Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1878-06-22
Moses Hawks Financial Reform.

No better illustration of the fallancy
of the doc rints advocated at present by
the national party-ti,e issuing by the
Government OF paper bearing upon its
face not a promise to pay real money
but declaration that tile paper itself
is C S i-can be fou d than IN the story
OF Moses Hawks. currencv. 1t is par
tichlarly pertinent here. for this vicinity
was the scene of the action aud the &C.
centric Moses is still remembered bv Il
majority of our people. 1t has been 60
ing on the rounds of the press. and some
errors of detail have crept in, which We
have corrected. and the story is not at
all new TO some of our readers.
Hiwks at one time was engaged in
publishing paper at Orscgo, and LATER
in the same business at Aliegan. but lac
was not an editor of the Journal. as some
papers have recently Started. This was
ia early years. before the last war and al
ter wild cat, "blue pup" tim IS Moses
was queer chip. and took his bitters in
the morning aud all other times of tie
day;tnd that same token got him into no
end OF ridiculous scrapes, boil, editori1iiy
and personally. When the printing
business did not pay Moses pat la time
iii Shing!e shaaty of his own in oar
neighboring town OF Otsego, and iu flush
TINES would turn again To the types
Hawks Was prominent man in Otsego.
ana at one time when currency was scarce
Dec iuse nobody had anything to buy
with il. a bright idea struck him. and he
Determined TO issue quantity ''ail-
equate to the requirement of business
Tie went into the office one morning and
printed large batch of promises To
pSy-quarier>, halves aud doll ,rS-and
| occupied, several days in fixing the att
| tograplls Of Moses Hawks 10 every one
o, them. Hawks, that is. Moses. was
now wealthy man aud possessed of uH-
limited reSOu. ccS.. He bought every
thing offered for sale, and paid his new
currency, ard also loaned it TO his neigh
bOrS. The thing worked like charm
| until tax time, when something better
WAS required. Everybody had sold
their ''Iruck" and tlken Hawks CURRENCY
iu payment. The people Hooked TO
HAwk> aud demanded redemption. He
! redeemed by issuing new batch of
scrip ans: more of it, Prior IT, this the.
scrip had passed currently among the
people, but iiie new issue had so Inflated
| tie '-ciiirency" that the people refused
10 receive it longer, il navng become so
plentiful as to be worthless. Merchants
aud dealers had sold their goods fer the
stuff. but could not buy any more with
1t. Hawks was bankrupt and could not
redeem, and the people were in bad
plight.
One morning stranger presented him
self to Hawks at Pine Creek, Hear OtsegO,
and demanded that he should redeem
some that be Gle strangely had received
at Saugatuck, where he had been to look
alter some business matters. Hawks lie
cl;ned the accommodation The stranger
| then asked: This is good is it not. Mr.
Hawks ?''
''Good thunder" replied Hawks. cit
ought TO be, tor every man, woman. and
child within 90 miles of this place has a
peck to Il half bushel of it."
But, Mr.. Hawks you redeem don't
you?"
Redeem HI :" exclaimed Moses. sit
| wasn't made to redeem; it was made to
circulate! !"
Anda5 this day there are men going
about Allegan county advocating what
| would be only "A repetition of Old Moses
experiment on grander S''ale.