The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-10-18
A Readable Letter from an Old VIZ
pfnian. wlsO Resides Ina Missouri.

Il.
Editors Dispatch: A mere cosmopolitan,
| I fell in with the large crowd eager to lis-
ten to the political discussion advertised for
| Monday last. With very deficient and we'll
settled views Of finance and its correlatiTe
affinities, all strengthened by the able, 1li'
dicio,is arguments OF your valuable DiS-
patch, was egotistic enough to fear tnat l
| would not be repaid for my pains. But as
| / lost nothing of what, in fifty years. nave
been irving to learn and to treasure UP as
to what constitutes the honor. credit, and
| prosperity OF our c0untry-I had never
heard either OF the gentlemen who favored
| the citizens by the eSpose-I would have
been satisfied, as my part oil the 6oTaS, ior
nv gaze upon that great old soldier, Cen
| eral Johnston, with the earnest, patriotic
Virginia sentiments that characterized his
simple. plain. non-pretentious speech.
| "GreenbackS was the theme OF Colonel
Newman and those who spoke for him.
Now, my dear sirs, from the first, haIe
regarded this as but vulgar term, really
meaning nothing, as every speech on tna1
side eyinced. declare it Us my honest,
humble conviction that never listened to
as much nonsense, {" fap-dcodle," and
" confusion worse confounded." in the
same number of minutes iii my llfe-all be-
ING eiIectually answered by DR. Wise i'll his
yeTy prompt reply to tie statement OF 4
darky, / thought, that he wanted more
money. g Take off your coat" responded
Mr.. Wise, s'and 60 to work. sir, and you
will have something to get money Will"
I, too, thought could have added, IN the
language OF The old Dutchman. "Dot ISL So"
Irredeemable money in this country Is a
stupendous humbug. We have had suffi-
cheney of this sort OF money. have seen
the man who, with an honorable discharge
at Yorktown, in 1851, paid $500 for break
fast, and said be was "eratefui for that"
His boast was that he :" had fought for and
against kings" At my humble home, in
another State, can show some OF that mo-
ney, cherished as precious legacy. but not
as n0neg--it never was that. but patriotism
gave it an intrinsic value. lived through
the period OF Kentucky wildcat" money,
and well remember the curse as Irembember
the instantaneous relief afforded by the Bank
or the United States in 1916, the basis OF
which was the credit OF the country. HAND
me certain key. and in yournoble city l can
tomorrow unlock box and exhibit $780,
900 "Confederatc money" as hardly and as
honestly earned as any dollar you or ever
earned. This was irredeemaJle money.
My ancient and renowned friend r. NJ. T..
Hunter, in whom recognize one OF the ablest
statesmen in the land for the last quarter OF q
century, suggests, if understand him right,
the only remedy-vlz.: United States bonds
transferable and exchangeable at the plea
sure OF the holder; repeal the act Of rcsuml;-
ton; no limitation to the coinage of gold
and silver OF the present value OF the dol
lar-all legal tender for public and private
dues; aud the nation will scout the idea OF
inf has Ri
cradle friend, Mr. Mosely, OF the wing, is
an ineXphcable mystery to me. That, with
his great ability and conservative good
sense, he should advocate this nonsensical
s. hy-up.the-creek - business, hurts me very
much. Surely be has forgotten the days OF
the clog Cabin" and what 1t has cost the
South to have any government at all. Let
him be sure that while the bloated bond
holder will get no quarters from cold joe"
EXCEPT what equitable laws will grant, the
great Greenbackers, Beast Butler and kear-
ney, will get terribly skinned, whether at
long or short range.
A short time since. being in Richmond,
this writer met one OF his fayorlte and
valued friends of the small remnant left to
him there. He said he wanted all the
money the Government could utter OF put
in circulation. A quaint, old-faShioned
man, replying, said, Well, Doctor, give lis
all the money needed that we can honestly
get" But suppose that fine hotel was full
of greenbacks, how much could you get by
offering an equivaent-the legitimate idea OF
money values !? and he wisely SAID None,
but it would find its way into circulation -
and so wished, but only with indemnify
somewhere. The entertainment Of the idea
OF money on the fiat principle is an absurd
ity we'll deserving the sorrowful eplthet.
Your contemporary, the Patron, never see
by me before to-day, is worse still. ldiocy,
l fear, would better describe his political
economy, for, With all his learning and vol.
u5iliiy, cannot think he ever read Say
or Adam Smith. Major Stlles's speech
on Monday was a mastery, sound, terse,
argument, unansWerabIe. as it is yet unun-
swered. Carry on the war to the end, as in
many States the verdict in this county as
to fiat money will be the tiat Of utter demo-
lition. .sWEY CERTAINLY"