The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-08

~ o. mat organizations called Rrit-
Nero 9usldlning Associations. which
nos nieu Tor the ostensible pur-
go OF maintaining the value Of rha
"a currency, which had the affar1
= oepfeclatlng the Continental isslas
"ele accomplishing their urnose ali
~ we'll North Carolina was unable
~ Imply with this request, as this
raisina ,aGlleai!y her only means of
a ~S revenue. During this year Com
9teSS undertook to uphold tho valna
- the currency by means Of lagisla-t
An obserVant CONTEMPORARY thus
ooIhlhehts upon this expedient: 1T ia
800 ntoIe ABSURD 10 attempt to impel
iaitn INTO the heart of an unbeIiaEer
~ az ana Ia5Ot, or to Whip love into
ccuI mistress with q coWskin. than 7,
,olce Nalue or credit into Your money
IA laws. These enactnents
we're very pernicious III effect. Before
1n9 money began 10 depreciate, they
! hai 81 hneeessary after depreciation
a"4 SCI ~, they We're manifestly un-
Just as the creditor was defraude,
0ua ol the amount representing the
oliefence between the value as fixed
'S "a" and its intrinsic value.
After the adoption of the State con
9t.tuuons, the ableat men We're, almost
NlIhout exception. given soma p0Iiti-
cal prefernenet in their own STATE
when was more remunerative and to
Whicn there was more honor attached
man BENG sent as a delegate to the
general Congress. The result was that
the personnel of that body was com
posed of s~eCond-rate men. They were
unable to cope with the great prob
ielns that We're constantly thrust upon
them. Washington, in writing to
George Mason in 1879, SAYS: "A man
who wishes We'll to the liberties Of his
country and desires to see its rights
established cannot avoid crying out,
NJ hnJ,n n~n o,1r ,D~ e L :I..: 100, yr,
DO they not come forth to save their
country" Let this voice, my dear sir.
call upon you-Jeffer5on and others.
DO not form a mistaken opinion that
we are about to set down under our
own vine and cur own fig tree, and let
our hlthefto noble struggle end in
ignominy.'
BY 1879 the currency had sunk TO
a very low point, and the prices Of
commodities We're very high. IN q
letter to his wife, ohm Adams sub
mits a price current for this year. 1t
reads as follows:
All butchers meat, from a dollar
to eight shiIlinss per pound; corn,
twenty-five dollars; rye, thirty per
bushel; flour, $50 per hundred; pota-
toes, SO per bushel; butter, II hill
lings q pound; molasses, S12 per gal
Ion. labor, six and eight dollar g
day; a common cow, from ESQ to $40;
and all English goods in proportion
I have studied, and do study, every
method of in my power
otherwise a mint of money would no
support q family. / could not boarC
our two sons under $40 per weel
apiece at a school,
The effects of a depreciating cur
rency was felt most keenly by the
poorer classes. In some places radi-
cal action wa taken by the people to
reduce the prices Of necessities, and
persons who had refused to accept the
paper currency of Congress were
threatened with violence. In Jun If
1870 the following handful appeared
in Boston:
SONS OF BOSTON! SLEEP NO
LONGER!
"wednesday, June 16, 1879.
"You are requested to meet or
the foor of the Old South Meet
ms Louise tomorrow morning at
9 o'clock, at which time the bells
will ring. Rouse and catch the
Philadelphia spirit; rid the com
munity of those mOnOpOilzerS and
extortioners. who. like canker
worms, are gnawlng upon your
vitals. They are reducing the
currency to waste paper by refus-
ing to take it for many articles;
the infection is dangerous. We
have horne with such Wretches,
but viii Dear no longer. Public
examples at this time would be
public benefits! You, then, have
articles to sell; lower your prices;
YOU nave the houses to let. refuse
not the currency for rent; for, in
spired with the spirit of those he
rOes and patriots who have strug-
e1ed and bled for their ~ountry
and moved with the cries and dis
tresses Of the widow, the orpha
and the necessitous, Boston shall
no longer be your place Of securi-
ty! Ye inhabitants Of Nantucket,
who first introduced the ~accursed
crime of refusing paper money,
oi,it the place or destruction shall
attend your property, and your
persons be the object of
NENG EANCE.
IN. B.-LaWyers, keep your
selves to yourselves.
st is our determination to sup
port h reputable merchant and
fair trader
~ the following wear 17S0) the.