Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-08-25
SUMMIT Pr JEFF. Co, WEST Va, !
June "a. 1874.

June "a, 1874.
Alfred Taylor Esq, De,u Sir IL re-
celVed yours of the 9th inst. and also the pa
pers and slips, and am much obliged to you
for them. am truly pleased too, to find you
are turning your attention specially to the
monetary question, as l regard that as the
most important OF all questions now before
the public attention. Indeed, they all hang
upon it, aud if that is properly adjusted and
settled, the others will follow us q matter of
course. II can never be properly adjusted
and settled as long IA gold is regarded as the
standard of value and the basis of credit in
word, as the ouly money The great priu-
cipIe, in trade, of supply and demand" fixes
the value OF the things to be exchanged, &C.
cordiug to their "use, and thus, when the
value is fixed, money whether gold OF paper
is simply order or draft for an equal value
of other useful things, again to be adjusted
by supply and demand " 1t is not only an
order, or draft, for values equal to the values
parted with when the order or draft came into
the hands OF the holder, but it is an order or
draft under the sanction of the sovereign
power of the State, aud is thus, and by that
sovereign power. Constituted money, and ded>
icated to the free use and convenience of
every member of the State 1t is public
property to be used by all for the icons
venicnce" Of exchanging what he has for what
he wants, and no Individual or corporation
should be permitted to use it otherwise than
as a "conCenieuce" for the agreed, coveuanted.
and specified purpose, for il this is done. the
convenience" of the public is interfered
with and suffers, and the medium created by
them for all is appropriated by individuals and
rings, as tho they were the creators of it aud
not the public. 1t is thus ,nouupoIized, its
circulation and common use obStructed, and
not only individual spectators and cOrpora>
tlnns may harass communities but even a sys>
TEN of Staies-New Engaud for example-
may lay-and has laid-the balance of their
equal States, in this entire Union, under
tribute and taxation. for the uses of their own
jo'ntand commou property and convenience"
That money Is common and joint property
tor the aud convenience OF all and not
to be subjected private property to the
appropriation and monopoly OF any, is mani
Test not only from the fact that it was created
by all and not by lndlviduAls-nnr can be
tut as long ago as TWO thousand years this
distinction between money public thing,
aud the creations aud products of individuals
as private things, was clearly taken and stated
10y Cicero In system OF morals hich, while
it has never hcen surpassed by any other than
that "t the Bible, is yet on this question OF
usury, in exact accordance with tho book of
books" The Bible deuounces usury, or any
other profit GU money, as all know, and from
the book Of Genesis" to the ''Revelations."
Why it should be so denounced is so manifest
from the whole Bible text that it was not me-
cesssry to state 1t in each several prohibition,
for the Bible tells us we shall not steal !" we
shall not ''gather where we have not strewn."
etc, and 1t Is clear that, if we appropriate as
private property aud to private uses what was
created by the public as public property and
for public uses, this is stealing; and further,
that to gather profit from money-created
by the whole people and not by individuals
is literally to "gather where VIC have not
strewn."
Cicero in his first book of Ethics, (.de
oficis'' and in speaking of just ce as the
prime virtue by which society is held togeth
er, says :-(and in relation to this very sub
ject. money, as public thing, as I will pre-
sently ow.)-"The first function of iustice
is, that you shall do injury to no one who has
not injured you; and the next is, that YOU
shall use public things, as public things. and
only private things as Your own" That
Cicero had here. special reference to money,
and the abOminable abuse of it in treating it
as commodity and subject of sale, is mani>
fest from the adherence he expresses of usury
in the reply of Cato to some one who asked
him what he thought of usuIy as an occupa-
ton. His answer to the question was: ''Ask
me what think of murder?" That this
opinion of Cato's had no1hiug of extraya>
eance in it, | think you will readily see in
the condition of your own affairs. as stated in
the meeting which you lately attended. Mr.
Brltton, of Bourbon county, l see, states
ftat Il ho loS tb L., L
farms and homes mortgaged in Kansas than
In the twelve preceding years - that wives
are barefooted and children ragged, and
farms mortgaged." He adds: And all be-
cause of excessive and burdensome taxation"
Exactly so, and of taxation of the most in
famous description. For in delegating the
sovereign money power to corporations, the
taxing power is in their hands. and not for
the benefit of the public, but of the corpora
tons That the interest paid TO banks is a
tax ls clear, from the fact that if money had
been issued by the State, aud as the constitu-
ton OF the U. S. prescribes, the interest paid
for it to the government would, as any other
tax, go into the treasury and the people TO
that extent be relieved of taxation They
would have the benefit of it in support of
government As it is it is the taxing power
of the United States handed over to private
benefit. And to tax them, too, to a degree
that, not only in Mr.. Britton's opinion, but
in that of nearly every other section of the
country. is now we'll nigh unbearabie Read
the fifth chapter of Nehemiah and you will
find it faithful picture of the condition of
nearly the whole of our country, and as re-
sulting from the same cause, to- wit: : usury.
Nor are its expressions and ravages confined
only to the farmers; the laborers and the
mechanics are onr equal sufferers. Nor can
it be otherwise, as every thing must start
from the earth. see that, in the two States