The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-04


was good he would go to the provost mar
shall and make case against the mer
chant for refusing to receive Confederate
money. Then the matter would be COM
promised.
When the paper was almost worthless Il
was amusing to see how the ruling passion
of greed still controlled the penurious ami
stingy. These persons would count the
cost OF everything and spend every dollar
grudgingly, though it was 20 their interest
to convert the money into anything that
was substantial enough to stand the Wear
and tear of few years.
But these fellows would hoard their
money, though 1t deprecated each day,
and lost much of It's purchasing power If
they held it for even week.
There were many persons who were anx-
ious to lend money and sell on credit, They
never dunned their debtors and made eN-
cuses to postpone a settlement It was
their idea that when the war ended they
would collect their accounts in good
money.
During the last year OF the war the ma
jority of people were very Indifferent about
money matters. ! mean the majority Of
those who made money easily. Others,
not engaged in trade or speculation, had a
rough road to travel They received small
wages and very little for their farm pro
The door,
With money so abundant almost anybody
ia distress could borrow or beg. but n
must be recollected that there were thou
sands of good people who We're too proud
and sensitive TO let their poverty be known
and they actually starved, some OF them,
rather than tell their story 10 their more
prosperous neighbors.
on the other hand, the decentralization OF
a 81, Of n
ed to be absolutely without seruples or
shame. e1r
These sponges borrowed right ana LETT
and made debts everywhere.
Some of them were IN the service of the
governments and a few wore The insignia OF
rank on their gray uniforms.
Boys, there ought to be $4,000 In this
bundle. Please count it for me. Ill be
| back in an hour
1 heard a big planter say this one day
| to two clerks in a Whitehall street store.
Better stay" said one of the youths,
"and sec 1t counted. IL may Be short %
I'D if l care" was the careless re-
| ply, but I'd like to know just how much
there is I'll trust your count" and off
he went, leaving two strangers 10 open his
$4,000 package.
People who were not too patriotic and
who looked ahead were always busy IN
|
promised to be worth something after the
| war
| One man bought 100 cottages and cabins
in Atlanta. Another bought forty or nifty
| plantations
Men and women bought jewelry pic4
| lures books, bric-a -brac furniture hard
ware, greenbacks, gold. silver, and state
| bank notes.
They bought tobacco and cotton. Very
! few bought slaves as they had little conf
dence In that kind of properly.
They bought newspapers gladly, because
the proprietors, editors, writers, and prin-
ters were exempt from military service.
| Currency was as thick as snowiakes or
autumn leaves. Travellers had valises stuff
| ed with it, Banks did not want 1t on de-
post. and people grew weary trotting
around with it.
Nobody robbed anybody on the highway
or broke into houses in search Of money.
! Why should they? If they wanted 1t, all
they had to do was to borrow it or beg it.
And yet, as / said before, there were
many actually starving because they we're
not willing to let anybody know that they
| were destitute.
How some. Of the wives and daughters OF
the soldiers and how some of the toiiers
managed to keep soul and body together
I'm those days the good Lord only knows.
IN ApTll, loOo' NotIleusl az WI ieisS N'iAi
| pletely collapsed. The tidings of the sur
| render had reached Atlanta.
The day before a citizen on Mitchell
street had sold a very nice little cottage
all that he had in the world-for what
seemed TO him to be a large sum Of mon
| ey.
Twenly-four hours later he realized che
fact that his earthly possessions consisted
of big package OF worthless Confederat e
notes which would not sell for % cents IN
| silver