Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-10
A FINANCIAL ALLEGORY.
An Easy Way to Pay GeSts-Lonely Valley
Tries 1t.

ace Whites Money and Banking, and
While it covers the whole ground thor
oughly and simply TO she student OF
finance. much OF il would be lost upon
the reader Who had not some previous
/ knowledge Of banks and banking,
United States treasury issues the mean
ing OF exchange, parity, ratios and IN
JernaCOl6l commerce. What can be
easily understood, and wherein lies the
heart CT the whole matter. is that no
earthly power Jr government can make
one-half equal . whole ana then 1t IS
easy only when we can ge, down 10 the
primary principle Cf credit and eX-
change and leave Olt the secondary and
o5scuring action @ artificial mediums
Of exchange, or. in other words, govern
msul created, debJ-paying money.
In the story Of Lonely Valley, OF
course, wheat represents gold; corn,
silver; the farmer, the agricultural
| debtor class. and the merchant, the
mercantile creditor class; the judge, the
| United States. whose fiat is relied upon
| TO make fifty cents worth Of silver
| equal to one hundred cents)
Lonely Valley was icha5ited by a
community OF farmers. 1t lay remote
| from railways and cities. Wheat and
| corn were its staple products. These
were sold at the only warehouse in the
valley. KEEP, by enc Simon Storekeeper.
He hauled the wheat and corn TO the
/ distant railroad station, sold them, and
supplied the farmers with agricultural
implements. seeds and general goods.
/ Very little money circulated, principal
| ~ small change. All the transactions
I between the warehouse and the farmers
/ we're based on credit, and every season
! the farmers around were more or less
! in debt until their crops were harvest
/ ed The credits were made by notes
! something as follows:
! LONELY VALLEY, Nov. -, 1873.
Received of Simon StOrekeeper one
hundred dollars worth OF credit for
goods. TO be paid ope month after next
harvest in wheat or corn by the buShel,
struck measure.
HEZEKTAH HAYCROP.
Witness: HARRY STANDBY.
For many years this state Of affairs
had continued. But early one spring a
sharp-faced. sQuint-eyed man came in
TO the neigaborh0Od and was noticed 10
be very busy among the farmers. while
he avoided SimOn's store, the general
place of gathering and gossip. He COM
planned of the nigh price Of wheat to
paw debts. one dollars credit bushel,
and the difficulty Of raising it, and set
forth the great advantages as a debt
payer Of the low price of corn, fifty
cents worth of credit a bushel, and its
easy cultivation He at last persuaded
the farmers that he could get friend,
a member of his society, OF party, as he
called il. TO run for judge of the County
Court. and. once in Office, give decis-
ion which would lawfully pay off all
debts at half price. while it doubled the
value of every farm in Lonely Valley.
They had only to plant corn, and plenty
of it. and very little wheat and vote
for his man for judge to witness a sud
den prosperity beyond their widest
dreams.
The farmers believed his plausible
arguments. The corn was planted; the
judge elected.
The judges first decision was on the
legal bearing and effect of one Of the
farmers notes TO Simon Storekeeper.
As soon as he heard of il Hezekiah
Haycrop posted off to pay his note,
chuckling all the way. He hitched his
horse in front Of Simon's door and un-
loaded one hundred bushels Of corn. He
found Simon within, sitting on -four
barrel. smiling and contented. and saw
at once that he new nothing Of the re-
cent decision.
How dye, Simon
"HOw's yourself. Hezekiah?"
"R.gnt peart. thankee. I want to
pay that note-got the truck outside in
the wagon"
All right: unload while I get the
note" Hezekiah had all he could do to
keep from laughing as he tOted in his
hundred bushels of corn.
He sat down and waited FOR Simon,
who soon came in with the note in his
hand.
Hello. Hezekiah." he exclaimed
when he saw the bags of corn. Il
thought YOU were going to pay the
whole note. Want to pay half, Ell, and
renew the balance? All right. You
and | have traded considerable, and
can accommodate YOU
Hezekiah began to feel tri6e badly,
and he spoke with a little hesitation.
well YOU see, Simon, our new judge
he had one of these notes brought up
vesterday-maybe you amt heard Of it
and he said bushel were bushel
ANYHOW YOU fix il, and one buShel was
as GOOD as another buShel, and buShel
of corn as good to pay debts as bush
81 of wheat. being a bushel anyway,
and I guess all we farmer folks is a
Going to pay that way. Ii is the law.
and we thinks. beings as we can raise
corn cheaper nor wheat, the corn is
What our Judge called legal tender
same as wheat. we've right to pay in
it,"
.Darn your new judge. always
tbongbt he was fool from wayback.
And Won. Hezekiah. want me 10 take
q hundred bushels of corn. worth nifty
dollars after haul it TO market. for
one hundred bushels of wheat, worth
one hundred dollars in good credit. be-
cause a bushel is a bushel an the court
saws so. do you? IL is an outrage; a
cheat. Your new judge is a fraud. -
Its the Law. Simon
Leave your old corn, Hezekiah. I'M
I'll / see it is the law. | don't believe
H.
All right. nelghbor; III come to-