Category Archives: Southern Society

price ceilings sound great

experience shows they don’t work out In last week’s post about price controls and the money supply I focused on the money printing. However, the price control part of the Richmond editorial was apparently alluding to a “maximum bill” to … Continue reading

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“Be he miser or patriot”

Here’s an example of an individual state trying to deal with the Confederacy’s rapid increase in the money supply. The Virginia Legislature was working on a scheme that would allow the national government to slow the printing of money by … Continue reading

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job security

According to a chart published in the October 5, 2013 issue of The Economist, 80% of the U.S. Treasury workforce was furloughed during the government shutdown in 2013. However, “Money printers/engravers” were kept hard at it. We sure can relate … Continue reading

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beware protruding lips

Richmond was alive with the “never ending sound” of the Confederate government’s stamping presses manufacturing paper currency. But it wasn’t just the government – counterfeiters were a big problem for the CSA. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch October 7, 1863: … Continue reading

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the looming winter

In the following letter, “O.K.” details scarcity, inflation, and speculation in Lynchburg, Virginia. The correspondent also echoes the Richmond press in his concern about how the poor can possibly cope during the coming winter given the bad economic situation. “O.K.” … Continue reading

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“gracious gifts”

150 years ago today President Lincoln proclaimed another day of thanksgiving for 1863. From The Papers And Writings Of Abraham Lincoln, Volume Six: PROCLAMATION FOR THANKSGIVING, OCTOBER 3, 1863. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AMERICA: A Proclamation. The … Continue reading

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beef prices

It’s been almost six months since the Richmond Bread Riot, but scarcity and inflation are still making life difficult in Richmond. Here a group of butchers are willing to comply with a government request that they regulate their beef prices … Continue reading

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loads and loads of money

print away our problems? Well, not really, as the editors at the Richmond Whig understood. From The New-York Times September 25, 1863: The following paragraphs are from the [Richmond] Whig, of the 23d: … PAINFUL SIGHT. It is nothing unusual … Continue reading

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no resale allowed

Melon Market Speculation? From the Richmond Daily Dispatch September 16, 1863: Violating a Market ordinance. –Barbers McDonald, Catherine Welsh, and Margaret Sullivan, three Irish women, were fined $5 for buying watermelons in the market to sell again. The melons were … Continue reading

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cruel performance

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch September 11, 1863: Musical. –“When this cruel war is over” and “Annie of the Vale” are the titles of two ballads very handsomely published by Geo. Dunn & Co. The first piece is the sort … Continue reading

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