New-York tribune., 1896-12-04
TALLETTE, or TOLTNTOWN.

A Populist organ. pure and simple is "The
Missouri World. weekly newspaper published
at Chillico,he. Mo. 1t takes no stock in Mr..
William jennings Bryan as candidate for Pres
jdent in 1900. and cares very little for free sill
yer as political issue. What il wants Is Il
Government issue of fiat money not necessarily
redeemable in coin of any kind. bat based sole
ly Oh the faith of the Government. Among the
letters from correspondents in various parts oi
the country approving this position. il pub
lishes one from Mr.. j. e. Nallette. Of Nolun-
town. Conn., Mr.. Naette appears to be some
thing more than q student of finance; he Is, i'll
fact an oracle-an oracle with positive prophetic
gifts He proposes to 20 on with the hght Tor
financial reform. but 10 drop both gold ana
"silver as money metals and fight for pure
"fat paper money as outlined in CoXeys Sound
"Nonpy.' Of recent date" The money question,
he proplpsies. never will be settled until 1t Is
settled right and that will never be until both
gold and silver are eliminated as materials on
(which TO place the money stamp. for, he says,
"a true Democracy cannot exist while the money
"stamp is placed on n material owned and con
"trolled by private individuals. From this II
will be seen that Mr.. Vaette Is right on the
skirmish line the very outposts of the most ad-
vanced thinkers Of the time. He says industrial
slavery exists. and nothing short of a purely
scientific fiat paper money can abolish II. ~ on
may try all you like. II cannot be done.
Now. this is all very sudden Doubtless 1t
will take Connecticut people very much by sur
prise when they come 10 learn that they nave
that kind OF deep thinker and rapi seer in
Voluntown. Many citizens will be led 10 in
0,re first, Where is NOuntown: and then. Who
is Valette? For Voluntown is not financial
centre Ii has a population of about 800 souls.
is considerably remote from anywhere in par
tlcrar, and communicates with the outside
world only itfully and at irregular intervals
through charcoal carts. which convey the prod
net Of its PRINCIPAL industry 10 the nearest mar
ket town. Ii used To be said that the baskets in
which the NoluntOwn coal merchants measured
out their product TO customers had u decided
upward bulge In the bottom. so that they Were
enabled TO retail out of single cart more bush
els than the cart could hold by actual measure
ment TO do this successfully may not require
a profound knowledge OF finance. but the cir
cums,ance suggests the possible source OF Mr..
yalletie's theories upon that subject. They must
have been mbbed in that sort of a school And
as he seems to have been hiding his light under
IL
that kind Of a bushcl- -Voluniown measure
Now that he has set IL on a hill in Chlllicothe
Mo. it shows the effect OF the bulge.
1t should be mentioned. however, that Noliin-
town was once for very short time. some forty
years ago. actually financial centre. II had
a bank At n time when the State OF Connect
cut was granting bank charters with some
what liberal hand few cntcrprsIng persons
f1tut
bank of issue planted a, Noun,own could exert
n salutary influence upon the business Of the
whole country by sending handsomely engraved
notes OF various denominations to Western
cities 10 assist In moving the crops And rs
they would he "A long time finding their way
back by railroad stage and coalcart 10 the place
Of redemption IL thought the projectors
might find profit In the circulation ~ well as
in other branches Of banking business in the
interval They got their charter. bought safe
opened the bank. and sent abroad their beauli-
ful banknoeS. That was not exactly fat cur
rency in the Nallctte sense but II was near 10
II that the folks ont West. who had not then
been educated up 10 the Populist theories Of
finance SHE'D AT IT, aud sent II back 10 find ont
what, if anything, was back Of the promise To
pay printed on It's face Then the bank bust
ed" and VoluntOwn returned 10 the charcoal
business. having suddenly ceased 10 be- a Imam
cial centre.
1t IS doubtful If Mr.. Nallette can r,habilitae
It, Still. If he keeps up the fight and his
prophecy Is fulfilled. 1t is not impossible that
some day the Vountown coal merchants will be
taking fiat money by the cord in payment for
fiat charcoal standing end In the forest ready
to be kindled by ''the light that never was on
sea or land" Then Industrial slavery will cease
In voluntown, everybody will carry in his pock
ct the left hind foot Of a graveyard rabbit and
get rich Immediately in consequence Of the
charm, and there will be an end of poverty and
distress. Then. too. everybody will rise up and
say Bully for Vallcitc.' And perhaps, not
until then.