Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-12-20
For the Spirit OF Jefferson j
WHAT Is MONEY!

WaAI lS MUNbY
So important is it to the welfare of mau>
kind, Indeed SO vital aud indispensable is it
TO their liberty, civilization, morals, religion
and salvation; that they should have clear
perception and correct knowledge OF money
In all its bearings, and in its intimate nature
and effects; that, could L have my way,
would require by law every preacher in the
land, at least every other Sunday in the year,
to preach from the text: And Jesus went
into the temple of God, and cast out all them
that sold aud bought in the temple, aud over
Mre.c The tables Of the ns0ney-chdRgerS, aud
the seats of them that sold doves, and said
unto them, it is written, my house shall be
called the house of prayer, but ye have made
IL q den Of thteUcS. = Matt. XXI: l1-13.-
Aud | would have him-the preacher-in
his different references to the different char
acters herein denounced by the Master
"thieses"-to pay especial attention to the
money changers; US l, myself, have no
doubt, that they ere the biggest thieves of
the whole batch, aud that when their theft
aud raseality is fully aud scientifically ex
planned ii will appear that all the other char,
acters TO whom he alludes are occ0tnptices,
and that the money changers are the PriHs
cipais
If am right in this view, and that am,
I rely upon the text,- Ephraim is mer-
chant the balances OF deceit are in his hands
why, then, the money changers are the
head devils, and when the parson disposes of
them, and the subject matter money, he will
have disposed of tie whole subject in the con-
crete aud the detail.
The preacher, then, must inquire into the
origin. purpose and effect of money, and into
the character otEcatiGn, utility and profits of
money mongers, aud how all these things com
bned, affect the interests of the labOrImg aud
producing classes OF society.
In lnuu.ring into the origin, purpose ard
effect" of money he will fiud, as | have al
reudy shown, thar it came inro u-c simply to
superccdc aud take the place Of barter, or the
exchange of one thing for another thing and
that, if confined to its legitimate purpose and
effect" the only thing accomplished by it,
and the only thing designed to be accom-
plished by it, would be that identical ex-
change OF one thing for another; when both
parties to the exchange would get what they
wanted, and neither have any advantage over
the other, or get as a spectator or gnmOtcr,
Srmc'hiHJ for nDfhiNy'
In inQuiriHg into the ''character. ntficatloh,
utility and profits Of the money changers, he
would find their character" already por-
trayed by the "Alastcr," in his text their
utIllty power only for evil, and to lay heavy
burthens on mems shoulders that they Tighten
not even with little finger; = their "uitlcla.
tiDn" to pervcrt the standard of exchange
m0nry-thc common aud PWbIc Instrument Ut
all society, and designed tU hc used by them,
the 'mumey- changers" ouly us 1t rs USei by
other members OF society. Tor the purpose of
their exchanges of EiG0" and the pr0ducfS "
| nGOr-into Il priV"tc and 1'erSon0t i"#trM-
poses, infinitely more potent OF evil than the
gamblers dice box. his faro table, his sweat
| cloth, or any other device to live without la
bor: Aye! even more potent for evil than
the lab,ed- box of Pandora, tur in that "hope"
was lett at the bottom, while for mankind
there is no "hopc' as long as this wicked and
"thicvish" pervcrsi0u of m0mry-their cn,n-
mon aud public Standards permitted to
continue Mrouyh nSmryI Labor produces,
interest SfcuLs !" If the producers ever gain
their rights, it will be by hg"lN controlling
the 3o0rer of money. and not by any comOi-
NATIONS of abor."-Krllogg. p. Sc.
And lastly, for the prcIifs of these ''mo"Cy
CHANGERS" in contrast with the proftS OF the
honest labor of the country. that produces MI
! its 1ced1fh, while these '.thieves"-I use the
words of Christ hiu,self-yrodnce nothing !
l will hold up before you the statistics Of the
country, from 1890 to 1860. Those statistics
will sh0w-taking. as the basis of 22rqtiHS for
all branches of productive industry, the pros
! fits of agriculture, "the leading interest and
foundation Of national wealth''-that the in
crease of unriuiul wealth. is about 8 ] per cent.
per annum. Nnw, the authority from which
] quutc. to show what gain is made by the
honest labor of the country-and that is only
| 81 per cent--and which authority | will
|
only omit to time and space-goes to
comment thus:
with this rate of interest on money
Chat is 81 per cent -c"pitul, where it CO.
opcrntcs ,cith io6or, will absorb all the sur
| r,iuS enrnjngS of their combined pJoductiOH.
The italics are mine) The injustice of this
will be admitted by all fairm,nded men
capitalists and laborers. What, then, shall
be said of the present monetary system, which
gives to capiful rate of interest at least three
/oM the aggregate rate of increase in the ma
! tioUal wealth u
Now, this comment shows, that even if you
dignity with the name Of capital the money
poccr Of the country-(an idea that | utterly
! deny and repudiate for money is not caPitnt,
but only the erchnnginy medium of capital,
and the representatives, of so much capital as
may at tie moment of exchange be represent
ed in the exchange)-that upon that capital,
the money capital, about 10 per cent is real,
lied while on all the capital IN labor. and all
the c"piul in Mnd and personal Tropert9,
only 81 per cent. is realized ! The real cap.
iiui-the capital in lands. that yield and pro.
duce, and the capital in personal property OF
every description used By MEN, and useful to
them Independent of the capital in the
thews and sinews of labor which produces all
capltaI-amounts to hrenty-o"e thousand mt
lions Of doHars! Now, what does this pseu.
do copifaI-this countertet, J,stord~coPitnt,
named money-this thing that imPudently
and arrogantly sets itself up Gs capital par