Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-09-30
Are the Germans Wrong in wanting our
Bonds .. p

Are the Germans Wrong i'm wanting our
Bonds /: ..- p
Not bit of it! No shrewder, thrift
ier people, in matters of money, exist
on earth. Our Jersey people and New
England people are a frugal, industri-
GUS people, but they can't save money
! like the Germans. 1t is true that their
rage, as our working-men, because they
don't get more than one-quarter the
wages Of our men. But German can
save money, and he Knows when it is
safe. Now these shrewd, thrifty Ger
mans want our bonds. They want
them by millions. 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 indiffer-
ence, but want to discount all the Amer
lean notes they can gel. 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 America
Are they crazy? We asked Poor Rich
ard what he thought about it. Why"
said he, " how can they be crazy, when
they are doing just what l did Il little
IuoIe ti'ttu a y S"i aSoi WIeH puo NY
little savings into government six per
cents Now see what l got by it, just
count up. ! have received six per cent.
| in gold, which averaged 100 per cent. in
currency, making II per cent. income.
Now, to-day, my bond is salable i'll the
New York market at ten per cent. pre-
MUM. Put these together, and to-day 1
| have q per cent. for one years use of
my money! What do you think of
that: You know, as well as l do, that
there are thousands of people who did
this, and to-day they have % per cent
on their Investments. Why, I saw Miss
Jones, our school-mam, go to the bank
and buy IL $500 bond. How she got the
money I don't know, but these Yankee
schoolmistresses are firstrate 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 $ll0 clear gain. Can you sharp
fellows down there in William street do
any better? You know l told Mr..
and he bought So, 900 six per cent. bonds
and you see he got 81 100 for years use
of his money. I met him the other day
and he said, Poor Richard, you are
right; I begin to think the Government
can take care Of itself and us too For
my part, L mean to buy some of the
1905. The rate of interest is high
enough, and in three years they will
turn into six per cent bonds again
Yes, Mr.. Smith, it is right on the
money side but, At Is right on the conn
ty's side too. Help your country, or
it can't help you. Now, l say the Ger
mans are not only right, but they would
be right If they got half that interest.
They cannot make a quarter of it at
home" So thought poor Richard, and
so think we. When we think OF the
German opinion of our situation and
our financial strength, we must remem-
ber that they are far better judges of our
condition than we are, or our enemies
are. They are lockers on, at a great dis
tance. They have none of our enmi-
ties or prejudices. They can examine
the facts disinterestedly. They do and
the result isa verdict that the American
Government is stabe-its ability and in
tegrity in meeting the financial engage
ments unquestionable. This verdict,
too. is founded on q series OF facts WHICH
are unimpeachable, and we'll known TO
every intelligent American. Take two
or three of the most important: |. The
United States doubles its population ey-
cry twenty-five years. The population
of the country which in 1880 was twen-
ty-three millions, will in 1875 be forty
six millions. Bat the rebellion. says
some one How much has the rebellion
diminished the strength of the United
States? Take this astonishing fact, that
if al! the rebel States had sunk in the
Pacific Ocean, the United States would
in 1875 have population equal to that
of the whole in 1850. In other words,
fifteen gears will supply the total loss of
the eleven original rebel States Whit
can impede the progress of such coun-
try" 2. The wealth OF the country in
creased 127 per cent. in ten years . Now
let it increase but 50 from 1860 TO 1870,
and it will amount to ten times all the
loans OF the government. The German
knows what he is about. He will 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 proba-
bility will never occur again. II the
American does not know and take ad-
vantage ofthis, the German and French
man will.-E'r,