Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-11-17
Are the Germans Wrong in Wanting
our Bonds?

Not bit of it. No shrewder.
thrlftier people, IN matters of morey,
exist on earth. Our Jersey people
and New England people are a frugal,
industrious people, but they can't save
money like the Germans. All Ger
many is q great savings bank. 1t Is
true that their working men are not
SO rich, on an average, as our work
ing men, because they don't get more
than one quarter Of the wages Of our
men. But German can save money,
and he knows when it is safe. Now
there shrewd, thrifty Germans want
our bonds. They want them by MIL
lions. They turn aside from the great
beggars of the world in Europe, and
come to us Republicans, They treat
the notes Of Napoleon and Joseph and
Maximilian with indifference, but
want to discount all the American
notes they can get. The London
Times says this is all wrong-that the
! Republicans in America are all bank
rupt, and the Germans must be crazy
to slight British and French beggars,
and go begging, themselves, to Amer
lea. Are they crazy? We asked
Poor Richard what he thought about
it. "Why," said he, Chow can they
! be crazy, when they are doing Just
what | did little more than a year
ago, when ! put my little savings into
Government six per cents? Now see
what [ got by it; just count up. |
have received six per cent. in gold,
which averaged 100 per cent. in cur
rency, making II per cent income
| Now, to day, my bond is salable in
i the New \ ork market at 10 per cent.
premium. Put these together, and
to day | have % per cent. for one
Years. use Of my money! What do
you think Of that? You know, as
well as I do, that there are thousands
of people who did this, and to-day
they have % per cent. on their invest
ments. Why, [ saw Miss Jones, our
school man, go to the bank and buy
It $500 bond How she got the mon
cy | don't know, but these Yankee
schcolmistresses are first-rate hands
at taking care of themselves. Well,
now. count up. If Miss Jones sells
her bonds to-day she gets her $500
back safe, and she gets $llO clear
gain. Can you sharp fellows down
there in William street do any better?
Y on know | told Mr.. Smith, the bank
or, my ideas about that, and he bought
SIS 900 six per cent. bonds, and you
see he got 81, 900 for years use of
his money. Imet hip the other day,
and he said, Poor Richard, you are
right; l be- gin to think, the Govern
ment can take care of itself, and us
too. For my part, | mean to buy
some of the 95O's. The rate of inter
est is high enough, and in three years
they will turn into six per.cent. bonds
again. Yes, Mr.. Smith, it is right,
on n the money side; but, 1t IS right on,
the coeuatry's side, too. Help your
country, OF it can't help you. Now,
| saw the Germans arc not only right,
but they would be right if they got
half that interest. They cannot make
quarter of it at home" SO thought
Poor Richard, and SO think we.-
When we think of the German opin-
ion of our situation and our fnan cial
strength. we mnst remember that they
are far better Judges of our condition
than we are, or our enemies are
They are lockers on, at great dis
tance. They have none Of our enmi-
ties or preiudices. The can examine
the facts disinterestedly. The do: and
the result is u verdict that The Ameri-
can Government is stable-its abihtal
and integrity IN meeting its .fnancial
engagements atnquesttonddle. This
verdict. too is founded On series of
facts which are unimpeachable, and
we'll known to every intelligent Amer
1can. Take two or three of the most
important: l. The United States
doubles its population each twenty five
years. The population of the coun-
trv. which in 1850 was twenty three
millions, will in 1875 be forty-six mil
lions. But the rebellion says some
one. How much has the rebellion di-
minishcd the strength OF the United
l States axe tillo SsSNOhiE'liih1 IdCt,
that if all the Rebel States had been
sunk in the Pacific Ocean, the United
States would in 1875 have a popula-
ton equal to that ofthe whole in 1860.
In other words, fifteen years will sup
ply the total loss of the eleven origi-
nal Rebel States. What can impede
the progress of such a country? 2.
The wealth of the country increased
l27 per cent. in ten years! Now let
it increase but so from 1860 to 1870,
and it will amount to ten times all the
loans OF the government. The Ger
man knows what he is about. He viii
get the largest income from loans in
the world, on the safest security. No
such opportunity has occurred before
for the investment of money, and in
all probability will never occur again.
If the American does not know and
take advantage of this, the German
and Frenchman will,-Ee.