Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-09-28
Interest,
Interest for the use of money is un

just.
B and G are neighbors. borrows
ten pounds of -four till he can take
wheat to mill. The flour is returned
without increase. Csborrows ten bush
els of wheat until the next harvest.
B asks no interest. Why should he?
He has lost nothing. Indeed he has
been favored. He has been relieved
from all risk of fire, from dampness
and destruction by mice or other ver-
min. c borrows $40 and buys a plow.
He sells his crop, returns B his $40
and so cents interest. These cases are
parallel. B had little or no use for
his money or he would not have loan
ed it.
The money did not guide the plow
in its work. 1t was not harmed in
the transaction and was returned in
| like good valuation as received. The
man handled the material-gold, silver
or paper, that represented the value
of the plow. The soil, the man, the
plow, the horse, the sun and rain all
had share in producing tie crop Of
wheat. Where does the money come
in? 1t had no part or lot in the pro-
cess. Why should it be rewarded? B
was saved all care of his money. He
had no risk Of fire or burglar. Can
any logic given a reason why B
should be paid that eight per cent in
terest?
If c had borrowed a plow of B for
h is field work, the whole transaction
would have been changed. The value
of the plow would have been dimin-
ished twenty per cent or more, and
B could have justly claimed per cent
for it's use. But instead of interest
| the per cent paid would have been
rent.
1t will be noticed there is a wide
difference between interest and rent.
We pay rent for house, farm or
boat these things have limit of life.
Rain and sun, frost an and heat and
rust are destructive. The house crum-
bles, the land fails to yield crop and
the boat ceases to float.
Not so with money. 1t is not a ma
terial no more than is friendship. Like
friendship it is an abstract idea, exist
ing only the mind. am right. You
cannot find money with your fingers.
You can feel the paper or silver that
carries or supports the sign of money
but the money itself is only an idea
of value represented by the characters
on the paper or silver.
| One paper bill represents the value
of hat, another the value of a horse,
tnlrd bill, the value of farm, and
several of them together, represent
the value of mill or factory. In a
book of accounts you see money on
every page, but you see no printed
bills, silver or gold. The 5 mark rep
resents the value of groceries, cloth
ing, etc, in dollars and cents, of what
ever is entered in the account. Money
is an incident of living and active
government, that collects and dis
burses revenue Its Office and function
is the exchange of values betw cen the
government and its subjects and be-
tween its citizens.
Such is money. 1t can do nothing
it can earn nothing, it can create moth
ing. 1t is not shelter, or food, or
clothing, or property. 1t is simply an
idea and of itself can claim no re-
ward when returned to its owner
When a rented house is returned to
its owner, it is of less value than when
rented, and the rent paid is in justice
due the owner to make up that less
value. But the lender of money gives
nothing for the interest he collects,
and the borrower gets nothing for the
interest he pays. The house is shell
ter, the land gives a crop, but money
is barren. 1t gives nothing. Interest
is robbery.
You borrow money and change it
into field, house or boat. At first
| lEou6ul tue lOdu Vi lue money WOulQ
be equalized to the loan of the field
house or boat. But not so. The own
er Of the field would receive it back
with the loss of crop, and the house
or boat would be nearer the end of
their usefulness" Rev. J.B. Con-
verse. But money never wears out
and will last while the government
stands. 'i
Mr.. D Buys a farm and gives his
note and mortgage for the same. If
he is able to pay the interest e per
cent? and keep the mortgage aloft, in
nine years he will have paid in inter-
est the price Of his farm-$2, ,000--and
his debt reduced not dollar. The man
holding DIS note has received the ST.
900, paid some $3.50 taxes and has left
more than s1.400 for which he has
hardly turned over his hand. 1t is
pretty hard for the farmer but a grand
success for the other fellow. The
interest was growing every day in the