Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-07-12

AS MONEY becomes more plentiful it
is easier to get. Money is easier OBJ
tanned when it takes less labor and less
property to get given amount of it..
Money is cheap when labor and proper
ty are high. Money is dear when labor
and property are low. The advantage
of a higher level of prices is in the fact
that burdens of debt, taxes and rail-
road charges are lightened thereby. A
given amount of labor or labor's prod
ucts will under high range of prices
pay more debt, taxes and railroad
charges than it will under low range
of prices. The burdens of the people
of the United States are great. Nation
al, state, county and city taxes amount
to one billion and two hundred million
dollars every year; the railroads collect
oyer billion dollars year. The in
terest paid by the people annually
amounts TO not less than billion dol
lars every year. This is terrible bur-
den and no man can escape shoulder
ing more or less of it. The fairly we'll
to do man gets it the hardest, though
he may not owe dollar. He is able to
buy and on everything he buys there is
interest on money and railroad charges
in the price; he has property to be tax
ed. He may not see the burden and be
unconscious that he is bearing it, but
it may drag him down as it has mil
lions of others. The stupendous
amount OF the principal of the peoples
debts which most all are struggling to
and hope some day to be able to pay,
represents probably one third of the
value of all the property in the United
States. The Overtowering Importance
of the volume of money can be realized
when it is considered that every con-
traction of the volume increases the
burden and every expansion lightens it.
An issue of currency which would
double the money volume would reduce
the burden of debt one half. That is
to say, one-half the labor and products
1t now requires to pay fixed amount
would pay it. Such reduction in the
burdens of the people would bring i'm
mense prosperity. No strong arm
would be in enforced idleness. Billions
and billions of dollars worth of labor
and labor's products that people now
desire to but cannot get would be pur-
chased. The whole nation would be
one busy, happy scene. The refine
ment and other blessings brought by
prosperity would be visible everywhere.
Did you ever notice very, very poor
but worthy family come into the pos
session Of a small inheritance after
years of struggle to keep the wolf from
the door2 How they became encour-
aged to try to be somebody, what in
terest they began to take in education,
how we'll fitting clothes brought them
out, and how their old acquaintance
gave them so much more attention and
actually offered them substantial IA
vors? A reasonable amount of proper
ty certainly has most beneficial effect
The present is a struggle for bare ex-
istence by three-fourths of all the fami
lies in the United States, among which,
if they had fair incomes, would be de-
veloped the leaders of invention, of
science, art, true craftsmanship, and
progress generally. The road to pros
perity and fortune is plain, The gov
eminent should forthwith issue and
put in circulation enough full legal
tender paper money to bring about an
equitable level of prices.-Science of
Government.