Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-03-11

| to take out OF the nanns or r.. arorner
and myself our little bank-which we
had run honorably and successfully
| you change at one sweep the whole
| principle of honest banking. You
promised to pay 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 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 re-
gent.
'True, SO I did. We had not enough
of good money. We cannot have too
little of false money, of money such
as your grace-as you thought without
my knowledge been SO eager to
i issue from the presses of our company.
1t had been an easy thing for the re-
gent of France to pay off all the debts
| 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 and
the ink"
The regent again dropped to his
chair, his head falling forward upon
his breast. %
But what does 1t all mean? What
shall be done? What will be the re-
sult?" he asked, his voice showing we'll
enough the anxiety which had swiftly
fallen upon his soul.
"As to that" replied Law, laconical-
ly, II am no longer master here. am
not controller Of finance. Appoint Du-
bois, appoint D'Argenson. Send for
the Brothers Paris. Take them to this
window, your grace, and show them
your people, show them 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 adventurer, of q
Scotch gambler, Of one John Law, who
brought forth some pretentious
schemes to the detriment of the realm
Saddle upon me the blame for all this
ruin which is coming Malign me, mis-
represent me, imprison me, exile me,
behead me If you like, and blame John
Law for the discontinue of France!
But when you come to seek your rem
edies, 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 iend!" ex-
claimed the regent, starting up and
laying his hand on his sword. There
is no punishment you do not deserve!
You will leave me in this plight-you-
you, who have supplanted me ct every
| turn; 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
adored! And now, you mocker and
f1outer of what may be my bitterest
unfortunately. sir, no punishment
is sharp enough for you! Why do you
stand there, sir? Do you dare to mock
me-to mock US, the person Of the
king?"
II mock not in the least, your grace -
said John Law. NOR do aught else that
Ill beseems gentleman. should have
been proud to be known as the friend
of Philippe Of Orleans. yet I stand
before that 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, II you seek to brighten
me, you fail"
But, look you-consider," said the
regent. Something must be DONE"
CAS- I said," replied Law
But what is going to happen? What
will the people do?"
First" said Law. judicially. fiicking
at the deep lace Of his cuff as though
he were taking into consideration the
price Of q wig or cane, "flrst. the price
Of share having gone to $4,000 livres
this morning, by two o'clock will be
SO low as 10000. BY three o'clock this
afternoon it will be 5000. Then, your
grace, there will be panic. Then the
spell will be broken. France will rub
her eyes and begin to awaken. Then,
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
a body-guard to watch my door, or he
can see John Law torn into fragments
as these people would tear the real au-
thor Of their undoing, did they but rec.
| ognize him."
4 "But can nothing be done to stor
this? Can it not be accommodated"
| ASK yourself. But must go on tc
say what these people will do. All al
once they will demand specie for theil
notes. The Prince de Cont will drive
his coaches to the door of your bank
and demand that they be loaded with
gold. Jacques and Raoul and Pierre
and every peasant and pavior in Paris
will come with boxes and panniers
and each of them will also demand his