Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-11-24

rary men, DIR. Dewey. He says: "suppose a
community Of hundred families cut I'll from tue
rest Of the world, engaged III the various call
ing- # life, accustomed to barter, but not aceus-
TONED Ia the of money. suppose now, tEat
"A gold mine YER discovered. The metal i found
to b.. very valuable for various purposes, and
lik. everything else. 1t makes it, value in the
market un ounce OF iti- Exchanged for 80 many
bushels of corn or yards of cloth. But the per
manent and universal value # this metal, and
it, being 80 portable and understandable. would
ere long. very naturally bring il into use a. a
circulating medium; tpe farmer would known II
be- -oid corn for il, that be- could buy cloth tor II
in another part OF the district, and would be glad
thus IL be saved the trouble and eXpeuce ot tran>
porting tie produce Of hi- farm to the distant
mandatory. In this exchange, tie humps OF
gold - course. would be weighed. and it would
bc natural II stamp the weight Of rach lump
But another step would follow all this. A. there
would be the truuhic If constantly weighing this
circulating medium. md the danger ii mistake
and deception, the community would appoint Il
cpmmitttr. or dcpute IT. government. # 1t Lad
one, 10 do TIL very thing; and the metal void
bc cast into various quaint .Ies. bearing distinct
denominations To answer more fully the purposes
of a convenient circulating medium. Hero
then We hayr a mint and here we have money.
Nobody Hiil deny thai 1t wa. Il commodity when
each man dug II from the earth, aud exchanged
III at il- ltH~Blt. 1it Httiti 81 ttsf '''''' -
mcut simply weighs The metal, and aitiN">, II, II
were. Il abel toit-i T. stamps ii q, coin, t. tell
what 1t j. worth" "Itdocs MT create tins Salup.
but simply indicates it." So Darcy upon me
moral lar Of c9ntruets.J 1t l. only from the
habit 81 considering money not A. q commodity,
but a. IA possession of some peculiar and magical
'aue that any prejudice can exist against Nhat
i called usuruus interest
The practice Of C-ury ma, acquired bad na1ne
Ill t,tsi tltf-4 q At
the principle must still be just one that money,
in common with everything else is worth what
it will fetch. (IdemJ
The coming Of money, and the making our
metallic currency legal tender i'll the payment
Of debt. are exclusively the attributes Of our
general government. The Constitution Of the
United States, in express terms, PROHIBITS the IN
diyidaa States from coming money; also from
making anything but gold and silver tender IN
payment of debts
When we look at these monetary powers that,
for public convenience, have been conferred up
on great central point, it is no easy matter t.
see how the notion If States "crcating money
could ever hive found place in the mind Of
any nc.
lfthcrc /. any force at all in the idea that TN,
coming and thi, making such coin lawful ton
der, carries with il the right and the duty to die.
tate the price tia, saall be received for the usc
ot it. ~uch ii lat ought surely 10 be accorded To
the saanr general head
But There {, no force at all in tie idea. The
theory is altogether faucitul and visionary Tie
United Stats do not claim. or hint at any such
prepn~fclous right
The same general hcad-namcly, the Govern
ment of the United States has been invested with
the duty to determine uniform standard of
weights and measure for our whole country, and
vet we never hear Of this most useful arrange
mont csrrving with ii wight TO regulate the