The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-07-22

nlannedg Is IL not what you h@u De1-
expecuns2" .,
How. sirrah! What do you mean
eNvby. ! mean this. your grace, saia
raw calmly. that since you nave
taken the reins. il is you VINO mus
drive the chariot. shall suggest 20
plans. shall offer no remedy BIT Il
yop sim lack ability to see how ana
wbv this thing has attained this stu
ation. | will take so much trouble as
TO make it plain"
eco on. then, sir" said the regent
as not all we'll? Is there any danger!
! "As to danger" said Law. we can
not call il a time of danger after the
worst has happened.
what do you mean?"
"Why. that the worst has happened
But as | was about TO say, shall tell
YOU how it happened. - u,
The gaze of the regent fell. Ills
hand trembled as he fumbled at ms
sword belt.
"Your grace" said Law, calmly, VIII
do me the kindness to remember tha'
when | first asked of you the charter
of the Banque Generate, to be taken
privately in the name of myself anu
INV brother, / told you that any banker
merited the punishment of death II ne
issued notes or bills of exchange WITH
out having their effective value sale
in his own strong boxes.
"Well, what of that?' queried the
regent, weakly.
"Nothing, your grace, except that
your grace deserves the punishment
of death"
s'How, sir! Good Cod"
"If the truth of this matter should
ever become known. those people ou'
there. that France yonder, would tear
your grace limb from limb, and trample
you in the dust"
The livid face of the regent went
paler as the other spoke. There was
conviction in those tones which could
not fail to reach even his heavy wits.
LET me explain" went on Law. y
beg your grace to remember again,
that when your grace was good enough
tn take out of the hands of my brother
and myself our little bank-which we
had run honorably and successfully
YOU change at one sweep the wnole
principle of. honest banking You
promised to pay a note back of which
here 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.
l ILL of
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 re-
gent.
.'True, so did. We had not enough
of good money. We cannot have TOO
little of false money, OF money sucn
as your grace-as you thought without
my knoWledge-has been so eager 10
issue from the presses OF our company
Tt had been an easy thing for the re-
gent of France to pay off all the deb.s
i of the world from now until the verge
of eternity, had not his presses given
out Money of that sort, your grace, Is
such as any man could print for him
self, did he but have the linen ano
the ink
The regent again dropped to his
chair, his head falling forward upon
his breast.
But what does it all mean? Wha
shall be done? What will be the re-
sult?" he asked, his voice showing wei
enough the anxiety which had swift!
, fallen upon his soul
"As to that" replied Law, laconical
, ly, II am no longer master here. an
{ not controller of finance. Appoint Du
: bois, appoint D'Argenson. Send fol
, the Brothers Paris. Take them to Thu
window, your grace, and show then
your people, show them your France
] and then ask them to tell you VIVA
{ shall be done Cry out to all the world
0 as know you will, that this was I'M
' fault of an unknown adventurer, OF
e Scotch gambler, of one John Law, whit
brought forth some pretentlou
e schemes to the detriment of the realm
s Saddle upon me the blame for all thi
t ruin which is coming. Malign me, mis-
u represent me, imprison me. exile me
o behead me if you like, and blame JONI
J, Law for the discontinue of France
] But when you come to seek your rem
e edies, why ask no more of John Law
= Ask of Dubois, ask of D'Argenson, as
u Of the Paris Freres; or, since you
I grace has seen At to override me and Z
take these matters in his own hands
e let your grace ask of himself! Tel
y me- as regent of France, as master Q
. Paris, as guardian of the rights OF TIL
. Young king. as controller OF tn
: finances Of France, as savior or de
stroyer of the welfare of these peopl
g of France, and of that America whic
is greater than this France-tell me
. what will you do, your grace? VIVA
It,