The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-21

honorably and successfully-you changed
at one sweep the whole principle Of hon
est banking. You promised to pay some
thing which was unstipulated. You issued
a note back of which there was no value,
no fixed limit of measurement. Twice
you have changed the coinage of the
realm, and twice assigned a new value
to your specie. No one can tell what one
| Of your shares In the stock Of the Indies
means In actual coin. 1t means nothing,
| stands for nothing, is good for nothing.
| Now, think you, when these people, when
this France shall discover these facts,
that they will be lenient with those who
| have thus deceived them?'
! Yet your theory always was that we
| had too great scarcity of money here
IN France" expostulated the regent
| True, so L did. We had not enough of
good money. We can not have too little
| OF false money, Of money such as your
grace-as you thought without my knowl-
edge-has been so eager to issue from
! the presses Of our company. 1t had been
! an easy thing for the regent of France
to pay off all the debts of the world
from now until the verge Of eternity
mad not his presses given out. Money of
| mat sort, your grace, Is such as any
man could print for himself, did he but
nave the linen and the Ink
Inc regent again dropped to his chair
MS head falling forward upon his breast
But what does it all mean? What
shall be done? What will be the RESULT"
ne asked, his voice showing we'll enough
the anxiety which had swiftly fallen upon
his soul.
AS to that" replied Law, laconically.
am no longer master here. I am not
controller or finance. Appoint Dubois an
point D'Argenson. Send for the Brothers
Far1s.~ Take them to this window. vour
grace and show them your people, show
me inen1 your France. and then ask them to
Tell You what shall be DONE Cry out to
all the world, as I know you will that
this was the fault of an unknown ad-
Venturer, of a Scotch gambler, of one
John Law, who brought forth some pre-
tent1ous schemes to the detriment of the
realm. Saddle upon me the blame for
all this ruin which is coming. Malign me-
mlsrepresent me, inprison me, exile me,
behead me if you like, and blame John
Law for the discontinue of France.
But when you come to seek your remedies.
why, ask no more Of John Law. Ask of
Dubois, ask OF D'Argenson, ask of the
Paris Freres; or, since your grace has
seen fit to override me and to take these
matters IN his own hands, let your grace
ask of himself! Tell me. as regent of
France, as master of Paris, as guardian of
the rights of this young king, as controller
of the finances Of France. as savior or de-
stroyer Of the welfare Of these people of
France and Of that America which is
greater than this France-.tell me, what
will you do, your grace? What do you
suggest as remedy" -
You devil! you arch fiend" exclaimed
the regent starting up and laying his
ment you do not deserve! You will leave
| me in this plight-you-you, who have
supplanted me at every turn; you who
| made that horrible scene but last night at
my own table, within the very gates of
the Palais Royal you, the murderer of the
woman I adored! And now, you mocker
and .flouter of what may be my bitterest
| sharp enough for you! Why do you stand
| there, sir? Do you dare to mock me-to
| mock us, the person of the king?'',
Il mock not in the least, your grace
| said John Law, nor do aught else that i'll
beseems gentleman. 1 should have been
proud to be known as the friend of
Philippe of Orleans and tell him that that
! man doth not live, nor that set Of terrors
exist, which can brighten John Law. nor
cause him to depart from that stand
| which he once has taken. Sir, If you seek
| to frighten me, you fail.
But, look you-consider," said the
regent. Something must be DONE
"As I said" replied Law.
But what is going to happen? What
will the people -do?' 49,.
First said Law, judicially, Ticking at
| the deep lace of his cuff though he
were taking into consideration the price
Of wig or cane. first, the price Of a
share having gone to $4,000 livres this
morning, by 2 o'clock will be so low
as ten thousand. BY o'clock this after
! noon it will be six thousand. Then,
your grace, there will be panic. Then
| the spell will be broken. France will
rub her eyes and begin to awaken. Them
since the king can do no wrong, and
since the regent is the king, your grace
! can do one of two things. He can send
| body guard to watch my door, or he can
see John Law torn into fragments, as
| these people would tear the real author