Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-10-07

SOME AFRICAN MONEY.
IL Consista OF Slaves, with Babies and
Children For small Change.

Children For small Change.
Amy recital Of recent currency expert
enccs would be imperfect that failed 10
call attention to certain anomalous As
cal troubles that have lately bofallen tho
people of ono Of tl.e negro states Of west
ern Africa and which have not yet
passed into history TO I'm extent that
they merit
As is we'll known, the governments
of the leading states Of Europe, with
u view of increasing their CONNER
cial advantages through the acquire
mcnt of new markets, have, within u
comparatively rncent period greatly in
crcasod their territorial domains aud
government in and over what is regard
cd us unciviliged Africa Thus tho Brit.
ish government is rapidly occupying u
vast tract Of territory geographically
known rs Nigrita from tho circum.
stance that II is travcrscd by, or is con.
tiguous to, tho ancient and once mystic.
rious river Niger; and ono Of the Nigri.
tian kingdoms that has most recently,
and after considerable fighting, passed
under British rule and European ideas
and enterprise, is that Of Nupe, which
through u considerable Arab population
is to an extent u commercial country
and to whom the advent Of the English
was probably not mwelcomo The cur
rcncy of this Kingdom and its popula-
tion was mainly slaves with. inforon-
italy, slave babies and children serving
as subsidiary money media
1t might also perhaps no inferred
that white babies would be considered
n counterfeit circulating medium and
octoroons himetallic, The carrying round
Of two or thiro tabies to mako change
would certainly be rather difficult and
when they cried 1t might be regarded as
on account of initiation. But anyway u
serious financial difficulty is reported
TO bc impending in Nup6; for as tho
British government does not sanction
or tolerate slavery tho interesting Ques-
ton has naturally arisen, What arc tho
people Of Nupo going to do for money,
or rather for currency win u party
arise, rs in tho United States, who will
manfully contend for tho maintenance
of tho dollar of their fathorsy" VIII
not some "Nuptan" Bryan SGT forth in
fitting language the wickcdnoss Of tho
decentralization of former Nupean cur.
rcncyY
What better use can Senator Tel.
Ter mako of his disquistou on tho
benefits that accrued 10 tho ancient
Spartans when they substituted iron
money in nlnee of their former cnttle
COW and pig currency, than TO send II
largo number of copies of II for general
distribution on tho banks of tho Niger
How tho heart Of ex-senator Potfer Of
Kansas must rejoice at tho historical
vindication Of his Rxiomntic financial
principle that "it matters not Of what
money IL made or what its intrinsic
value isl"
Would 1t not be the part Of wis.
dom for President Mckinley to in
struct his monetary missionaries, after
they have got through with thoir search
in Europe FOR information about cur.
rcncy around tho tables of royalty, to
journey forthwith To west Africa, visit
Nupt and learn from tho Nup6ans their
opinions as to the effect of cheap money,
contingent ON successful slave hunt;
and also whether thoir former money
had not much to commend II by reason
of its remarkable properties for leg)
circulntionp II certainly could not have
stnid long IN ono place without watch.
ing David A. Wells In Tarper's
Weekly