Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-11-10
The Shiuplaster Partx


We take the following from the New York
World:
The farmer who sells wheat. eggs poultry and
vegetables, and purchases with the proceeds hall
dozen kinds OF goods, is spared difficult and
intricate calculation by referring each article that
he sells and each article he buys TO Il common
standard of value He msy sell his products to
the same merchant of whom he buys his goods
and Tot cent OF money be paid on either side;
but even in this barter trade. money is the meas
ure by which the exchangeable value of all the
articles Is estimated. 1t measures values as the
merchants pound weight and ward stick measure
quantities.
ID the Republican party which is soliciting the
suiirageS Of the people, had within the last ten
month sent s agents into every retail store in the
country; II these agents had altered every pound
weight so that il contained eleven ounces instead
OF sixteen, had shortened every yard stick that
il was only twesty-f FIVE inches long instead of
thirty six, had diminished severy gallon measure
so that il would hold only five and a half pints
instead OF eight; if this Republican A lministrA
ton. which is nov soliciting the votes 0f the Ia
boring classes, had thus diminished the weights
and measures used IN converting their hard earn
lngs into meat. groceries, cloth and fuel for their
families; If this hid been done. the aborng
masses would, to a man, refuse their votes to a
party Who had thus taken bread from their child
ren's mouths and coal from the family fire But
practically it makes no difference whether the
Republican party takes three tenths from the
measure OF quantities or from the measure of val
ues. IL the paper dollar which the Republican
party compels him to receive in payment of his
wages. j. worth only three sevenihs as much as
the gold dollar which was the old measure of
values, IL is clear that he gets onl, seven tenths
as much beef. or flour. coffee for his days
work ~ il five dollar bill were convertible AZ
pleasure into a gold half-eagle
II the Government shinplaster mill continues
TO turn out its sham money and bloit the currency
the condition OF the laboring class will grow con
stantiy worse and worse. Ii will be the same as
il the baker should go on diminishing the size OF
his loaf, and the butcher the piece of meat he
sold for pound, the nominal price OF these
necessaries remaining the same The wages of
labor do not rise while the prices of all commod
tiles 90 higher. The condition of the laborer's
family must consequently grow worse and worse,
Just the same as II the butchers and grocer's
pound weight were daily wasting away like
lump of ice in the sun
There IL no surer device for transferring prop
erty from the pockets of one class to those of an
other than an inflated paper currency. Its gen
eral and irresistible tendency is to make the rich
richer and the poor poorer 1t is favorable TO the
class OF spectators who live by their wits, but
rulnous To the honest artisan who lives by his
labor. While the anxious wife of the laboring
man u unable to buy warm stockings and com
Portable winter clothing for her children, because
everything is so high. the Wall street sharpers
have been daily making millions. The food OF
irredeemable paper which keeps specul alton alert.
Is their harvest. Men who were last year poor
are to-day worth hundreds ofth0usands and will
next wear nhabit palaces built bv laborers whose
families are stnted IN the commLnest necessaries
OF life; underpaid not because their nominal wages
are low, bat because the sham money in which
the Republican party compels them to be paid
has only feeble purchasing power