The New Orleans bulletin., 1876-02-23
GREENBAOKS IN ILLINOIS.

GREENBAOKS IN ILLINOIS.
There seems to be some danger that the
rural mind Of some Of the Northwestern
States will become hopelessly muddled on
the question of the currency. Notably this
seems to be true of Illinois, if we may take
the recent convention at Decatur as q fai,
sample and representation of tho agricultur.
lists of that State. The main purpose Of that
convention seemed to be to proclaim fasn.
cial scheme adapted to the wants OF the coun.
try and nicely calculate to cure all our
monetary evils. This is the manner in which
the Decatur Convention proposed to accom-
plish these inestimable purposes: There is to
be repeal of the resumption act; a substitution
of "legal tenders" for national bank notes.
the "legal tenders" according to the usual
sounding but senselees declarations Of the
paper men, "to be based upon the
to the demands Of legitimate business"
Duties on imports are to be payable in
paper and the 'legal tenders" are to be inter-
changeable with 8. IS registered bonds of the
United States. An ordinary mind might sup
pose that the object Of basing paper promises
to pay on the faith and resources Of the
nation would be that the faith and resources
of the nation might be applied to their pay
ment. But the Decatur conventionists are
not men Of ordinary minds. On the contrary
they are very extraordinary minded persons.
Their plan, as declared in their resolutions, is
to make the illegal tender" paper promises
convertible into Understanding promises, the
interest payable in paper and the interest
bearing promises fedeemable in "legal
tenders" Precisely what part the faith and
resources Of the nation are 20 play in
this comedy Of conversion of paper
into other paper aid the redemption
Of the other paper by still more
paper, it would be impossible for any body
but "pig iron" Kelly, or q Decatur conven-
zionist to conjecture. The only faith required
seems to be the belief that something may,
BY constant ciphering be made to come out
Of nothing, and the only resources needed
those of the engrsver and ths printing press.
There were intrusive members in the conven-
ton who could not understand that man
might raise himself in the air by pulling on
his braces, and one of them expressed mild
dissent by proposing that the interest of the
8 65 gutta percha bonds should be payable
in gold; but this impertinent interloper was
duly ho wled down by an overwhelming roar.
Another gentleman could no. understand the
accusations leveled against gold, and venturea
) quiet remonstrance against the contumsly
With which that much abused metal was
treated.
He could not see that matters would be
mended by exchanging one piece Of paper for
another and back again, and soon to infnity,
any more than he believed the story of the
two Vermonters who got rich by swapping
ack k-knifes. But this heretical person was
also squelched.
In short, what the Decatur people want is
more monev-or more OF the thing which they
,all money. The desire is not at all unnatural.
Almost every one is affected by it in one form
,r another; but the Decatur conventionists
,eem to labor under peculiar necessity for
financial rehabilitation. We infer that their
needs are particularly pressing from the de-
,laration of prominent member, that he had
been trying to "run the party" for two years
N eighty-six dollars in greenbacks, and he
lad finally abandoned the effort in despair.
This plaintive and touching confession illus
rates more vividly than all the commercial
disasters of the last two years, the financial
tringency under which the country suffers.
70 one, with the heart of a man IN his bosom,
will deny that the currency is contracted to
he last degree of attenuation, when the
.reat and noble party Of Illinois inf .tionists
las been forced to subsist for two years on
,ighty-six dollars in greenbacks. 1t is only |
wonderful that they did not adopt and lncor-
,orate among their resolutions the PROPOSE
ion of Senator Howe, of Wisconsin, that the
Treasurer of the United States be authorized |
o pay, every Saturday night ten dollars in
,rand new greenbacks, to every man, woman
nd child in the country, to an amount not
,-eater than i've thousand million dollars; to
,egn with anothe er resolution embodying the
,rinciple on which Tittlebat Titmouse was
lec.ed to Parliament, "giving everybody |
would havs rounded off the /
,latform with beautiful and altogether
ovely symmetry.
ssIt is not our fault says Milwaukee
ditor. sfhst We are red-headed and small,
nd the mex. time that one of those over
rown rural roosters IN ball room reaches
own for our head and suggests that some
slow has lost rosebud ont OF his button
Iole, there will be trouble"