Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1877-04-14
VIRGINIA FREE PRESS.
|. H T.F.H. GlIIlIll. IllTllS.
Jefferson Co., W. Va.
OFFICE IN "JsFFEssos BUILDING"
Saturday. Anril lA. ls77.
Facts for the the People.

EDS. or The FREE PREsS: If a seller OF
wheat used a bushel measure larger than the
standard. lie would soou see By his own eyes
that he was cheated, and il he used one smaller
than the standard, the buyer Of the wheat
would soon see, too, that be was cheated. In
both these cases the cheat is palpable to the
sight, and each party, at once, ,orrects it, and
demands the standard. Now, Mr. Editor, all
the cheating done in this world, is not done
by the " Eptah -; it may he just as fully done
by the shekel, and for that reason, we arc
told, in the good Book, Thou shalt not make
the Ephah great" and the shekel small, "
and, fal,ify the balances by deceit"
How we can be cheated in the " Ephah " is
plain enough, and, Our business, now, is with
The shebel -: &" 10 other words, MY object, is,
by facts furnished to the people, 10 shew them
how they are wronged, and pundered, and
cheated by the false money of corporations,
and how much better it would be for them,
and how much jetie' money they would have,
if issued and furnished by tie people them
selves, than by corporations that have a sepa-
rate and private interest from the people. |
quote Berkey as follows
"Apart from commercial crashes, or money
uanics, il is evident that there is something
radically wrong in the monetary system Of the
couutry-that there is some constantly opera
ting cause thich tends " to fertilge the rich
mans field by The sweat Of the poor mans
brow" The masses toll, day after day and
year after year, seeking TO secure a compe-
;ency and scarcely succeed in obtaining a sub
sstpucc. The better classes may succeed in
building up homes, but they are never secure
in their possession, until they have smassed
sufficient property TO at least enable them to
outive a season of financial depression The
profits Of IqJor flow in steady stream into
the hands Of non-producers, Irh0 are engaged
in manipulating money. 1t is not difficult TO
discover the reason. Money is essential to the
development of the producing forces Of the
country. and TO the distribution Of its products
1t is far more necessary that money should be
abundant aud cheap, than that there should be
abundant aud cheap means Of transportation
The contrary, however, has been the general
rule since the American people have constitu-
ted nation. They unfortunately inherited
The British SYStcm Of Banks Of Issue.
which clothes the moneyed classes with un-
limited control over the circulating medium Of
a country Money should be the servant and
not the master of wealth, and then it will flow
into the channels Of trade, in obedience to the
natural laws OF supply and demand but the
people have permitted the power to furnish the
circulating medium Of the country to be fched
from tie nation and giceR 0rcr to individuals
aud corporations to be used as moHopoly.-
At present money has ceased to hll the chan
uels Of trade, aud, refusing TO perform its Off
ces. has taken refuge in the banks in the COM
mercial centers, for the purposes Of shaving
Statesmen, like Senator Christiancy, may tell
the people to 60 to work in any aud every
form Of productive industries, and command
its return, aud imagine that they are uttering
a great deal of wisdom, but ,Chere are he pro- /
3uctire iadusfriesl If Senator Christiaucy
had been in Moses place, the Jews, possibly, /
would have been at no loss to " make bricks /.
without straw but as such wisdom is not |
available in this country, it is to be regretted I
that be did not turn up in Egypt few thous-
aud years ago, instead Of the Uuited States Sc
nate at the present time.
- Il is Of course mere matter Of speculation
Is to what would be the condition Of the coun-
~ now if gold and silver had been its circula-
iug medium in fact as well as theory, or If
ega} tender paper had been adopted at an ear
y period, as urged bv Fraukiin, Jefferson,
,aihoan and others With nothing but gold
nd silver tie progress Of the country would
Undoubtedly have teen slow, but the people
would doubtless be better of than
ley are now. With legal tender paper mo-
.eg. in the light Of late experience, it is more
Ian probable that the United States would be
o-day the richest, most powerful aud NOS.
prosperous nation on the globe. NeitLer sys-
en- OF money, however, lcas adopted. The
Government allowed the circulating medium
o be taken out Of its hands and erected into
qi7Gnfic monopoly in the hands Of individuals
nd corporations. The gold aud silver of the
ountry we're locked up in bank vaults, as the
refended basis of bank notes, and the people
,ere compelled to pay an exorbitaut price for
false. fuctuating and unsafe currency, SUBJ
,ct 10 the entire control ofthose who issued il"