New-York tribune., 1878-03-30
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
CHEAP MONEY FOR POOR PEOPLE.

| LETTERS fROM LIE '1OA
CHEAP MONEY FOR POOR PEOPLE.
sUcCoR FOR THE DEBTOR CLAss-A FLAW IN ihs
BLAND BILL-SIx WAYS OF MAhiN" "o
WANTED, A SEVENTH.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: How shall the "mpecunious" remonetlze'
That ia the question Of the hour. That is what We
want to know. All of us who belong to that cWsS
(the debtor class they call us) want to know no"
we can re-monry-tise Penty of money cheap money,
money of almost any sort, il 1t costs little anu VIII
pass for 40 good as the best. is what we go for |;
honestly il we can get IL. but go for it anyway
Indeed, we should like to make money, and then we
could say with the honest counterfeiter, Il know IL
is good for made 1t myself But If old-fashioned
people at the East have still some scruples about
permitting the respectable debtor class do that let
us at least re-money-tze in part by stamping dol
lars yalue on ninety-twO cents and make eight per
cent by that operations; for that method of making
money in homeopathic doscss not called counterfeit
ing, even in good society. That is a shrewd money
transaction, you know. 1t Is what they call finan-
cerng. Well we should like that as tar as 1T goes
II we could only do enough business at eight per
cent, we could in time, get rich. 1t is trte more
profitable as well as respectable than manufactur-
ing nckles.
If only we were permitted to manufacture the
niney-two-cent dollars and pass them for one-hun-
dred-cent dollars, there might be some chance for
lis " impecupiOus" fellows to make something Pos
sibly we might in that make very respectable
looking dollar for less than nInety-two cents. But
an unreasonable and tyranncal Government does
not permit the poor man to go into the business OF
making poor mans dollar. Even if we were to put
hundred cents worth of silver into our private
coinage it is a question whether we might not De
adudged guilty of crime as readily rewardaple
with free board and lodging in the penitentlary as
Is the counterfeiting of Government promises 10
pay. r. then the Government alone can CON
money, for whom shall it make silver dollar worth
02 cents, stamping it, "In God we trust, but the
Devil we serve" or "The Dollar Of the Daddies,"
or "The Poor Devils Dollarl' If it would do it for
me- and find the silver to do 1t with, 1t might be OF
some advantage to a "Oose man. in tight place
But | can't see how in this world ! am
to get even the 02-cent dollar without earning
ID. And wha, if. to earn it, should have 10 work
lust as hard and as long as now do for lOO-cent
dollar! The creditor class may be COM
PEELED to lose $4,000 on every Cygoorndd million On
know what We the debtor class are TO gam by IT.
II II is to cost me much honest toll as much mus
ce-srain and brain-sweat to earn the short-welght
money rs to earn dollars worth 100 cents each,
people may laugh at TINT patient, gull
Die. ong-eared, thstle-eatng institution, the
American People and & they clay nay h shout % bum 1l
IL
bugw But the debtor class rubs its eyes, and wakes
up when it is too late and finds it has been fooled
have been sold, yes given away: fairly caught ~
the staI-trap had set for my creditors. lthought
cheap money would help me pay my debts, even II
paid nv creditors eighty dollars on a thousand
less than borrowed of them. But ind that IL mas
cost me Just as much for drdJ dollars as 1t should
have cost for those of full weight. L am c0mlorted
with the thought that il | had made no effort 10 90
my creditors out of at least part OF what loWetheh
nobody would have accouutedme a sllrewd man, and
ImiQht even have been cassed with those stupid old
fogies who don't know any better than topay nun
dred cents on "a dollar -
and crooked whiskey, we are not up with the times
If we can't afford crooked money. But we OF the
West are not happy, after all, II we must
pay a thousand dollars for every nine nun
drsd and twenty dollars worth of silver com
with which To play this little game OF hocus-
pocIIs with those mortal enemies OF ours, VINO ac-
commoda;ed us with loan which we were glad 10
get on their terms and which we should be giadder
vet to repudate on our own terms. We Try 10 put "a
faIr face on the matter, and To rejoice that Con-
uess in which there are no demagogueS cares ior
the interests of the duped and down-trOdden debtor
CLASSES for whose sole benefit governments were con-
sttuted but after all, We don't see how we are to
make anything by it, II Congress wlll so lesislale ate
for 100 all right Alas, there are
but six well known ways OF money getting: 10 Ilhu
il to receive il a. gitt TO It, TO beg TO borrow
and to steal IT, We don't lind much now, people are
getting to be so careful about losing it; few OF Us
have rich rciatlons most OF us have strained our
credit TO the utmost III the o0rrowhg Iihe stea.ns
is quite popular and might do very weliit we were
NOT troubled with an ncoDvenient conscience, ana
if our theoogians would insure us against any lu-
ture rendering of accounts we are TOO lazy 10 Deg;
and TO work we are ashamed. What Is the use or
having Congress If 1t can't dilute what little money
the poor man has, so as To make II d0ube ltS pay
ing poweri What is all Its boasted wisdom wSith
if il can't discover or invent seventh way by when
a poor fellow can get even a. 02-cent collar WIN
which to pay 10O-cent debti L. c.
Jacksonville, Ill.,, March 20, 1873.