Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-10-23
(From the Western Rural.)
The Currency Quesii0 Farmer
who Is Not an Infationist.

The Currency Quesiio n,-.A Farmer
Who Is Not nm Inhationist.
Two correspondents have sioutly assailed
the Western RErai for it's manly position on
the currency question. Now, hear word
from the other side Of the house. The busy
season coming on. prevented my Joining IN
the dissertation before.
|, too am n farmer, th ough not n GranRer
aud am deeply Interested in all plans, legal
and right, that are for the interest Of nv class.
] am, also, citizen, aud such part Of the hun-
or Of this nation as is committed to my keep
ing, I shall sacrcdly defend. hold that the
man who can, and will not pay his debts is
nothing OF Christian, and not much OF a
man. We could deliver him over to Darwin,
without the slightest twiuge Of regret. And
the republic that will not honestly pay It's
debts, must be composed Of such men, rapidly
degenerating into the teeth and tails of our
hairy ancestors according to Darwin.
ANY promise Is Of value only as II Is 10 be
fulfilled, and promise TO pay is only worth
its weight in payer, If the amount called for
cannot be collected. II England promises to
pay one dollar gold or silver Ia that amount
will be given, on presentation or the promise.
But should an American present a dollar
promise to the national treasury Uncle Sam
would put on q long taoe, complain about be-
ing poor, and hand out somewhere in the
neghborhood Of ninety cents by which it will
be seen that our promise Is worth some ten per
the promise Of England, and when we reflect
that nations and men are respectable as they
respect their promises, there seems little in
this condition of things that patriot eou Ia
desire.
But. II the eurrepcy is deprecated under ex.
istng circumstances, what wuuld it be il the
mills at Washington should again com.
mcuce to grind II, with our present volume
Of paper dollars we are not able tn meet our
obligations honorably, what would be our
condition were that volume still further aug
mented, while our resources remain the same.
With more promises to pay and no mure with
which to pay them, the promise would Of
course be Of less value.
But we are assured that, were the imitation
schemes carried, industry would recsive such
an impetus, that our means u meet our liza
bilitcs would he greatly increased. OF all the
hard questions which ever brought my
mind t1 consider the most difficult IT, cnmpre-
hend is how any legitimate industry could be
aided by currency mnre inflated than that
which nov have. Was France particular
W prosperous in the days Of the ass gnates Z?
Is 81 Domingo a paradise to-dav when thre
hundre Ot her dollars will scarcely buy "a
pair of boots And Just how our fate would
dill1r from theirs, by rur, ung like policy i
dn not understand.
Your correspondents evidently believe that
ind ,tion would be of immense advantage To
the farmer. But this We alsn fail t. see. Ex-
cept in time of war, the products nf the farm
rise m're slowly than any u.her department
ot trade. Did iul ,tion carry tonight, To- NOR
row every wholesale dealer would be RENEW
ing his price list in accurdAnoe with the dis.
order 0f things. Not 50 the farmer. The
rise in his productions will b. slow aud labor
ell aad he, selling on the old basis and buy
ing on the new, would have no cause 10 con.
grataIate himself ON the advantages Of inAA-
tiun.
But when the farmers productions come 10
gold basis. as com. they would, what would
be gained For bu1hel "r wheat for viii ich
he now receives dollar he might then re-
ceive / ! 2j, but the latter amount would buy
no more Of the necessorios of life than the one
dollar did before. II he were To speculate in
wild lands. grant YOU he might have the ad.
vantage, because n dollar promise would buv
dnlars warth uf the public domain, 40 m ttter
how worthless that promise might be. But the
speculdtnrs need M advantages they do not now
possess. and are generally an unmit gated evil,
a thorn in the site Of the htrdy fronticr-man
There is one class, however, whom | can
clearly see woul id be benefited bv initiation
those whose accounts show "A large balance for
themselves for, as they would receive more
dollars for their services and Commodities and
each Of those dollars would pay dollar of
debt their finances that are now out at sea
might he steered safely 10 shure. But in this
case while the goose would have all the sauce
what would become of the gander?
myself, owe small debt on our little
fam, bought it " hen greenbacks were worth
ninety cents, and produce sold that basis
II, bv Initiation, the greenbacks should only be
worth eighty cants, and produce spd accord
ingly, would of course save ten cents on the
dollar, arbitrarily taken ont OF the pocket of
my creditor by the laws Of the United States.
The health of my family requiring il and
fem tle help being very scarce in this vicinity,
engaged the services Of Young lady from
Canada, agreeing to pay her 50 much a week in
our currency, which she Of course was to
change into gold before returning to her home
When the inhItOnists were carry ing a II before
them, and the prospect that their mad scheme
would become a law, | foresaw that. in order to
make good my original bargain on tho basis
ntninety cents 10 the dollar should have to pay
her more of our promises than specified in our
agreement and would be the loser, TOR | was
determined she should not be.
To every foreigner doing business with our
country whose services or articles were to be
paid for in sreenbacks, initiation would become
pregnant with the odor of password cheese aud
wooden nutmegs, and The character Of our ma
ton for integrity and honesty not too fair
already, would be so blackenei that every hon
est citizen might hang his lie al for shame.
do not doubt that your two correspondents
are honest inLheir opinions or that they rep
resent the thoughts of their section or Grange,
but let them not presume to speek for the
farmers. ALEX THOMPSON,