Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-09-03
DEAN SWIFTON SOUND MONEY
Famous Fight Against Woods
Half-PenCe.
IACHEAp CURRENCY FOR IRELAND
Knocked Out by the Powerful
Drapier's Letters"
Thcy Were written by the Great Dean of
st. Patrick's in Opposition to Scheme OF
Cheap money-some Timely Illustrations
From the Letters


In 1724, in Dublin, appeared the first of |
the famous @Drapier's Letters" written |
by Jonathan Swift, Dean of st. Patrick S, |
against the introduction of a debased cop |
per courage in Ireland. In the light of
present political events, these old pamph- |
lets have a special interest, quite apart
from their literary merit, and some slight
account Of them may be interesting to the
newspaper reader of to-day.
The occasion of Swift's letters was the
attempted introduction of woods half
pence" into Ireland. William Wood was
an English ironmaster, who, by divers
underhand dealings with Wafpole and
the Duchess of Kendall Involving. it was
. said, bride of 10000 to the latter),
had obtained patent from the English
government to coin f10S,000 worth of
copper money for Ireland. Each pound
avoirdupois of copper worth twelve
pence) was to be coined into half-penee
and farthings valuing half-a-crown. His
patent was to run for fourteen years only,
and the quantity for the whole term was
limited to 800 tons of copper. A rent of
$500 per annum was to be paid to the
King, and f200 to the Comptroller OF the
Currency. 1t was alleged by those in
terested in the patent that Irish industry
of copper coin; but as the whole circulat-
ing medium of Ireland at that period was
reckoned at no more than f400,000, the
utmost amount of copper necessary was
calculated at less than f25,000 in addi-
ton to what was already in use. To coin
and force into circulation f10S,000 of
''brass," as Swift contemptuously calls it,
meant that the store of gold and silver,
too small already, would inevitably he
driven out, that foreign exchanges would
be turned against the country, and that
Irish commerce, struggling and precarious
at the best, would be dealt a staggering
blow.
A universal agitation at once arose
against woods half-pence." Not only
the financial part of the scheme was hate
full to the people, but the overbearing at
titude of the English government in en-
forcing private contract against ma
tional protest reused Irish popular feeling
to fever-heat. Swift, throwing himself
into the controversy with his usual wit
and bitterness, became the mouth-piece
of the nation. The first tDrapier's Let
ter" was published early in 1924, and it.
effect was immediate in rousing and en-
couraging the people, who felt that a pow
erful leader was now at their head.
In this letter, published, of course
anonymously, Swift introduces himself
to the 'tradesmen, shopkeepers, farmers
and country people in general of the king
dom of Ireland as "a drapier, by nam
NJ. b." with "a pretty good shop of Irisl
stuffs and silks" and a love for his coun
try that prompts him to write, thong
with no learning or fine language ut hi
command, against -the brass halfpenc
coined by William Wood, hardware
with a design. to have them pass into thi
Kingdom" He begins by telling his reat
ers of the doubtful means by which Woo
has obtained his patent, and the debase
coin which he is now issuing, and advise
no one to receive it.
ssFor the common soldier. when he goe
TO the ale-house, or market, will offer th
money; and if he be refused, perhaps h
will swagger and hector, and threaten
beat the butcher or alewife, or take til
goods by force, and throw them the ba
half-pence. In this case, the shopkeepe
or yictualler, or any other tradesmal
has no more to do than to demand te
times the price of his goods, if it is to |
paid in Woods money, and not part wit
his goods till he gets the money.
For suppose you go to an ale-hou.
with that base money, and the landloi
Hifto gou u quart lUuE VI LlOSh nhl
x 1pence, what must the victualler do? TIL
brewer will not be paid in that coin-o
If the brewer should be such d fool, Il
farmers will not take it from them Fl
their barley, because they are bound, |
their leases, to pay their rent in good al
lawful money of England, which this
not, nor of ireland either; and the SOUR
their landlord, will never be so bewitch
to take such trash for his land; so that
must certainly stop somewhere or othe
and wherever it stops, it is the same thin
and we are all undone,"
Swift gives his humor full sway in t
next passage: "The common weight
these half-pence is between four and fl
to an ounce; consequently twenty shi
y ings will weigh six pounds butter weigl
Now there are many hundred farme
who pay f200 year rent; therefor
when one of them comes with his ha
years rent, which is f100, it will be
least GOO pounds weight, which is thu
horses load. If squire has mind
come to town to buy clothes and wine Il
" spices for himself and family, OF perha
to pass the winter here, he must bri
with him five or six horses well laden w
sacks, MS the farmers bring their col
and when his lady comes in her coach
loaded with Mr.. Woods money.
They say Squire Connolly (then Speal
of the Irish House of Commons) |
sE fl6,O0O year; now he must have Z
horses to bring up his haIf-year's re
and two or three great cellars in his hol
\ for storage. But what the bankers v
do l cannot tell, for l am assured ii
\ some great bankers keep by them E40.(
"A in ready cash, to answer all paymen
\ which sum, in Mr.. Woods money, wo
require 1000 horses to carry.
For my own part, / am already
solved what to do; | have pretty g,
NJ shop of Irish stuffs and silks. and inst,
of taking Mr.. Woods copper, l intend
traffic with my neighbors, the butch
and bakers and brewers, and the r,
goods for goods; and the, little gold a
silver have | will keep by me, like
hearts blood, till better times, or Ill
am just ready to starve; and then | ,
buy Mr.. Woods money, as my father
the brass money in King James til
who could buy Flo of it with guin
and a hope to get as much for a pist,
and so purchase bread from those "
will be such fools as to sell.''
In the second letter, boycott 1.-THE fl
we may notice, in Irish history--if,
deed, it may be rightly called so, sill
Capt. Boycott was yet UNBORN was
vised by Swift: Let MS mark and
serve those who presume to offer tn
,half-pence in payment. Let their nan