The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-04-10
EAST TENNESSEE CURRENCY.
Makeshifts tn which People Were Forced
tn Resort u Century Ago..

Makeshifts tn Which People Were Forced
tn Resort n Century Ago.
Prom the Knoxville Sentinel,
While looking through The life and
speeches of the late Hugh Lawson White,
n few days ago, we were so struck with a
passage in his speech against the sub
treasury bill, delivered in the United
States senate, March "A, 1888, that we con-
cluded its reproduction at this time might
prove as interesting 20 the readers OF the
Sentinel as il had been tn ourself. While
the rcminisccnce shows the makeshifts "a
which the early settlers were forced to r.
sort in the absence OF either APE oI
metallic currency, IL also illustrates how
the genius Of the thrifty and shifty East
Tennesseean Of that day was holding lis
own with those OF the manufacturers oi
wooden hams and cow-heel gun-fiints In
the 'land of steady habits"
In the course of the debate on the sub
treasury bill. Mr.. Webster had good hu-
morcdly referred To n law of the short.
lived state of Franklin" which provided
for repayment Of the salaries of the state
officials in the skins OF certain wild ant
mails at established values, in lieu OF
money. Judge White, toward the close OF
his speech. adyertcd pleasantly to this
matter and expressed his qualification
that a reminiscence of the early legisla-
ton Of his own people had served TO put
the senate i'm u state OF such cNcelient
humor. He added:
..But, sir. the senator knew nothing OF
the practice under the state law; there
fore we have not the full benefit which we
ought 10 derive from his "Reminiscences.
He.could have related whole the incident
So much better tina ] can, that regret he
did not mention this subject Ia me before
he addressed the senate III he had i would
have aiNa,. him Tho additional facts. thai
the whole might have been detailed in the
senate in his own good tempered u
fclicitous manner
sit will he remembered that the gov.
crnor. chief justice and some other officers
were to he paid in deer skins, other info
rior officers were To he PAID IN raccooi,
skins. Now.i i'm that day, we were all good
wings, although we had some of the no
tom of the democrats of the present day.
1--WE hought these taxes might safely
remain i'm the hands of the collectors as
sub treasures until wanted for disbursc-
ment. The taxes were, therefore, fairly
collected in the skins and peltry pointed
out in the law. But the collectors, as re-
port says, Knew that although raccoon
skins were plenty, oposslnn skins were
more so and that they could he produced
for little or nothing. They therefore pro-
cured the requisite number of opossum
skins, cut the tails of the raccoon skins.
paid them into the general OF principal
treasury and sold the raccoon skins TO the
hatters.
The treasurer has been an unlucky APP
pointment, although a worthy man. He
was n foreigner, knew nothing OF our
skins or peltry and was, therefore, easily
deceived by his su~b-treasurers. When
this imposition was discovered the whole
system went down, and we never had "A
great fancy for leaving the taxes in the
hands of the sub-trcasurers, or collectors,
from that day Ia this"