Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1893-08-17
FINANCIERS, NOT FINANCE.
John Morris Tells About Two of his old
DISTINGUISHING Acquaintanees, etc.

DISTINGUISHING Acquaintances, etc.
Special Correspondence Charlotte Obs
server.
[ have a few but we!l-assorted
views on finance; but, as I never
carry a pistol, [ will not venture
to unfold and air my opinions.
Should the law respecting the use
ofdeadly weapons be modified or re-
pealed, | may arm myself and pub
lish a disquisition on the currency
For the present [ will chat about
fnanciers, not finance.
l know most of the fiscal statis-
tics in use either by Congressman
Or almanacs. In fact, [ q begin
with the coinage system of the an
cient Phenicians; take in, as a side
Issue, tue incident OF Peter finding
the coin in the mouth of the fish;
tell something of the colonial issue
| of currency, ekirmish for two hours
in the immediate vicinity of the
demonstration act Of 1878; look
| wise in the presence of the Sher-
man bill of 1890; anu, pausing at
the end of my statistical tour, | can
swap facts and require ''some
boot" from a statisticlan SO opus
lently endowed and so eminently
known as Colonel Harry Skinner.
But | have long regarded my
financial statistics as [ do my in
formation from Herbert Spencer
and Darwin concerning evolution
the most useless knowledge that
[ v acquired.
The Ignorance and egotlsm OF
professional tinanciers excite CONS
m~iseration. Whenever | fad mys
selt in the presence Of q represents
teti-e specimen, | want to fall on
my knees and pray for him
1t is because | pity this class that
| have much patience with its rep
resentatives. Some time ago, while
IN Washington City, | permitted a
member Of Congress to talk to me
two hours on finance. [ know
that my intelligent friends will
think it Impossible for me to have
been SO patient, but it is SO, and
lust here [ will state that | can
forgive a member Of Congress for
many things for which | would
hold an Intelligent private citizen
to strict account and demand I'M
mediate satisfaction.
When [ was a boy [ knew two
intellectual paupers; both brilliant
fnanciers. Though beginning the
career of manhood in a state of
"demonetization," and until death
maintaining relatively "a "parity"
Of pennilessness, they never tackled
any fiscal problem OF less propors
ton than a national debt. One
night, after disposing of a quart of
free-whiskey, they adjusted, satiss
tactorily to themselves. the great
war debt Of the United States.
just after midnight they grasped
for discussion and immediate solus
ton the big national debt Of Great
Britain. Unfortunately, on this
question they, disagreeing, quar-
Ring, fought, cnrsed each the other,
separated snllenly, and never
recognized o spoke to each other
again These two impecuaious,
but higly intellectual fnanciers,
were friends of my halcyon boys
hood days. They are both dead,
and | am glad, For, if this nation
has one need more urgent than an,
other it is, that an epidemic of res
liable fatali y begin immediate
work, combining its labors to circles
of professional fnanciers.
An angel may descend in the
quiet of the night to bless him and
his household. God may reach a
hand through the cleaning OF this
honest mans days, and take him
closer to Himself and His throne.
But were this humble, honest man
to live on earth a thousand years he
would never be chosen to lead a
financial reform, Yet this man
does for himself what o scheme
nor so-called reform con- ever do
for his national destiny.
If [ visit a farm an note the abs
sence o a hog-pen and the pres
ence of an empty corn crib, l am
sure to find a rural statesma wrestl-
ling, from a national stand point,
with the currency problem.
[ know a great tinacial reformer
who, during the war. lived in the
South but remained out OF the
army. While other bombsprooI
statesmen were making barrels of
Confederate money, this financier
was moneyless. He had no more
Confederate currency than he now
: has Federal money. Yet, during
the war, he knew exactly howseto
bring Confederate notes to a gold
standard. Then as now, he was a
fnancier from "away back" To-
day, he is a leader of financial re-
form in a county in eastern North
Carolina.
Were l 10 quest of a pleasing
exam, pie Of the gold~bug, or a sins
sgularly beautiful specimen of the
silver theorist. with which to re.