The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-06-24


IL a part OF his published erssd hat
any banker was worthy Of death who
issued notes without having the specie
wherewith 10 pay them he insisted
that the payment should mean specie
IN the value OF the day on which the
note was issued This item the re-
gent liked little. as beins too iTi some
for his temper Was ii not Of record
how Louis. the Grand Monarque, had
twice made certain millions for him
self by the simple process OF chang
ing the value of the coin? Dfcing.
drinking. amorous Philippe. easy
going. shallow-thinking. truly vert
lhou better fitted for throne than for
a bankers chair!
The royal bank, which. the regent
himself FASTENED to foster when he
saw the profits of the first private bank
of circulation and discount France had
ever known, issued notes against which
Law entered Immediately his firm pro-
test. He saw that their tenor spelled
ruin for the whole system of finance
which, at such labor he had erected
These notes promised to pay, for in
stance, fifty livres Tin silver coin" not
'in coin of the weight of the standard
of this day" as had the honester notes
of Laws bank That is to say, the
notes meant nothing s. re and nothing
definite. They might be money for a
time, but not forever; and this the
director-general was too shrewd a man
not to know.
But under this issue YOU shall have
all France" said the regent to him one
day, as they renewed their discussion
vet again upon this scheme. You
shall have the farming of the taxes
I will give you all the foreign trade
as monopoly, if you like-will give you
the mint-will give you, in effect, as
have said, all France But. monsieur
my director general, l must have
money. 1t is for that purpose that
appoint you general-because
| find you the most remarkable man in
| all the world"
your grace" said Law, print youl
notes thus and print them to suct
| extent as you wish, and France is
again worse than bankrupt! Then, in
deed, you have worse than repudiatet
| the debts of France"
"Ah bah, mon drole! You are IL
| to-day. You have migraine, per
haps? What folly for you TO speal
thus France hath swiftly grown 81
strong that she can never again bt
ruined. What ails my magician. m!
Prince of Golconda, this morning
France bankrupt! Even were it SO
does that relieve me of this begging o
De Prize, of Parabere. and all the 9th
ers? Ny God, Monsieur Las, they ar
like leeches! They think me made o
money"
"And your grace thinks France mad'
of money"
May: only think my director-gen
eral is made of money, or can make
as he likes"
And this was ever the end of Law
reproaches and his eXpostulations
This. then, was to be the end of hi
glorious enterprises, thought he, as n
sat one morning, staring out OF tn
window when left alone. This sordi'
love for money for it's own sake-th1
was to be the limit of an ambition
which dealt in theories, in men, in ma
tons, and not in livres and louis dor
Law smiled bitterly. For an instan
he was not the confident man of actor
and of affairs, not the man claimin
with assurance the perpetual protec
ton Of good fortune. He sat there
alone, feeling nothing but the grea
human craving for sympathy and trust
A line of carriages swept back acros
the street at his window, and stream
of mobiles besought entrance at nj
door. And the man who lad called on
all these. the man for whose friendshi
all Europe clamored-that man sa
with aching heart, longing, craving
begging now of fortune only the on
thing-a friend!
At last oe arose, his face shown
lean and haggard. He passed int
another room.
will" said he, 81 am at a plac
where I am dizzy and need hant
You know what hand it means for mi
Can you go-will you take her, as yo
did once before for me, message?
cannot go. cannot venture into he
presence. VIII you go? Tell her it
the last time! Tell her it is the Iast!'
ITO RE CONTINUFD)