More about shinplasters.
Quite as extensive a breeze is gotten up in other Southern cities on the shinplaster question as in this city. A New Orleans exchange thus expresses his mind on the worthless system of paper humbuggery:We have little desire or reason to impeach the patriotism and devotion to the public weal of any of our citizens in the present crisis of our country. We prefer to cultivate an unbounded confidence in the earnest zeal and patriotic fidelity of every citizen of the Confederate States. But we are warned by Divine authority, and by every-day experience, that there may be, and frequently is, zeal without knowledge. The want of small change in the community, like other wants of our people, is an annoying one, but we have yet to learn that it is one of the duties of our City Government to supply all the wants of the people, or that it is within their power to give such relief. We want pork, coal, coffee, and many other things which the corporation would have quite as much authority and power to give the people, as they have to supply them with small change. But it has yet to be proved that the banks, when their small issues are put out, will not supply this want of small change, which the city authorities are in such haste to provide for. Is it not better to leave this business to the banks, which are placed under guards and checks, and are subject to a liability that the corporation is not subject to, and which have the cold that constitutes the only proper basis for a paper circulation? Is there not a direct legal liability on the part of the banks, of which every nots holder can avail himself, that does not exist in regard to the city corporation?--But it does not appear that the corporation is so much influenced by a regard for popularity as for its own convenience. We acknowledge that it has, indeed, a better right to provide for its own wants and necessities than for those of the people, and that it would be wiser to attend to its own proper business than to that of the people. Its business is clearly defined in the charter and the acts of the Legislature, and if it properly performs that, the people will rejoice and manifest their gratitude and appreciation thereof. The necessity of paying its debts and its employees, is one which we recognize as obligatory and proper to be considered by the Counsel. But is the issue of shin plasters a necessary, proper or wise mode of fulfilling this obligation? If it is the season will apply with equal force is all persons, individual or separate, who may have payments is make. There are many of our citizens whose credit is quite as good as that of the corporation, who would have quite as much reason and right to meet their liabilities by such issues, and quite as good security to give for the redemption of the same. They, too, might anticipate their incomes, and pledge them for the ultimate payment of their notes. They, too, would have quite as much right and reason to accommodate the demand of the people for small change as a mere police corporation. It is certainly not the first time that the city has been in want of money to pay its officials. But we have not heard it suggested before that this want could only be supplied by the issue of shinplasters.
