie for greenbacks, sell your
self, body and soul, for greenbacks, and
hoard them as you would jewels of price
less value. Why all this if they are
only fraud, cheat, snare, a false
hood2' And the only response is the
idiotic echo of the wild Australian child,
"a lie.
"Wots your usual tap, sir" said Sam
Weller to the spotless Stiggins.
"Oh, my dear young friend, groaned
Stiggins, all taps is vanities."
Nv course, replied Sam, but witch
particular vanity do you like the flavor
on best sir2'
III" responded Stiggins, with another
groan, there is one of them less odious
than another, it is the liquor called rum
warm, my dear young friend, with
three Jumps of sugar to the tumbler.'
"What recompense shall make you for
your services ? how pay you for your
newspapers, your goods, your lands. your
sermons?" You ask this Of the prodig'
Gus maralists who are just now discuss
ing the finances, and they respond with
a groan, all recompense is vanity.
" But let me give you my thanks,
my hearty good wishes, my prayers,
saw you, anxious to render some eQuiva-
lent. mo, none of these, respond the
immaculates. " If there is any recon-
pense less odious than the rest, 1t is the
irredeemable lies called greenbacks,
legal tenders, my dear friend, and the
larger the denomination the better.
Wicked, wicked world"