Natchitoches populist., 1898-07-29
VOL. ".
MONEY AND TRADE.
RESTRICT THE FORMER AND
THE LATTER is HURT.
the Policy Of the Republican Party
Seems to Be to Restrict Both Money
and Trade for the Benefit Of the
MonOpolies.

Barter is out of date 1t was always
TN unwieldy system, and during it's use
trade moved slowly. 1t was because Of
this slow movement of trade that the
barter system had to be finally aban-
aoned. A general medium of exchange
took its place. This medium we call
currency. 1t is valuable just in the de-
gree that 1t allows business to move
freely and quickly. Any restriction Of
the currency decreases the value of the
general system to the public, but in
creases the value of every unit to the
Individual possessing it.
Money is a vehicle of transfer as
much as a cart or bushel measure II
a quantity of anything has to be trans
rerred to certain place the fewer the
carts available the longer will it require
TOR the transfer, II mountain of dirt
has to be moved to another place the
number of laborers that can be en-
ployed in the work will be determined
by the number of carts that can be Sc
cured for the work. It is not otherwise
In the great domain of commerce. When
the volume of money is too small for
the proper conveying Of values the first
result Is idle laborers When trade is
normal there should be no idle labor.
The Increase of population should make
no difference in this principle, for when
new laborer comes into the field new
consumer of labor comes also. II con-
ditions are right the consumer will al
ways use up all that the producer can
make. The world has never been too
fun OF goods ii they could only be dis
trtbuted.
While there have never been in the
world more goods than the people could
use If they could get them, yet the in
crease of goods has almost always been
more rapid than the increase of the
currency Increase the currency as
rapidly as goods increase, and you
thereby increase the consuming power
OF every man, woman and child. In
crease the currency as fast as the goods
Increase and prices keep up, while the
volume OF exchange increases as rapid
ly as the goods. Under our civilization
money has become the key to material
happiness. If we restrict its volume
we decrease the happiness of the whole
world, for we lay upon all men the ne
cessity OF waiting for their share of
good things till the carts that are in
30 great demand get around to deliver
ing to each one portion of goods. AS
the carts can never catch up with the
work they have to do, nearly all of the
people must put up with small share
OF what really belongs to them.
In the face Of these great truths we
ind a party in every nation bending it's
energy to restrict the currency. 1t
proudly tells the world that it is work
Ing for more valuable dollar" and
.hopes thereby to benefit mankind. AS
the only way to make the dollar more
valuable Is to restrict the number of
dollars, the process is easy. If it be
true that what hampers trade distresses
the people, then there is no figuring out
the misery that has been caused by the
party OF restrictions in the United
States alore.
There are to be congressional elec-
Eions TITS fall and the people will have
the opportunity to declare in favor OF
the free flow Of trade or of its restric-
ton. The man that votes for the party
Of the gold standard votes to place be-
yond the reach Of himself and family a
part of the goods belonging by rights
to himself. Only in the party that
would coin to their full volume both
gold and silver can be found the true
developers Of trade and conferers OF
happiness. -H. F. Thurston.