Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-06-15


simply because it is not in the power of any
individual to create money, but in tie power
OF the State, or all the people to create it
The poor devil-and devil he s-when he
talks about his money, does not know the dis
tinction between "meum and tuum"-between
what is his and what belongs to the State
to all the people. He did not create money,
nor could he; how then can he denominate
it his money? He has the perfect right to
use his own labor, and the productions of it,
as he chooses, but he has no right to use the
[ labor snd, production of society-of all men
as though it were his own labor and produc>
ton and yet this is the very thing he does,
when he assumes the right to use money the
creation of society, and not his creation, as
though he himself had created it. IF man.
by his labor-the sweat of his brow-digs
from the mines gold and silver, he has the
perfect right to put upon it what price he
pleases in the barter aud exchange Of it for
anything else produced by the labor of others,
| just as they have right to put on their labor
their own price; but he has no more right to
do it than they have. His gold and silver, Ii
such case, is 0aly bullion-his private and
absolute property-and he has the perfect
right to estimate it, and put upon it whatever
price lie pleases, just as other laborcrs have
right to estimate and value their own labor,
but beyond this he has no other right or power
over his gold and silver as bullion, than others
have over any other products of their labor.
The producers Of no substance or thing what
ever it may be, gold or silver, or anything
else, have any right or power to make that
thing money. For what is money? Is it
thing of individual and private origin, or is
it thing that requires the throcs and birth-
pangs Of a nation to produce it and give it
| fbok
may hear "Money is piece of metal stamp
ed with effgies of Prince or arms of
State, which makes it current and authentic
to pass at a common rate" If such is the
true nature and character of money, what
right las any private man or individual to
use it as he pleascs?
Cicero, two thousand years ago, took. and
defined, the proper distinction between things
public and priOate and it seems to me that
in nothing more than in money, is that dis
tinction to be accurately kept up, and OBJ
served and obeyed. You may find it in his
treatise of duties-''de ofliciis" in which
he lays it down as one of the first rules and
principles of justice, that men things in>
E, tended for a common purpose, for common
purposes only, and not for 1oriVate and indi-
e5d~al purposes:
'.Sed justcia 77ri,:tUn nJUnuS est, ut ne cui
qui3 noceat. nivi lacessitus injuria: Dcindc
ut cOmm'un'bws utatur pro cOn1neuniGuS, Prt>
rats ut Suis :"
Now, as we have already said in the def
milton of money, it was introduced into use
| for the common, and not TriUdte, purpose of
exchanging the multilarious productions of
the members of community; and, it was in
contemplation, when it was introduced, that,
those various members would continue to he
| , i
for the exchange of such continuous and per-
petuai productions would, always, without let
or hindrance on the part of non>prOtlucerS, be
at hand, and ready to subserve the purposes
of universally producing community with
| identical and common interests. It was never
contemplated that any of these producers Sshould
| stop work ; cease to have a c0mDtOn Interest
with other producers; cease to add to the real
and useful stock of the wealth of society and
turn in to speculate, and traffic, in the mere
instrument for the exchange of these produc-
lions This would be to give, to sMch 6rOnes
the power and virtue of the whOl5 society or
community, intended for a con.n;on benefit;
for their sole and erclusi6e benefit!
Not to run too far into the distinction of
money from 0ther property; which would
! prolong this letter too much it will be sufh>
cient to point out one distinction, which should
| promptly convince all, who are "lovers of the
truth" and who desire to be convinced of it
that, money is not like other things Of
! pri0die and imdiOtaual nature, that, men
at liberty to use as other things, and, to get
for it whatever usury or price they may be
! pleased to put upon it. Money is, as, have,
heretofore defined it, ga piece Of metal stamped
| with the efi9es of a Prince or arms of a state,
which makes it current and authentic to pass
at a common rate." It is then the "efiges
| of the Prince" or arms of the state'-the
virtue and power of the l0hO(e conlmunfy-
| 1rhich creates and constitutes money and by
no means the power of an individual or indi-
viduaIs which can make and constitute money;
and who may, therefore, claim the right to
traffic and tamper with it as though 1t were
pirate thing and OF PriUate origin When
it was mere bullion the product of individual
! labor and as yet, no more money than wheat
or corn or cattle or any other product of labor;
then, each man, who produced it, had the
same right with the producer of wheat, corn,
or cEttlc, or any thing else, to put his own
value upon it, just as they had; but beyond
| this he had no moro right or power to make
it "authentic to pass at common rate;'' or
to be the only thing to be rendered aud made
| rccicraLkc for debts and taxes; than the owners
of the wheat, corn, or cattle, or of any thing
| else. had, to make these different products
sauthentic to pass at common rate" and
the only things receivable for debts and taxes
If, then, the owner of money insists upon his
right to sell it, and traffic in it, at what price
he pleases-and when, too, society has already
intervened, and given to it advantages over
and above all other mems property and pro-
ducts in making it, towit: money, the only
thing receivable for debts and tares; now,
lust let the same society do for other rmen's
property the same thing it has done for this
special property; to.wit: put upon it-that
is all property fair and fixed valuation; in
relation to Nancy when debt or tax is to be
paid and, then society will have dealt equally
and justly with all labor; but not ant" "e";