Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-05-16
WHAT is MONEY!
EFrom the ciDeinpati cOmmOp.r. !
FOURTH ARTICLE.

Passing by aud emitting the first two
articles OF "Bullionist," to wit: 'Value and
Price" in The COnmOmer of January 81
1871, and money and Currency" in same
paper Of February lSth-as sufi iCiently answer.
ed come, now, to his two articles headed
Money as they appear in the same paper Of
April lst and 2Sth, and to save time aud space
shall endeavOr to reply to both the latter
articles in this communication.
''BulliOnist," Joined to his idols" like
bphraIm, IN his explanation Of money, has
gone back to the times of Abraham aud EphroD.
aud then, again, to the history of the Heath
en- Chinese, entirely forgetting that he goes
back 90 the infancy Of the world instead of
appealing 10 IS 2 reasOu oG
not only to give him correct ideas upon the
subject of money, but to teach him the diff.
ference between a steamboat and a canoe. a
cart and railroad train. ''Antiguitas seoul,
J"UeHtUs mWldi. old age Of the world is
its Infancy
The transaction of Abraham and Ephrop
IN regard to the cave of Macphelach, which
was before Mamre the field aud the cave which
was therein, and all the trees that were in the
field, that were in all the borders round about. I"
was purely transaction of barter, aud not an
exchange for money,
In proof of this, that it was a transaction
OF barter, aud not of money, l quote tie text ::
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron. and
Abraham weighed to Ephrou the silver which
he had named in the audience of the sons of
Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current
money with the merchant"
] care nothing about the word "mouey'' ::
l look to the thinG-the transaction, and not
the word money! For here, comes up the
question what is money? For who. the devil
authorized the merchant to decide what money
was, aud what it was not? think the farmer
aud landowner, as Ephron was, and the me-
chanic who builds house, or a ship. or con-
trives plough or any other useful implement:
or the manufacturer who clothes the world or
the laborer who tills the field, and digs the
canal, aud cuts through the mountains, and
nils up the vallies, by the sweat of his brow ::
should have had something to say about what
money was, and what it was not :; as well as
this middle man the merchant! And, the
more especially, as this middle man-,he
merchant-in the very book from which Bul
ZIONIST quOtes-is described as a slippery fel.
low, and scoundreI: "Ephraim is merchant.
the balances OF deceit are in his hands ~
And by the way, and in running around "tbe
circle :" If the merchant who, in his DEALINGS
has something to do with things, as we'll as
money, the agent and tool OF EXCHANGING
things-is a slippery "iellow and scoundr eI"
AS he was described in the old Testament
What IS the mere money. .changer-the
Banker, broker, and usurer-who thrives bv
buying and selling money, ga labor saving in
veutiOn authorized and regulated by govern.
ment for the convenience of the people :" and
who, by "buying and selling" money, "adds
nothing to the wealth of the State, but inter.
teres with the industry of others ?" Let
Jesus,the author of the new Testament answer
And Jesus went into the temple of God, aud
cast out all them that sold and bought in the
temple, and overthrow the tables of the money
changers, and the seats of them that sold
doves, and said unto them my house shall be
called the house of prayer, but ye have made
1t den OF thieves" Mathew xxi: ll-l3.
But, to come back to the transaction of
Abraham and EphrOn, in the trade about the
cave of ''Macphelah and the field, and all the
trees that were in the field, that were in all
the borders round about" BulIionist insists
upon 1t, that money existed before govern
ment, and that it now ''exists in spite of gov.
ernment;" and, in proof of his assertion. or
proposition, he relies upon the four hundred
shekels of silver, current money with the
merchant: :" lie leaves out, too. bv the bv.
the field and all the trees that were in the
field, that were in all the bordersround about
that were ''n.ade sure" in this trade of bullion
not money, for the cave and the large terri
tory, heavily timbcTed and lying all around il.
l say 1t was bullion, not money and say so
Notwithstanding his quotation Of -four hun,
dred shekels current money with the mer-
Chant One man, or one class of men. as
merchants may judge the fueuess of silver
and weigh 1t too, but this does not make il
IN our modern sense, money. 1t is said that
1t takes two at least TO make bargain" =" and
IN the bargain that constitutes money. il taEes
necessarily more than two: All interests
must agree and cooperate to initiate money
for the object Is to establish a standard by
which the several products of the different in
dustries, or interests. may be fairly and euui-
tahly exchanged. Toiniiiate money the farmer
the mechanic, the manufacturer, the laborer.
must all agree aud cooperate with the mer-
chant. lhe Institution OF money, cannot be
safely lett to the mercantile. or any one class
alone. This implies the advance Of civiIIza-
tlon and the existence Of Government. to se.
lect the material, make it into money, aud
Xix the value" Of it, so as to make il a stand
ard OF the values of all things.
Money Is creation of Government and
law, and there Is no such thing as natural
money. In a state of nature commodities
may be bartered, as in this case of Abraham,
and Ephron, when four hundred shekels were
given for SO much land but barter s.ex vi
termInI implies an exchange "high for luck /"
and even circumvention and cheating. where
the sharpest fellow gets the best oft Money,
on the other hand, implies an exchange to be
accomplished through its agency, as a thing
itself valued, and made a measure of value.
just as you make yard stick, a bushel. or a
steeIyard, the standard of length, quantity and
weight The constitution of the United