The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-11-14
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6E6RES6D NAkAL46 -
Now that that the election is over, and
there can be no farther occasion for dema-
gogical cant about the necessity OF more
money to meet the demands of business,
&C., we hope the people of this district, and
every other district, will take calm. sober
view of the situation will throw aside all
idea of Government deereeing prosperity to
individuals. land ask themselves the question,
whether Or not they can, as sensible men,
expect to receive one dollars worth of val
ues without giving therefor fair exchange.
Is it reasonable TO suppose that we as gen.
Grafton will be able to circumvent the fiat of
Jehovah; to avoid the sentence that con-
dennis us to eat bread by the sweat of our
brow? All that the best government on the
face OF the earth can do to secure prosperi-
ty to its people, is to so regulate its laws that
there may be some standard by which val
ues may be measured for exchange. By con-
sent Of mankind, dating back to the dawn
of creation, that standard is gold, and ex-
perience has taught that the nearer we ap-
preach to that standard the safer is the foun-
dation upon which we build. Money is moth
ing more than medium OF exchange. The
farmer who has bundled barrels of flour to
spare, takes it to the commission merchant
and exchanges part Of it for necessary sup
plies-for sugar, coffee, cloth, and the like.
The balance lie receives in money. That
money to him, in itself, is worth nothing.
He cannot eat it lit will not keep him warm,
neither will it quench his thirst. Fifty bar
rels OF flour. capable Of sustaining life for
years, dwindle into little roll of notes or
bag OF coin, that would be powerless to stay
single paEg of hunger. And yet he knows
that all the world over that little bag of coin
is recognized as so much labor; so many
yards OF goods; so many pounds of food,
and exchangable at pleasure for them. 1t
is much more convenient to handle than
flour; and more readily disposed of. All
classes and conditions of society, and al! the
nations of the earth, receive it. But there is
standard by which it is measured, just as
there is standard by which the -four is
weighed, and the farmer wants to know
when he receives it that is of full value.
The absolute fiat of d single individual is
just as good as the absolute fiat of any gov
eminent. Is it rational to suppose that any
farmer, however rich and prosperous he
might be esteemed by his fellows, could re-
duce his busllel measure to three pecks and
then sell his grain by that standard if he
bought OF and sold TO himself alone it would
make little difference how be measured and
it it afforded him any satisfaction to declare
he had a thousand bushels Of wheat, when in
reality there were only seven hundred and
fifty, it would hurt no ore to let him enjoy
the hallucnation. When he comes into COM
petition with his neighbors, however, it is
quite different thing. His fiat measure
will not be accepted then, however solemn
ly he may declare it is a bushel The stand
ard recognized by all is brought into requi-
sition, and by it his property dwindles to
three forths of its assumed value. In reali-
ty he has lost nothing. In Imagination he
~ VIZ PoOiCls 1iC Oilltu kOldttS W.
cupies precisely the same position in the
community of governments that an indvid-
ual does with reference to his fellows.
There can be real prosperity only when
the universal standard is used to measure
values, and no man may expect by legiti
mate undertaking to secure enc dollars
worth of value, unless he gives in exchange
Now that we have practically obviated all
differences of measurement, and in
adopting the standard stamped bg
the seal of Christendom, let us move forward
with the honest, earnest effort to secure that
which may be exchanged. We are on the
firmest monetary basis of any nation of the
world. When we have earned dollar now.
it may be laid aside with the assurance that
1t will not dwinde into nothing under the
whitening influence of depreciation. 1t pos
sessed values six thousand years ago, and
will stand as the representative of value
when all who read this will have passed
form earth's scenes, and their dust shall be
mingled with the common clods.