Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-05-23
WHAT is MONEY!
For the Spirit OF Jsasrson.l

III IN 4ASA article, uuGeT tulS head, L ln~
sisted upon the necessity Of its being cIearly
understood by all who use money-and all
must use it-that it Is public standard. and
not Prirdte commodity; aud, for that reason,
that while I, or you, or any. body else, have
nothing to do with the prices that any body
sells commodity .Jor, [. and you, and every
body else has clear and indispntable right
to look to 1t, and to inquire into it, nd to- see
TO It, at what price, or rate. any other body
charges upon public standard; and, simply,
because 1t is public siGnddr6, in which all
have an equal interest as common partners :;
and 1t is not right, or honest, or Just, that one
partner, or more in combination, should chat
yes, eaeGt-the other partners, or any oae
Of them.
- 1.sl - crhDlasi : adliIJ s..scsii-s,
paragraph, because since writing that article,
1 met with usurer, that Is with one who
thoushthe had right TO use pubic standard
as though It belonged to him and was Drirufc
property; and, who said to NE, ''iu terorern."
that iEesc were times IN which every man
ought to mind lbs otcu business.
agreed with him, that every man ought
to mind his own business; but at the same
time l insist that, il Is par, of every man ;
business TO sec that puJhc Gycpcy. in which
Ec Is concerned a much a. uuy other man.
sha.! not be perverted 10y designing uuuroduc-
tive and fraudulent scyuudTclS. iuto uu lus.ru-
meut.tur their private profit, 1t the expense
OF ali those who created that yuJhc Gycncy.
lIus!st that "t0"cy Is yEdiSc agency. ere,
. ated by all The Pruuu.e @! thc cLtIrc wcaish
OF the country, Tor the. SITE pus,posc of cx~
changing, or Iulevchlu.Iu, that wealth at the
smallest possible cost or expense TO its IrO-
ducers: And that, that uan, who producing
nothing himself, lives only By buying aud
selling that p"Lhc nye"cy; or, in word
money; oads "ofhi"y 10 the wealth of the
State, but 6tcrIercs with the Industry Of
others"
Poor fool! poor miserable, selfish Ass. to
talk about ''miudiug your owu business :" Is
II It was not The business of every one who
had auy thing to sell, be it his daily labor. his
land, hls OK, or hI, as, CT any ihiu= else. to
see that the puLiir s'a"d'ri by which /, was
sold, was ta!r or unfair, wright or wrong.
The same fool, Or knuvc, had just a. well
say to me, "mImd your own business" if
pcached against fellow saw scttfn. ire 70
my neIghbJr's barn o., the same kuayc. or
fool, had just as wc.ltelI ulc, "miud Your own
business /! | complained that turnpike, or
q railroad company authorized 10y the law Of
the land, charged Mg double rates, that | COM
planned that they charged Inc dUublc rates,
l desire TO teach these wrctcEcs. these
robbers, and dc!raudcrs, that for the use Of
every yuJiir c0HreHjcHcc. be it Of a railroad.
a turnpike, or OF money, that they are pujj6.
conCrHjcncDs, aud that Jhcy shall charge me
no more 81. rheIr use than the public allows
The question then Is, what does the public
allow; or. what ought tic public to allow q?
l he plain answer Is, profit commensurate
with the profits OF the public IN their separate
productions Of agriculture, manufacture. aud
commerce all taken over and above such
profits Is rojLuy.
WHIST, then, are the profits Of agriculture,
manufacture, aud commerce?
The Answer is, taking agriculture for the
basis, the profits are, by the statistics Of the
country, b per cent.
Then, | say. 10 railroad, no turnpike com
pauy, no Banking comrany, no company Of
usurers, brokers and shavcrs should be per
mIt;cd to charge rates that would ucfi more
than the 0gcr"yc prcEts of these three branches
OF industry aud production. They should not
be permitted to charge greater rates, because
III their very nature they are pvJtic aud not
Pric1ic things or institutions and the distiuc
ton between PUJ'ac and prirate things. is not
only obvious To common sense, but has been
clearly rccOgrSZed by all moraists for ages.
Cicero, more ,han two thousand years ago. in
laying down the primal rules of Justice, in
sIsts that while We may not iujurc any one
/ who has not injured u. so too, neither may
,, go, Il ;.- ...l 4
We use mugs 'n,thut4 IoF common and puo,
'c it' 'posos' is 'nouSh they We're private and
"oI pIo;'e l'oPe'y II
"eu JuN'c'o Fr'mun minus cst, ut nc
NJ ,i,,,,I,;' ,,,,,, ~ W., Ia i,'','iuo
rats ,,,.,,:." pre-
The violation Of this very rule of Justice ;
to-wIr: the rule Of using a public thing as a
public thing and not private thing = in
49,, H., =.
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