Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-01-19

| tn; who have introduced this 4" labor-saYlng
machine of 81, ,000-and who have made it
money and see how this community OF
thirty will be affected, if instead of this 81 900
being used, as it was intended, simply to ex-
change the products of whole community
at work, 1t, this 81 900, should be perverted,
and abused, and made the Instrument of fraud,
and bad faith, and speculation-not labor
but of usatry and sharing
1t must be obvious and plain to every one,
that, as soon as this community of thirty-and
| by the by, this community of thirty is rep
resentatiye of all communities, and counties,
and States that have introduced this ' labor
saving machine" money-havc introduced
money, and made ii money, by stamping on
! it particular and defined VatIe, and by
making it the only thing to be received for
| debts and tareS-I say, it must be obvious aud
plain to every one, that, this community m
SO doing and in so acting, has made the ST.
| 900 the test, and the standard, for the valua-
ton of the other twenty-nine parts OF valua-
BILE things, aud property, and labor Now,
| if this 81 GOO, so made the pivot for the val
uation of the tscenty-nine remaining parts
and because it has been Udiued and they have
not been valued-is only used to exchange
these twenty-nine parts, it must be plain thas
no injury can occur to these people who own
the other twenty y-nine parts of all the property
of this community. For, in this case, the
whole community would be at work, would
have valuable productions to be exchanged,
and all would have common interest to use
the common ''labour saving machine" honestly
to exchange their productions.
This, then, would be the case. in which
every one would be accommodated and no one
injured, by the introduction Of money
But, suppose, that one of these thirty pro-
duccrs after this ne,o thing money, has been
introduced and for this sole and only purpose
of exchanging the products of thirty people
at work and producing; should take it into
his head to quit work entirely; and ceasinS
to have an interest with the producers should
turn in, without regard to the original purpose
for which money was introduced to use it,
money to wit, as he pleased, what, then, would
be the consequences to this community of
thirty persons!
will endeavour to show you what would
be the consequences All such person would
have to do, would be, as member of this
community of thirty persons, each, worth one
thousand dollars, to sell one half of his prop>
erty and turn it into money! Instead then,
of there being $1,000 to hold in unison the
relations of property, there would be only
$500: Well, $500 is not enough to do tho
exchanges, of this society IF thirty worth $50
OOO aod tho consequence would be that the
whole property worth $4,000 in relation to
$1,000, in the changed condition of things
produced by this one member, who sold one
half OF his property for money, and put it
into his pocket; would be worth only one
half, to wit $4,000 This usurer, then, and
shaver, would have it in his power, to buy
the property of this community at half price
Whom, in the very act of buying, he would
be returning, to this community OF thirty, the
$500 he had put into his pocket; so as to
restore tho original $1,000; and, would, thus,
by mere fraud, double his money, and laugh
to scorn, all the farmers, manufacturers, and
merchants, who, poor fools, thought they were
serving the interests of working people; and
never dreamed that, they were only pander>
ing, in tile creation of money, to people, who
do nothing, who add nothing, to the wealth of
society, and, who in fact, are hawks, buZzards.
and birds of prey
Thus far, Mr.. Editor, I have endcavored,
to teach upon principle, my common friends
the producers of all wcalth-to wit, the
farmers, manufacturers, aud merchants:
| take leave to say here, that, regard the
merchant as much producer as the farmer
or manufacturer-fo he, the merchant, by
his labour and his cost, saves so much to the
producer,-that, money is only common ta-
struuaent of exchange Of the producers OF veri-
table products. If a common instrument OF
exchange, then, no usurer or shaver, has any
the least semblance of right, to use money as
he pleases, and to make it, instead, OF COM
mon instrument of exchange, an instrument
of nerdition, to the useful people, to the pro-
ductiye classes, who, created it for that pur-
pose, and for that purpose only
[ emphasize money, you see, as common
instrument of exchange; created by--all socle-
ty; created by law; and this instrument IS
otvncd by, and is the property of its creators,
to-wit: society and the lato; and they only
have right to regulate it, and to control it,
so that it will answer the purpose for which
it was designed 1t is public thing, for
public and common purposes, and no private
person can have an absolute property IN a
singlc dollar of it: He can have only Qudt-
ifed property in it, to-wit: to use 1t, this
common instrument of exchange, as that So
ciety and that law that created it, designed 1t
to be used, and permits il to be used. ItWas
intended by its creators-law and society
| for the use of working and producing people
farmers man ufacturers and merchants and
never as an instrument by which usurers,
speculators and shavers, who add nothing to
the wealth of the State, might skin and strip
those who produce all its wealth.
| In opposition to the proposition OF the le-
gislature of West Virginia. so-called, that
:. free trade in money and nOte.shaviDg is
now the very thing for our people-that is to
say, that after bloody and wasting war
YOU may say, that after bloody battle, the
Hyeuas are to be turned in upon the dead
and dyiug-I will, Mr.. Editor, unfurl the
flag of directly opposite opinion-that of
Jno. Whipple, Of Rhode Island, who some
years ago wrote pamphlet on this subject
which satisfied all the leading minds both of
this country and Europe, in opposition to the