The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-04-19
Contagious Currency.

4
pending, the result of which will be TO
cause the national hanks of the United
States to coll in their present issue, aud
! replace it by new bills.
There is no proposition now before
that body which so warmly commends
itself to the great mass OF the people.
Tho currency of the country is now
mainly the bills Of those national banks,
which bear date from 1861 and 1865,
and most Of them have been in circuls-
ton for many years. The result is that
they are generally exceedingly soiled,
] offensive 10 the senses, and injurious TO
the health. Many of them have been
handled by persons engaged in the
| filthiest employments, TO say nothing of
the comparatively clean hands of black
smiths, butchers, fiShmen, rag and fat
collectors. But worse than this, they
are saturated with diseases of various
| kinds measles, itch, and more especi-
ally smallpox, are materially spread by
the bank bill passing, thus impregnated,
from hand to hand, and from city to
country. The farmer who sends his
chickens and corn 10 market is badly
repaid by a bunch of greasy bills, which
bear with them these foul maladies.
1t is stated by competent medical
mon to be received opinion that the
present small.pox epidemic is in no lit
! tie degree advanced, il not caused, by
.ke public incubation through infected
bask-bills. Every man in the small
! pOx hospitals pays for his board, luxu-
ries, carriage-hire, and HI. thCusand
little expenses, by a porous paper bill,
| passing Through his hands even when
| issuing disease through every pore.
When our circulation was metallic, such
| accidents were possibilities, not necessi.
| ties; and these bills are never redeemed
| by the national banks, but 90 on in
definitely, communicating and destroy
ing life.
1t is a comparatively small matter TO
| say that these bills are, many Of them,
so tattered and mutiiaied as to be very
suggestive Of the rags from which they
were created. Little by little they wear
away, until q time comes when some
sharp one suggests that an eighth or a
quarter 10 gone, and this loss fals-not
upon the bank that has issued il, and
who should have been compelled TO re-
deem it years ago and supply its place
by fresh bill--but the loss falls upon
the last holder. This one is generally
among the poorest class in the country.
The rich man will refuse such a bill
from his debtor. 1t is the day-laborer
and the poor washerwoman-the de-
pendent who receives his wages like
charity, and who is supposed not to be
too particular, or who is too ignorant to
know better.
In cities there are some clean bills.
The husband strives hard to furnish his
wife with clean money for shopping; but
in the country, money Of every kind is
so scarce. that the farmer is glad enough
to take any bill for his products, but
when he goes to pay OIL his mortgage or
its interest, then he has 10 make up the
loss.
So great is the demand for "clean
money" that any city bank might in.
defnitely increase its circulation by de-
claring itself ready to exchange new
money for old. We call upon Congress
to pass an act compelling the National
banks TO call in their notes for a reissue
every two or three years. to form
bureau iii every large city where clean
money may be demanded for dirty and
diseased bills. There is more disease
engendsred by bad bills than by bad
meats in our markets. The officer
should be compelled to exchange and
burn all the money paid out at Black
wells Island Small Pox Hospital
Would it not be cheaper TO prevent the
small pox by destroying this method of
public incubation than by general yacci
nation, which is now 30 loudly called
for with the newspaper headings of the
Great increase of this fatal epidemic ~
1t is impossible otherwise to account
for the fact that this loathsome disease
is now so prevalent, in the country as
we'll - the cities, throughout Europe as
well as America, except by the fact that
tn ere was never before such volume
of paper currency so rapidly circulating
all over the world from man to man.
This necessity we admit but its evils
can be mitigated. We at least can have
a fresh circulation, as of the United
States Treasury notes and the fractional
postal currency, which are constantly
Cancelled and renewed.
1t is bad enough to think that these
rags were once the refuse clothing of
the vilest and worst of Italian lazaroni
and filthy Asiatics and Affioans-per-
haps the eXhumed cerements of Egyp-
tian mummies-but let Us at least think
that water, soda and chlorine have
since purified them, and not that they
are foul and noisome with recent
abominations.-Frank Leshe's Muratsd
Newspaper.