Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-12-11
Tie Iron Rsgian. Business Prospects

fHsvsE V"e yesS s8o INC PooPie ol tHit
place snd viciaity, began to complain
Of hard tiInsssnd scarcity Of money
The last season was truly unfavorsble
to business. Short crops. dry season,
and the protractsd low.watsr Of the
Ohio River, we're regarded ss tho cause
Of the scarcity Of money, and dthe conse.
qusn. depression Of business in this re
gion. However. another yeer-a year
Of unparalleled thrift snl prosperity
has como and gone. Il has brought
with Il one ofslhe most abundant hsr.
vests ever knswn TO the sgricultufist.-
Produce Of oil kinds command d high
price. The almost unlimited demand
ia Europe for the products Of agricul.
ture, is causing the weekly .ransporta,
ZION thilher, Of millions worth OF the
surplus products Of our soil. Prospect.
ty seems 10 have returned to nearly oil
parts Of our country, but to this immedi.
ate region. In the agricultural and com.
mercial classes. money is abundant, and
individual and general prosperity
abound.
Why is il. that prosperity has lit upon
every region where MEN WORK, but this?
There is, and can be, but one answer
to this question. The natural laws Of
trade and business have been, and are
continually being violated in this en-.
tire region Of country.
All legitimate business is basel on
an exchange Of tquivalents.
ln all commercial transactions, MON.
Ey is the only truo standard by which
to gauge the value Of labor, or the price
Of tho commodities which industry pro.
d uce. But in this "lron Resion," an.
other standard Of valuation for LABOR
has been adopted. "Dry Goods" and
"Groceries" have been substituted in
place OF cash, by which to measure the
value Of labor. This measure is very
uncertain. 1t varies. As for exampl c
in 1s49, at Hecla Furnace, the price Of
common wooden buckle, was 81; one
pound Of tea, 81; one yard Of calico.
75c; one pound Of nails, l3c zone pound
Of coffee, 40c, &c. The prices Of these
commodities are varied according 10 10.
cality; the same things are purchased
a, the "Rollins Mill Stores" in Iron,on
for something less than they are sold d,
Hecla, or at any Of the othe, Furnaces.
But they are not gold nor silver, or any
certain standard Of ualue, by which to
gauge the price Of labor OF Of commod.
tiles. In this entire "iron REGION" this
fictitious standard, called the "trade sys.
tem." has been adopted as The rule and
measure Of valuations consequently all
times are alike to the people. The idea
inculca,ed by this system is, that men
should "liue only to ,vork," and "work
only to hue."
The Iron Manufactures are the only
means Of bringing money into this entire
region Of coun try, and when they cease
10 pay cash, they dry up the source Of
currency at its very fountain.
The Iron Masters seem to profit great.
ly by this system. But we doubt whelh.
er they gain any real advantages by it.
They cannot we'll separate their inter
esls from those Of the great mass OF peo.
pie in Ironton, who have bought "Town
lots" of them. 1t is true that most OF
The people Of lronton are in debt to the
Ohio Iron and Goa! Co. for their lots.
How can men pay for their lots if they
can get nothing but "dry goods" and
"groceries" for their labor? How, we
ask, can they pay their taxes without
money! What inducement have men
TO stay here, il their work will not pro.
cure the necessaries and comforts oil
life? The Delinquent list Of the tax
duplicate is greater. this year than it has
been before, and great proportion ol
the "delinquents" belong to lfonton.
II the "laborer is not worthy of his
hire" and his wages will not command
money, then, as a matter Of course, his
possessions must be sold to satisfy the
tax charges upon his property, for if he
has nothing to sell but bis labor and
that will no, command money, he can.
not pay his taxes.
We know that the Iron manufac.
turers themselves are interested in this
place, to a great extent, beyond their le'
silim ate business profits. We now ask
them, in the spiri. Of candor. to inquire
whether the course they have adopted in
the substitution Of "trade" for cash, ha.
resulted in any real substantial advan'
tage to theml Whether they do noy
lose. in The i'll will Of employees. and o
the community generally, more than al
| THAR n,of;ts m the;r 0d,v ooods0 ant