Clarksville Chronicle

The Democratic Central Committee have issued another pamphlet, entitled "The Currency and other Questions." It is a villainous compound of positive falsehood, and ingenious evasion-meriting the contempt of every honest man. On the subject of the currency, we expected the Central Committee to do, what Gov. Harris has failed to do, viz: Define the position of the party, by coming out distinctly for hard money. But in this document, we have looked in vain for such an avowal, and the terms "hard money," or "constitutional currency" does not once occur, except in an allusion to the schisms in the party. On the contrary, the Committee has taken especial pains to prove that democracy is for banks, and only differs with the Opposition in relation to the restrictions to be imposed; and nowhere in this veracious manifesto is to be found one single argument for hard money, or a hint, even, that democracy contemplates any such measure, whilst the whole drift is to prove that the proposed restrictions will secure to the people a sound convertible paper currency. That this is so, will be made manifest by a single paragraph. The Committee say that in consequence of the evils growing out of the old system of banking, "Pennsylvania, New York, and many other States" have adopted the plan of reserving to the Legislature the right to repeal charters at any moment, and add:
"The State of New York has ninety-six millions of capital invested in banking under this reservation. No State has a more prosperous commerce, or safer or better regulated banks than New York has had since the adoption of this wise provision, by which her banking institutions were rendered responsible to the people."
Here is an argument expressly in favor of banks, and clearly designed to convince bank men that the democratic party is the earnest advocate of banks and that its policy is the best possible one by which to secure a sound convertible paper currency. But whilst thus proclaiming their views in favor of banks, and dwelling upon the prosperous commerce they have built up for New York, the Committee grossly misstate an important fact, when they say that "New York has ninety-six millions of capital invested under this reservation," of power to the Legislature. Mr. Merritt, in order to inform himself upon the workings of this system, wrote to Mr. Fillmore and Mr. D. S. Dickinson of New York- one a democrat, the other a Whig-and both returned the same answer, substantially, and both letters have been published in the Union and American. The answer, in substance, is, that as the charters of the banks expired, instead of asking a renewal, under the foolish provision alluded to, they went to work under the general banking law. So far, then, from ninety-six millions invested under this reservation, there is no proof that one single dollar is so invested. But we have neither leisure nor inclination to review this mendacious document gotten up for commercial localities, under the conviction that the cry of hard money is damaging the party wherever trade is active.
After disposing of the currency, and Netherland's record, the reader is regaled with two pages of the sayings of Horace Greeley-a villainous attempt to prove sympathy between him and the southern Opposition, and this dirty trick comes from a party which concedes all that the Black Republicans ask and thus betrays the South for a share of the spoils.