The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-06-15

The Cost Of War Not a National Debt.
Editor Representatives. To any enc
With fair knowledge Of the usual
method Of bookkeeping in ordinary
business life, or simply correct under
standing of the relative significance OF
the terms debit and credit the above
proposition l think can be demonstrated
beyond doubt or ground for controversy.
The soldier, during the period of war,
has severed himself from the service of
a citizen and becomes a public servant.
His family remain in citizenship and
still subsist upon his earnings, or the
value of his public service, which is
| now reproductive, like that of other
public servants in either civil or military
| life. For this public service all other
citizens who remain in private life owe
| the soldier subsistence for his family,
out of their earnings or property as citi-
Zens, and that gets around to the SOL
diers family through the process of tax
alton. But it nevertheless comes out OF
the citizens earnings, just as if a citi-
zen carried a dollars worth Of potatoes
| in basket directly to the home of the
soldiers family, in exchange for a dol
lars worth of public service already rem
dered by the soldier. The use of the
dollar in the transaction is purely that
OF ticket of exchange. 1t should sim
ply express credit in favor of public
service and a corresponding debit against
| the private services of citizens Thus
the service OF the soldier, like all other
| public service, effects a public credit and
private debt, or due from the citizen
| to his employee in the public service In
no other way can the account be justly
charged up. The dollar, then, is simply
the authentic evidence of a public claim.
based upon public service, against pri-
vate service, or against the earnings Of
the citizens, who thus owe their public
employs for his service, out Of the fruits
Of their private services as citizens
! This sort of exchange of services be-
tween soldier and citizen was effected
in our civil war with the greenback
| dollar, which had no other basis but
the public service, or public credit, al.
right of tender "for duties on imports
and interest on the public debt as II
these were more precious than the blood
of patriots This fiendisn exception was
! IN fi ID 1,xyf ho ;oe
| sharks who seek to again prostitute the
credit of this country as "basis" fol-
another prodigious pot Of Doodle. Had
there been no public service or public
credit as basis on which to issue the
| greenbacks, the deposit in the treasury
Of a little piece of gold instead, as a
| basis" would add no more to the eff
cheney or use of the greenback dollar
as an instrument OF exchange, than to
deposit the metal in the bottom of the
sea.
| When this war is over the service and
expense of it will have been performed
and rendered by the public, the sum total
Of which will be a credit in favor of
the nation and debt owed by the citi-
zens. The most expedient medium or
| means of expressing and evidencing that
! credit of the government, so that it may
| be circulated and understood by the citi-
| zens as a valid, acknowledged and cur
rent tender for their earnings or mar
ketable property, is the same greenback
money which the soldiers accepted in
the former war, but 1t should not be
MANNED, degraded and deprecated by
the same rascally restrictions.
! After whipping Spain it is pre-emi-
nently important that the soldiers have
carefully studied and understand this
matter BEFORE THEY LAY DOWN
| THEIR GUNS. p. A. BOOKER.
Rosenberg, Tex, May IA. 1898.