Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1897-09-17
Man and Money.

A long illustrated article showing
how money grew out OF the use OF
things to square uneven trades 70
often published. 1t is noticeable
that none of the original articles had
any value in use. The truth is,
money tokens were inventions, like
postal stamps of today. Why should
these stamps be made out OF any
thing having any value in the mar
kets? No sooner were governments
permanently established than the
collection of the taxes to maintain
soldiers, sailors and civil officers be-
the most important business. Bands
of officials went about gathering up
grain, cattle, horses and other things,
while others were engaged in aklng
care of tho kings revenues and dis
tributing them among the creditors
of the government. Just as some
one invented the stamp to save troub
ie and work in the postoffice, 20
someone hit on plan to avoid all
this work and expense in collecting
taxes. Billets of wood and wedges
of metal called coigns were given to
the soldiers and others, so they could
go forth and collect their own dues.
Dur words "bill, coin and billetlng
soldiers upon the people" came from
che use of this kind of money. Their
use saved at least half OF the ex-
pense Of tax gathering. Can any
one conceive Of any reason why
these bills and coins should have
been made out Of costly precious
metal? The one sole thing money
can do is to pay debt or difference
arising out Of business in our daily
life, and any acceptable legal ten
der token will do this. And as gov
ernments have always been the
greatest creditors and debtors OF all,
they should issue it. And as the
public is constantly owing the con-
stantly accruing revenues and gov
ernments are in turn constantly ow-
ing them all back again to their en-
ployees, who are hundreds OF thou
sands, among the people these gov
eminent tokens are the very thing
the advocates of precious metals
claim for their tokens or coins-na
mely, payment. owe want gold be
cause it is final payment" is theil
last strongest argument when driv
en- to the wall. Very well then. w
want greenbacks because they ar
payment, and, what is better, ar
cheap, and, what is best, there 10 Mt
waste or usury in employing them
That is the rub. Usury is what yo'
are after. And strange to say, yo'
who are demanding the use OF gol'
today are fit representatives on
large scale of the goldsmiths AM
bankers of the Dark Ages, by who's
influence all the governments wer
induced to make their once simpl
money tokens out of gold. This i
how it occurred. The goldsmith
were the only bankers in those days
Any curious reader who will tax
up Soott's fortunes of Nigel wi
learn fine illustration of this. ]
was splendid trade. Dealing onl
in precious stones and metals, wha
grand opportunities they had. B
sweating and clipping few colr
and surrounding any pretty stor
with the gliding they could indut
q Queen or court favorite to run /
debt to enormous extents. Natura
ly they hated those plain, popula
money tokens and induced poop
to believe gold is the money mac
by the fiat of omnipotence. In thu
way a useful instrument for facil
tating exchanges was abused, a
though it did not inconvenience tt
masses in those times so much, SCI
ing they continued to use lead an
hand made nails and other articl'
for a long time, and the highway
and commons, fisheries and turbi
ries were free; mills ground for tol
1t was not until our later age tn:
money became as the very breat
of life, and the moneyless man, b.
cause of a thousand artificial want
is no better than a serf. He mu
telegraph, use the mil. buy a tho'
sand things he once made, do man
acts as citizen, requiring none
or sink into the class of beggars an
tramps. "Why did you not atten
court?" 81 had no money to com
nor decent clothes to wear" "Pa
fine or go to iail,f' is the law for