The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-04-19

upon the monetary question" hap
pened to be in the office OF the Colonel
when he received the report of the
Commission, accompanied with a pri-
yate letter from Senator Jones, Chair
man of said Commission. The Colonel
ran through the report rather hastily,
and remarked with a cheering smile,
well, l declare, they have adopted
nv most extreme ideas upon the
money question" Perhaps, after the
Colonel had taken time to give the re-
port a more careful investigation, he
might have found that bis first impress
sions were not entirely correct. but l
doubt it, for he is quick observer Cf
language. Col. Fitch is not an extrcm-
ist upon any subject. His motto is the
golden mean" He is not ''Kearney"
man. l quote FROM letter of his of
the 9th inst Had big meeting at
Platt's Hall week ago yesterday ;
some disturbance from the 'Kearney'
men, but nothing serious No, the
Colonel is not an extremist, but he
builds from the ground up in his fnan-
cial structure without regard to the
sayings of Adam Smith, John Stuart
Mill, and other eminent writers on
finance, unless their sayings correspond
with known or demonstratable facts.
He tackles with a merciless hand. their
theories "that the value of gold and
silver is the difficulty of obtaining
them, or the cost of production, -
that money changes in value accord
ing to its purchasing power" and that
the money supply of country is the
just measure of the property valuation
of o country" To this last assertion,
Mr.. Fitch says, sit needs only COM
putation of the sum of taxes that it
would be practicable to collect upon
such an assessment to discover itself"
In reference to the framing a State
Constitution for Washington Territory,
Col. Fitch is trying to adjust his busl-
ness so as to be at Walla Walla, when
our delegates meet for that purpose.
and they will do we'll to consult his
views. however wise they may be in
themselves
Speaking of the Seattle and Walla
Walla Railroad Company. Col. Fitch
informed me that he could project a
plan by which the people of this Terri
tory could build that road, pay for it,
own 1t, and be the richer for so doing;
or he could get the Government to build
it, own it, and run it. may not give
his statements with accuracy, as take
them from memory; but l am not far
out of the way. These may seem to
our people like assumptions on the part
OF Mr.. Fitch, but when they learn CAS-
they wil) that he has probably as much
influence at Washington as any other
man on the Pacific coast, and that he is
thoroughly posted in all the ways that
are dark and tricks that are vain," as
we'll as the honest and straightforward
ways Which he advocates in reference
to railroad matters, they will give heed
to hisargumerts. For twenty years Mr..
Fitch has made the subject of railroads
and finance his study. lie offered,
through the public prints in San Fran
cisco, at time when everybody udi-
culed the idea, ten thousand dollars for
the best essay upon the feasibility OF
building railroad across the continent
to San Francisco So impracticable was
the idea among the great minds of the
age at that time, that he did not rs-
oei~o a single contribution. and, rely-
ing upon his own inherent convictions
of right, and trusting in the future to
demonstrate the wisdom of his thoughts,
he projected the feasibility of a rail
road over the Rocky Mountains, and
has lived to see his convictions verified
in the building of the great Central
Pacific, as foreshadowed by him.
Mr.. Editor, l have written thus per-
sonally of Mr.. Fitch because he is liable
to come among us in the near future
and because l believe there is much
good in him for our people and Terri
tory. His coming will not be flour
ish Of trumpets." He is not an enthu-
siast, but quiet, gentlemanly and earn
est. He stands upon his own ground
and nothing but facts will move him
off. His motto is, 1.-The noblest motive
is the public good"
Terad asks, lis there not something
that gives power of money to gold
silver and paper besides statutory en-
actrnents ?" Will he not tell the public
what that something" is9
M. S. B.