Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-01-19
LFor the Spirit of JcfIerson.l
The People have been Sold, as Cattle;
to the ButohersI

| OF w est virginia, SO>cdIed, mas aDollShed all
laws upon usury: In other words, has turned
loose, all those people who do not add one
farthing to the common wealth of the State,
to prey upon those who produce all the
wealth to-wit, upon the tillers of the soil,
upon the manufacturers, and upon the COM
mercal men who do produce, and who do
| give value to all the wealth Of the State
Why has this thing been done by whom
has it been done ? and, under what pretence
has it been done for, surely, it has never
been done upon the application and the petit
| tion Of those who are most interested, to.wit ::
upon the application and petition of the farm
ers, manufacturers and commercial men of
the State-those who produce and exchange
all its real wealth
To answer the first question, "why has this
thing been done 2" 1 answer, it has been done
in order that idlers and vagabonds, who do
nothing, and who do not add blade of grass,
or manufacture single article, or engage in
exchanging it when produced or manufac-
tured, may speculate and prey upon all those
useful people who do produce, and manufac-
ture, and exchange, when produced, those
same articles that make up the wealth of So
ciety!
Well, the next question is, who have done
this thing? And my answer to that ques-
ton is, that it has been done by men the
least meritorious nay the most useless and
Infamous; to be found within the verge of
honesty, honor and civilization to Witty
usurers and shavcrs
The next question is, under 'cAat 7oretcncc
has this thing been done? Why, under the
old, lying, false and exploded pretCxt; when
ever and wherever it has been tried and test
ed that it will make money cheaper by
bringing it into competition Do you be-
| lieve, are you such fools as to believe, that
usurcrs-the very men who. IN ali likelihood,
| by bribery have carried this luw-and all laws
are now carried by bribery-acsi|e THAT in>
tercst or usury shall be diminished?
You must then know, and know to GER
tainty-thcre is no mistake about ito yc
humbuggcd, and british, and stupid people
that this law, abOlishing all usury, Is passed
for the especial benefit of usurcrs and shay
ers, and against the true interests of all those
people who create the wealth of commune
ties and to exchange which, and for whose
use. money was in the first instance designed
and created.
Now, let US reason together, o We hum
buggcd and cheated people, and see whether
money was created for the special benefit CT
usurcrs and shavers or for the benefit. of
farmers, manufacturers and commercial men;
whether it was created for the benefit of those
who, create all the wealth Of communities, or
for the benefit of those who, creating moth
ing, seize it and use it to prey upon and spoil
those who labor and create all the wealth OF
those communities
This brings us, then, to what money IS;
and, for what purposes it was created; and,
not only for what purposes it was created, but
by whom it was created and brought into use
What, then, is money? and what arc the
:. BOD
We must first understand this; or, We shall
never be able to understand whether money
may or may not be used, as these Usurers and
shavcrs desire to use'it.
What then is money? and why, and how !;
and for what purposes, has it been introduced
into the economy of human affairs ? 1t is a
| thing that no man can cat, or drink, or use
as clothing: For Midas, of old, who turned
every thing he touched into gold, found that
when the very meat between his teeth was
turned into gold, and that he would starve
upon it, was compelled to ask Of Jupiter, that,
he might be delivered from the atlluence Of
too much money: | say, then, seeing that
money is neither food, nor raiment or lodging;
what is it ? And, now, we come to the ques-
ton that will decide what it is, and how it
may be used; and what is much more inn
portant, how it may not, and ought not in JUS
tice and honour be used.
What, then, is money? what arc its proper
| functions and use!
To answer this question, some pariphrasc
and circumlocution will be necessary and
vet. it will be we'll worth the while of all
those concerned, the farmers, manufacturers,
| and commercial men, who produce and cx>
change all the real wealth among men, to look
we'll to, and to give heed to this circumlocu-
| tion and pariphrase; for, upon the truth
these will develop, will depend their welfare,
and. of course, that of all society-and OF
| all men.
What then, is money, and what are its
proner functions and use!
rio answer this question, I choose, in the
first place to imagine, or hypothecate society,
or county, If you please, Of thirty men, who
are divided into farmers or tlllers OF the SOIL,
manufacturers, and commercial men and, to
suppose, that, in this community there is no
such thing as money at all Would this be
poor community? BY no means 1t would
inst bc rs rich acommunity as though it possess
I'd money: fall these people, farmers, manu-
foctnror3 and merchants, labored, all the
wealth that ever is produced in any COM
muuity would be produced; and 1T would be
\ rich community, for laJour and labour alone
i the nroducer Of all wealth There would
he in such n community all those things that
constitute wealth and answer in food, raiment
and lodging. all human wants; and all TINS
Without anT money, or use of money at all
Wbv then have money y? why simply because
when all this wealth existed the means ol
exchanging it one with another would be
circuituous and troublesome. If a, for ex
annie. wanted an article that was IN the pos
session of 3, 3 might not want the article IL
the possession of A; A, therefore would 6'
under the necessity of hunting up the article
that B Manted before he could get what HI