Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-10-09
"THIs rs A DOLLAR.


Mayor and Clerk NV the corporashen
and ez they are printed in two colorl
with q green back, they look ez good
ez any money ever saw.
The question wuz how to get em
into circulashen, Money amt good
for nothin onless it cirkelatee, and 90
the Council resolved on a system NV
internal improvements to git EN- out.
Accordingly they let the follerin
cOntrax:
A new City Hall to cost $25O,OOO.
Publick skool bilding to cost 3d.
600. (This wuz considered extrava.
CANT, but the main pint is to git the
money into cirkelashen)
A ship canal to connect Confedrit
Run with Sucker erik. Ez ther ain't
no. water NV any akkount in either, a
ingenious system NV artesian wells
hez to be bored, and sufficient water
to float steem boat is to be pumped
into em by steem engines. The esti-
matid cost Nv this necessary improve
ment is one million NV dollars.
A narrer-guage railroad to con-
meet the Corners with Secessionville
on the Louisville road, cost $780, 600.
A plank road to Davisville to cost
100000.
Steem fire engines and a complete
fire department to cost $4,000.
This is ez fur ez the Council hez
got, but other appropriations will be
made for other improvements ez fast
ez the money is wantid to git into
cirkelashen, that being the main pint
now.
The contrax WIZ all let to citizens
Nv the Corners, mostly to members
Nv the Council, and they wuz all bas-
ed on the price NV drink, plane, so
cents. The Council he'd the money
printed to pay the contractors with.
Ez we didn't want to wait long be-
fore the era Nv prosperity sot in, it
wuZ votid that each contrakter shood
hev an advance nv rs per cent. on the
amount nv his contrack, that the mOn-
ey mite be got into cirkelashcn tn
wunst., and the good eflex mite be
felt immejitly. This wuz done, and
some $500, 600 wuz paid to em.
The effeck is terrific. The wages
Nv labrin men hez gone up to 81 q
day, and it is difficult to prokoor EN-
at that. Whisky hez riz to so cents a
drink, without sugar, and 70 with.
The groanin shoemaker wich used
to git 10 for a pare nv stogy boots is
getting $40 now, and he amt particu-
lar about selling even at that price.
Everybody hez got all the money
they want, and the Corners is baskin
in the Deems NV onlimitid prosperity.
This fiat money is big thing.
The only spot on our shining sun is
Bigler and Pollock. They refooze to
fetch our money at all, and ez they
keep goods wich we musa hev it's in
convenient. And then Joe goes
about askin all sorts NV fool questions.
He wants to know who's ever goin TO
redeem the money? He wants to
know wat good this money is agoin
to be in Looisville wher our supplies
come from primarily! He wants to
know who is agoin to pay the taxes
for all these improvements, and how
we will feel when the bubble busts,
and we are left with an immense debt
onto our shoulders.
answered him that he didn't know
nothin about finanseerin. That the
very essence NV fiat money wuz that
it wuzn't never to be redeemed, that
the people wuz takin it for thcir
goods and labor, and that they wool
pay it out for more goods and labor,
and that 1t would keep on forever in
one endless round.
"But," said Josef, "the contractors
hev got to hev iron and tools and
things, and the laborers hev got to
hev shoes and great deal Of likker
and little suthin to eat occasional;
ly. It's all very we'll SO long ez they
kin trade among themselves, but how
will it be in Louisville? Will they
take it there ~
That is the cloud that hangs over
US. Will they take it in Louisville
where we hev to buy our goods?
We must move on the Legislachel
and git tho State to adopt the Cor.
ners' idee, and then we must 60 tc
Congris and compel the isshooin Nv
fiat money by the General Govern.
ment, maxim il legle tender wherever
the flag floats. And that it may bt
got into cirkelashen the General Gov
ernment must be paternal, and mus
initiate the Corners in the matter Nv
internal Improvement. There mus
be ship canal from Chicago to Tole
do, the Erie Canal must be enlarged
so as to pass the Great Eastern, tn,
whole Mississippi Valley must bs
kivered with levees and everything
else, there must be Custom Housel
and Post Offices built in every city
and village, and ez for raleroads
Lord bless us, they must be bull
from everywhere to everywhere, ani
all at the expense NV the Governmen
for the purpose Nv gittin fiat money
into cirkelashen in sufficient vollum
to meet the requirements NV trade
Ef the bloatid bondholders want I,
keep their bonds, all rite, only the,
must take principle and intrest in thi
kind nv money. Them ez are helt
abroad shood be repoodiatid to
wunst, and hev done with EN-.
Their are forty milyuns NV people
in this kentry, and insist that enui
public works shood be put through 4
give every man, woman and child II
tho Yoonyun at least $1,000 NV mon
ley. A helthy war wood git IL int
lcirkelashen faster, but am averse I,
bloodshed. am ~ tender In m,
feelins ez am broad in my finanshe
vews.
i This is my finanshel noshnns, bu
they Amt original with me. Tn
Dimocratic and Nashnel feeders ar
holdin the same noshens in mod