Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-02-12
MUNYON'S OFFICE.
eO5 .asf Min street.
TREATMENT DY MAIL.
MIR. TRIGG on STATE BANKS.
Review of His Argument Before the
Ranking and Currency Committee.

a representative Of the Dispatch had
quite a pleasant talk with Mr.. William
r. Trigg yesterday about his contention
before the Banking and Currency Com
mittee of the House on Wednesday for
the repeal of the 10-per-cent. tax on State
banks. Mr.. Trigg said he maintained,
first, that, on the principle of the way
TO resume was to resume, the way to
get rid Of the E-per-cent. tax was to
repeal it: and then our financial problems
would be easy to solve in the establish
ment OF State banks OF issue, with such
safeguards as the good sense of the peo-
pie may devise. THE interest in the
subject was very great" said Mr. Trigg;
and the questions and answers were
frequent and spirited from members
from Connecticut, Massachusetts. Penn
sylvania. Alabama, New Jersey, Tennes-
see, and Indiana All agreed that some
thing must be done, and / should say that
the preponderance Of opinion was that
the misunderstanding law should be so
liberalized as to suit all sections; and
this, 1 said. all along, would suit me. if
II can be done; that all / wanted was
the repeal of the l0-per-cent. tax. in fact
or in effect. One gentleman asked me
If / thought that the South, with her
meagre resources, should enjoy what
Pennsylvania had with her great re-
sources. / told him no; that l only
asked that the South should not be de-
prived OF the little she had We did not
envy the northern accumulations; we
wanted the right to utilize our own.
II expressed my doubt at lunch to seve-
raj of the committee that any Roadway
could be made against the money mo-
nopoly, but Mr. Fowler. of New Jersey
said ] was mistaken, and cited the Con-
necticut member, who was present and
j thought was opposed TO any change;
that he had succumbed 80 per cent. since
these discussions on currency reform had
been had, and I'm the end would come
over entirely. The New Englander ad-
mitted that he had been much softened
Asking what good these hearings be-
fore the committee would do, 1 was an
swered that, as soon as a congressman
saw any interest in the financial situa-
tion developed among his constituents. he
would study the records, and the data
gathered would then come into use. All
seemed to think the movement must come
from the constituent"
As TO Mr.. Trlgg's belief that with the
10-per-cent. tax repealed, there would not
be a 'corporaps guard Of silver men in
the South" he said it was based. for
instance, upon an experience he had in
1873 when, going to South Carolina to
collect some 5000. due the Richmond and
Danville railroad by the Charlotte. Co.
lumbia and Augusta railroad, he found
the people along the line Of the road
"fattening and battening" on what they
called a fare ticket" 1t looked exactly
like a greenback. and read: 1.-THE bearer
OF this is entitled TO ride twenty miles
over the Charlotte, Columbia and Au-
gusta railroad. and good for 81 in pay
ment OF freights and fares TO the COM
pany," and signed by the president. LAS
crude as this was" he continued. sit
was the best the people had, and they
were making and marketing their crops
with II. and suit from the government
under the l0-per-cent tax law only stopped
Il: and from that day TO this the people
have had nothing but silver offered them.
and II Is no wonder that they espouse It.
Had they been allowed 10 substitute,
later on. as they would have done. some
thing not so crude as the fare ticket
they would never have heard Of silver;
and so II was and is, I'm Virginia and
throughout the South"
Mr. Trigg said ne made the above state
ment very cheerfully, as he considered
himself the representative of the Cham
Der Of Commerce that sent him TO In
dianapolis. and the public should know
what he had done.