Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-03-06
THE MONEY QUESTION
DISCUSSED BY HON. ABE JONES
Some Fanatical P0pullstic Ideas Pro
mulgated by this Scion of
journalism.

1t is claimed that the last two presi
dental elections have been won on the
money issue, and to improve on the re
marks of the maiden lady, "Miss
Ophelia," in Uncle Toms Cabin; "How
shiftless," would make it how silly.
What is money? You can't eat it.
wear it; can't keep warm by burning
it. 1t is merely a convenience in ex-
change, given for something you have
not. for something you want. To illus
trate-if you want to 60 to u theatre
where the tickets are so cents, Instead
of taking a bag Of potatoes worth SO
cents, you take piece of gold, siver or
paper that passes for tn. same, and if
the audience is 1000 in number it saves
the company vast amount of trouble
in changing 10Oc bushels of potatoes
into cash. Or if you 60 to church and
the hat is passed, it is better to drop in
dime or nickel than head Of cabbage,
bunch Of turnips, or plug of tobacco,
for the deacons might use the tobacco
and the vegetables might spoil before
they realized any cash from them.
The history of the world shows that
money in the form Of gold, silver or
paper is not absolutely essential to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Show me q millionaire who is as
happy as when q penniless, barefoOted
boy in the old home of poverty. The
aborigines of this country, before white
men stole their birth.right, lived upon
the fat of the land; they had no money
except wampum, which was nothing
but beads and shells, and yet it served
in all their transactions with their
neighbors. The revolutionary war
against the most powerful government
in the world at that time was fought
to victory with no money to back 1t
except the old Continental money,
worth not over 10 cents bushel. The
southern Confederacy with their brave
and skillful soldiers gave this country
the hardest struggle it ever had, when
it took $75 90 of their money to buy a
pair of boots. Had their cause been
just they might have won. England's
2OO, 900 soldiers in South Africa, with
unlimited money to back them, are
kept guessing what the little handful
of patriotic Beers will do next. The
Filipinos, who have no money that
anybody knows Of, are still causing
Uncle Sam a heap Of trouble and ex-
pense, to say nothing of the lives lost,
any one of which the entire outfit OF
islands is not worth enough to pay the
loss.
What fixes the market value of GOLD
and silver? Is it for mechanical pur
poses-to make into jewelry and watch
cases? If so, should silver become tn,
prevailing fashion for such things, i
would be worth as much. per ounce a
gold. But no matter what materia
money is made of, it is not money unit
an old uncle of whom some have acci
dentally heard puts his signature to it
that and that only makes it good
Suppose farmer with l6O acresf O
good land, owing nothing, should Civ
his note for 500 at per cent. Where
ever he was known that note woul'
sell at q premium, and the longer tn
time the greater the premium. Why
Because the backing is good. Uncl
Sans backing is good and al. the worl'
knows 1t.
What is meant by the gold standard
Less than twenty Rockefellers can owl
or control all the gold in the world
Why put the basis OF our money in tn
hands of few men who already con
troll too much of the affairs Of the gov
ernment? Why let $4,000. 900 of voter
be turned from matters of importanc
by the sham of what kind of none,
we shall use? 1t looks very much a
though the bugbear was gotten up t
turn the attention of the people iron
more serious questions.
| Your correspondent, Mrs. Nasse
gives very interesting account O
Montana. and / thank her very mucl
for her mOtherly advice on poultry, bu
nevertheless, am, under the pressure O
circumstances, obliged to ignore it Il
the extent of one setting of eggs any
how. ABE JONES.
| A good joke is told of little Rutl
| D.uan Aa sho sfnrfnd To schnol III