Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-06-12
Capital and LabOr-HOw to Rec.
Oncile Them.
BY PROF. j. d. BUTLER,

When Falstaff sent his page to Mas
ter Dumbleton for satin cloak, and
offered his bond and Bardolph's. for
payment, the answer was that the
"tailor liked not the security" The
Knight called, Dumbleton rascally
knave to stand upon security, and
cried, 81 would as lief they would put
ratsbana IN my mouth as stop it with
security" He who goes borrowing,
goes sorrowing. Not only Shylocks,
but most capitalists are deaf to borrow
ers, because they, as well as Falstaff's
tailor, ''like not the security" Capt.
talists will not lend a poor man mon
ey. They demand security. AS he
cannot endorse, others will not endorse
for him. He has no lands, no chattels,
on which he can give a mortgage
Where he is sanguine that he can
double the money he wishes to bor-
row, they say to him, ''you may be
robbed or cheated, or Your investment
may be burned up and your insurance
worthless, or you may abscond, or
your death may blight the brightest
prospects"-"we like not your securi-
ty." 1t is a "castle in the air." -
Again, capitalists shun putting their
investments into the hands of any
poor stranger. They are distrustful of
his honesty where there is chance for
fraud; of his competence, where skill
is demanded; of his zeal, where he has
no interest at stake; and of his vigi-
lance, where there are temptations to
negligence. He might carve out his
fortune, but no one will trust him with
the tools. .-rs
But must capital and labor needs be
hostile? Is there no way in which
capitalists can be just to themselves,
and yet generous to borrowers ? Yes,
they can. How? By land sales on
ten years credit, and six per cent. in
terest. The borrower cannot be cheat
ed out of land which is not decided to
him till he has finished paying for it.
He cannot run away with it. Ne fire
can burn it up. He cannot lessen its
value. The labor and money he lays
out on it will increase that value. He
cannot strip it of lumber, more than
he can pull hair from bald head. Nor
in such a loan is his honesty, compe-
tence, zeal or vigilance distrusted. He
IS stimulated to the exercise of them
all by his fear of losing the sum he
paid in advance, together with what
ever he lays out to improve his farm,
and by his hope Of making it pay for
itself, and support him and his. Other
borrowing dulls the edge of thrift
this sharpens it. ..r.. suJ 20
The Burlington & Missouri River
Railroad Co., within ID thirty-three
months onward from April, 1870, sold
in Iowa and Nebraska, 47S,9SS acres,
to 1926 purchasers, mostly on ten
yeors' credit, at six per cent. interest.
The purchases average one hundred
and eight acres apiece. "a ,H. III
i Thus the B. & M. road has furnished
4,525 loans, amounting, in the aggre-
gate, to $4,656, 49s, to men, most of
whom, would have been unable to
borrow from banks, or any other
source. Its long credit sales have Civ
en- them +o9ls to work with. So it
makes borrowers and lenders friendly, 4
affording lenders security, and borrow
ers all the loans they can use. and
those such as will, in most cases. pay
for themselves He who gives us a
chance to help ourselves is the best
helper. .r .i" r- -'H.