, 1875-09-09

THE "8CARCITY OF MONEY!
Nothing il more common tlHn to hear
thoughtless persons Say tlat If tho currency
were increased i'll volume times would
bo far hotter aud moro business would DO
dono md thcro are n grcat mnny people WHO
bclioyo That there Is truth in such state-
ment. 1t only needs M examination to dis
cover how grountltess it is.
The plea for more currency ia put forth III
the supposed intercst Of those who want tlao
means OF engaging in business. The point
with these is how to get those means. The
wealth or capital Of tho country consists OF
It's accumulated surplus. This il property,
not necessarily money, hut property Of ono
kind Or another. Tic vRluo Of property il i'll
ita production. No mattcr wllnt form prop
erty may loo in, it 1nl1at be employed in somo
why or it deterioratcs; it decays, rusts,
wastes, wcakcns, is eaten up by taxes,
and is destroyed if not used. Tho
owner Of property, therefore, must use
it. Flo must hire or rent it to others, or
exchange it. II it be land, or buildings,
or merchandise, or livestock, lie must put it
to sono use The man who Inns house and
lot hires OF rents IL to some one WHO Inns no
sucl, house aud lot and needs them, the con-
tract being that ut tho end Of stnted tinlo
tho property shnll bo restored, with certain
amount Of other property, in tho form Of
money or otherwise, for its 1lse. Hero ii nn
exchange Of properties. Tho owner hires his
house, hin property, to another ,nan, who i'll
turn pnys for its ,.so III q stipulated amount
Of his property. II tho tenant DO shoe.
mixer, grocer, or furnituro-inaker, llo either
pays his rent in kind or converts his property
into cash and pays tho lattor over to tho
owner. 1t is m exchange Of properties. II
money bo used i'll tho transaction, it is a mora
agcnt in tho exchange of commodities. II q
farmer, having no sheep, purchase 5oo, l,o
exchanges therefor, with Bo,no notghhor,
bcevos, horses, hogs, or corn; il the owner
of tho sheep does not want either OF these
commodities, then they ere sold to some
other person who docs, and the money
received therefor is paid over for tic
shocp. In oithor case, tho transaction
Is an ezclpuge Of commodities, an exchange
Of properties, which properties aro tho nec,,-
mutations Of tho respective parties. Tho
aan1a is tho case whero 1nbor Ia employed
Tho one 1nan exchanges his labor for bouts,
clothing, fool, Or fuel. If ho does not ro-
ceyo theso articles directly in exchange, tho
employer converts ao1no property of his into
money, phys it to tho laborer, who forthwith
exchanges the money for tho commodities ho
nceds So in transportation. So in every
branch Of trado and commerce. Tho only
property noTor exchanged is money. That
Is, ncn do not bny gold with gold. Tho uso
OF money property is to facilitate tho W.
change Of other properties. 4 Inns corn and
wants to exchange it for dry goods u has
dry goods, but does nat wnnt corn; @ wnnta
corn, hut has no dry goods, though ho has
leather Which B wants to purchase. So @
sells his leather to Il for hundred dollars;
O pays tho hundred dollars to a
for his corn, and 4 pays tho money
hack to D for dry goods. Hero arc
three exchanges Of commodities, the money
serving merely as aa agent in tho tranraction,
ind finally resting whcro 1t started from.
Nothing in tho end was bought or sold, OR
changed handH, bnt tho corn, leather, md
dry goods. Tho money was m equivalent
value ind medium Of tho exchange, but
not tho ultimate object. A common case in
tho Western States is whero acoro Of men,
living in tho same general neIghborhool,
have cnch stock Of GRIM which they wish
to convert, some into ono thing aad others
into other things, embracing The whole VIZ
riety Of household and family necessities.