The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-05-31
usuRY AND THE

USuRY AND The CURRENCY.
The usurer violates both laws of
God and man. He who, to satisfy
his avarice exacts usury, is neither
law abiding citizen nor a christian.
As our Saviour made a scourge Of
small cords and drove the money
changers out of the temple, so should
the people to-day, in their righteous
indignation and in the majesty Of
their power, and by force of public
opinion and stringent usury laws,
drive the usurer to obey the law of
God and the laws of his country.
Holy writ abounds in precepts, COM
ments and exhortations against usu-
ry:
If thou lend money to any of my
people, thou shalt not be to him as a
Insurer, neither shalt thou lay upon
him usury.-Ex. xii, %.
If thy brother be waxen poor, take
thou no usury of him or increase,
but fear thy God.
Thou shalt not give him thy mo-
ney upon usury, nor lend him thy
v~ictuals upon increase.-Lev. XIV,
35, 81.
Thou shalt not lend upon usury to
thy brother.-Deut. xiii. 10.
He that putteth not out his money
to usury, nor taketh reward against
the innocent. He that doeth not
these things shall never be moved
Ps. XIV. 5.
Woe is my mother, that thou hast
borne me, a man of strife and a man
of contention to the whole earth! l
have neither lent on usury. nor men
have lent to me on usury, yet every
one of them doth curse meier.
XIV. 10.
He that hath given forth upon
usury shall surely die, his blood shall
be upon him.-Ex. xiii. Ii.
Thou hast taken usury and increase
and thou hast greedily gained Of thy
neighbor by extortion, and hast for
gotten me, saith the Lord, God, be-
hold therefore, 1 have smitten my
hand at thy dishonest gains which
thou hast made.-EX. xxi. II Ii.
Notwithstanding there r many
other equally forcible injunctions a.
gainst the practice, yet there are
many, and even protested christians,
who do not hesitate to take advan
tage of their neighbors necessities to
charge them usurious and ruinous
rates ofinterest. They are building
up their private fortunes upon the
wrecks of their victims, blockingthe
wheels of commerce by their extor-
tions, whitening enterprise, prostra-
ting every business interest by hold
ing beyond the reach of manufactur-
ers and citizens the mean of employ
ing labor and securing material.
Why is it that with a land abound
ing in the material out of which to
manufacture almost every article of
necessity and luxury, we are yet i'm
porting annually, hundreds of mil
lions of dollars worth of manufactur-
ed articles, with thousands of skill
ed artizans and mechanics in enforc-
ed idleness? One of the leading
causes is found in the high rates of
interest in this country. How then
is this gigantic evil to be corrected?
Public sentiment aroused to its enor-
nifty may do much toward frowning
it down. Stringent usury laws, hav-
ing a uniform operation throughout
the country, may accomplish some
thing toward eradicating the evil, but
these alone are not sufficient. The
laws against theft are rigidly enforc-
ed, but men will continue to steal as
long as opportunity offers. The mo-
ney lender will continue to defy pub
lie sentiment and violate law so long
as the supply of money is not equal
to the demand for it. AS the price
of wheat is regulated by the supply
upon the market, so will the price of
money be governed by the amount at
command. Let the general govern
ment supply a volume oflegal tender
currency equal to the demands o bu-
siness, and the usurer will lose his
occupation and we will become a
free, prosperous and happy people.