Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-11-02

An editorial in an issue of this pa
per several weeks since elected COM
munication last week from "A Miner
in which he questions the propriety Of
general adoption of the cash system
in our business community.
The editorial referred to was not
written for class, but equally for
BUYERS and sellers. If the rule laid
down for general adaptation is best
for Tom and Dick, but bears hardly
upon Harry, it is no exception to the
common lot Of general laws, and i'm
plies more OF misfortune to the lndi-
vidual than fault of the rule What
is best for the mass, in more instances
than one, is hurtful to a constituent
"a Miner has a case Of this charac-
ter-a penniless foreigner coming
among US asking credit for his bread,
which, under the operation Of rigid
cash system, would be denied him.
The picture drawn of this case is
one scarcely less suggestive of an OBJ
ject of charity than of accommodation.
We might admire with due compla
eency the large-heartedness of the
merchant who provides the "outtit
were it not for the twenty-five, forty
and fifty per cent. he sees at the other
end of the line. The merchant is
probably not much to blame he knows
how elastic is credit a day S time
may be stretched to cover week :;
thence to a month, and so on until
it becomes Indefinite In addition to
his usual profit he must add something
for time and something for risk. The
miner, however, 1--WE estimate an av-
erage,) pays 100 per cent. back for the
accommodation of G6i advanced by
the merchant, leaving the latter 335
for his kindness.
Suppose "a Miner" with several Of
his friends, had loaned the new conner
one hundred dollars for two months
at the legal rate; the latter could thus
buy $1OO worth Of "outfit for an Ill
innate outlay of SOL. And, as "a
Miner admits that merchandise can
be bought cheaper for cash" 1--WE will
estimate Lows cheaper than the
average named above) he Will save be-
sides l3d dollars by Sharing the cash"
with which to buy Thus, the ques-
ton of flour is stripped of difficulty
by being secured at a two-fold advan-
tage to the consumer; the pleasant
consciousness of benefit bestowed up
on needy objects is transferred from
the merchant to the bosoms Of "A
Miner and his friends, with the gen
eral conclusion that. after all, "Mr
Editor does not attempt 'to crush
the poor" particularly when this at
tempt involves a species of suicide.
Of the man who buys goods on
credit when he has no money, then
when he has, spends it with the mer-
chant who would not credit him for a
dimes WORTH, we have nothing to say
more than if the example of the former
merchant had been uniform with that
of the latter, his accommodation could
not have been abused
Our aim in the advocacy Of the ear
ly adoption of the cash system in this
community is to promote the pecunia-
ry Independence of the people, to lift
them out of continual obligations and
to subserve the best material interests
of the town. We wish them to circum-
scribe their wants by the limits Of their
income to be dependent upon nothing
but that which should be continually
"laid up for rainy day" and there
by to be energetic workers and enter
prising citizens.