Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-03-14
Spirit Of eysflttsnn.
Charlestowu, March Il, 1871.
tFOr the Spirit Of jefferson ]
WHAT is MONEY!

| it is public Miny and not pricote thing !:
! public standard and not rIerchSna3iSes, or a
| commodity; then, the whole question viii be
solved, and be as plain daylight.
| In late article Of mine, quoted from the
| Cincinnati COmnl0Hcr by the .Spirit Of def:
! JeTsor, ii will be boTns in mind writer had
boldly taken the ground that money had .'two
uses, one Is a standard, another as merchan
disc; fully as much SO Us "pork aud -four"
hope the cnormity and absurdiry of the
position was made plain to all. a standard
Is maniies,ly something that is fxed aud ln-
varying; rs for example, n yard stick that
measures an uscerraIUed number of feet or
Inches Il bushel that contains an ascerraiped
quantity scale, fairly adjusted, that gives
an unvaryiug weight; and. Just so too money
when made i StuHHIrI TO ascertain other
TaiueS, must have n Fixed, ascertained, un.
varying value itself; or, how is it possible 10
hX the values Of other things, when its own
Vaiue Il not aSceItained and fixed? So
sensible were the fathers of the constitution
OF the United States, Of ahis plain common
sense truth, cud the justice O! It, that they
explicitly require Congress to "coin money and
yG tie CdkWe' Of H." Why fix the value Of
II! Why. because the people agree to give
TO money an advantage over all their labor.
and all the products uf their labor. and all
tender for debts and tazcs : And. which
they never would have done, unless unOD the
stipulation in the constitution that its '.1gIve"
was TO be fixed. This part Of the contract on
the part OF The people, and in their favor. for
the great advanln@es ihey had given to money,
over all their laBGr, property, aud products in
maxim" II the sole tender for debts and taxes
the people have never had tho benefit OF; in
consequence OF the iaIthlcssuess and neglect of
Congress To carry ont the cypress Command
o! the constitution. aud TO FIX the ..s.ugf,e' Of
money. The very object uf tine y,oouIc-and
the only mode 10y which Ihey could he guarded
against buuEdICss ir-riid and swinGIug-was
to establish money IS a St.,mlurR Ly fxin.
the value OF II; and to distinguish it Hum
merchandise whose value wa, not 20 be fixed
because it Wa; no, 70 be Il atanGard Between
the two things the distinction Is thus r!aiulv
made in the very letter Of the constitution.
W by, then, Is 1t tina; congress has never fixed
: the '"aue cf money? Surely, no, because
It could not - done; for all It had to do vas
to hX the rTte Of Interest,". and IL would II
once have complied with the Injunction OF
the Constitution to fix the srgItie or ,none,,. ."
he'll neglect to perform this plain duty has
been most disnstrgrS to tha TCouie. They
have III fact, ali along. and up TO this tine,
and npT. been left without a sIuHsI0r,Y Of the
valgc OF all their earnings and property For.
surely. money wIthgu; a fixed vnfEe" rs re.
qnircd 10y the plain letter q the constitution ::
"ni ranging ir"ui xix tO twenty and thirty pcr
cent. cannot he called s5un6Urd! The pco.
pie have been deluded they have had no
standard they lave none now; 4; but are 1T the
mercy 0! all sho choose. and are Ls,o oro,,,,,I,
to rob and plundcr Hem. And wh., !. ,La
consequence of their beip, left wi,bon, ,Lc
Sinmdrrd they fairly bargained and mid r,,r
in the advantages given TO money. in consider
@'iol that money should have, jfs,It = ..6xcd
value p Why the ccuscGvenre-onI III,
natural and inevitable ecou-cG,Ucrce-I If,s Ioo,,
that money has centralized and syv,rIo,,,J ,l
vast m;rls,ruun the Carninns Of cor,vr,;I
Of people, And tho rrorcss s,;lI ~, -,
/ and iav bv day the rich are bccn,,;,,,, ri,I,a,
and the poor are bccoruiu, p,orer, I5ivo ,,or
cent. OF our people or i,ro r,jliaas own al! the
/ properly IN the country and two and one half
per cent. "r oHe inUi,0n own more than hir,y.
/ H'Dc nt0t'0Hs!
Such is the result of the criminal 1o,loc,
or sturcuduus fraud oE nae, ,.,,n.,r,...o.; =, mo-,
Securing to the pcoDje The siy,,,Z,r,y ,Lo,,
bargained for; aud siipuKI,,,7 in the corsri,,i.
ton; when they required the value OF ruopcy''
to Lc fTcd; aud, in turning over. By this
neglect or omission these same pcor.Ie naked
and without any defence, against the remorse.
less avaricc, fraud, and robbery Of Bapkers
brokers, shavers, and uscTcrs!
( The sole function. and ,fi.a of ,,,o,o- :
to. effect the exchange Of one valD,II. H..
and product Of labor. for ,po-bor TTn
money i,syir-cycu Of ,,nlJ and siIyer-,rd
much less of papa.-ou:s;de Of his G,gciigg
and o6rc i entirely y,l,,cTo., I, a.
/ used, III itself, as food, raimeut or sheltcrl II
4 there was not one dollar, in the whole country.
/ or gold or silver or paper. aud the reoplc
would work and labor a. they now do. there