The independent., 1903-04-30
NOT GUILTY
Captain Ashby Replies to the Charge OF
pt--t-. M.ds bv afr TheobaId

Editor independents: returning
from Oklahoma and Kansas where the
exigencies of my profession as an at
torney took, and detained me, l lnd
two communications from person
announcing himself blushingly as an
economist. and James Theobald OF
Hackensack, N. j., tpopulisD by
name.
Aside from the charge OF plaglar-
ism made by this person, there Is
nothing. which, standing alone, Would
call for any reply from me; because
his confused nlutterings upon the sup
iect of value" do not rise to the als-
nity of criticism, and are the mere
,,,o;,.hings of one who adVertlses nlm-
self as a retailer of hearsays. and
slave of an ignorant past. HIS only
intellectual aliment consists OF near
saws which he finds in print, and any
absurdity is satisfying to his appe-
fife if only he can find it set forth au-
thoritativeiy in the writings OF ceie-
hrated men from the Stagylte to Del
Mar A great name is the only guar
antv demanded by him as CONDITION
to his acceptance of any theory Whe-
ther rational or absurd.
He saws: But while thus disagree
ing with Mr.. Ashby's premises, l cor
daily assent to his conclusion that
money and coins are widely distinct
fdifferent) from one another, the ial-
ter being merely the symbols Oh Tue
former
The reason this economist assigns
for this cordial assent to that doctrine
is that thus it is written in Del Mar
"Science of Money at~page At.
Now the fact is have never yet so
much seen a copy of Del Mars Sci
enc of Money" The fact that this
critic never saw the chapters dealing
with "coin' in Money and the Tax
ing Power" because they have not
been reached in The Independent, con-
stitutes no impediment to his asser-
tion that my theory of coin as SET
forth by him was stolen from Del
Mar.
With me. the case is different New
er having read the work referred to
prefer not to accuse Mr.. Del Mar
of advancing such nonsense, unless
upon something more convincing than
the report of this modest economist OF
Hackensack, N. J., (populist).
The quotation he pretends to make
from my article in The Independent Oh
March S. is a bald falsehood. He can
find no such foolish statement in the
chapter referred to nor elsewhere. MY
cbanters dealing with Coin are now
and for nearly three years have been
in the custody of The Independent.
They have not been published; but
this libeller could not restrain MS
epotistical desire to display his STOCK
of hearsays. which he mistakes 1or
information. until he can have oppor-
tunity to read what | have written
concerning coin. He ISLANDERS me
much more by attributing such TOOL
ishness to me as that coins are mere
lv the symbols of money than by ac-
cusing me of literary larceny; ana
Del Mar, I hope, for his own reputa-
ton. is entitled to an apology. III Del
Mar advances the doctrine set 1orth
by my libelous critic, venture TO say
that James Theobald is the only econ
amist in christendom, who will accept
it. For my own part | repudiate such
a doctrine no matter by whom 1t may
be championed.
The distinction between the device,
smoney," and the physical obJect
sscoin' and it's substitutes, which"
have attempted to set forth, is for me
at least an original discovery. .
Whether Mr.. Del Mar has reacheo
the same point, am not able 10 de-
clare because | have not read MS
work, and unlike my critic do not
possess the gift of inspiration enabl-
Ing me, as he claims it does MIN, 10
know the contents of writings | nave
NOT seen or which are not yet pub
lished. ,
am perfectly willing to acknowl-
edge that the epithets to which TINS
Derson objects, had they been applied
by me in a mass to the persons ne
saws they were applied to would have
been obiectionable; but it should not
he forgotten that the human race has
produced many Theobalds in the past
who have seen fit to "darken counsel
by words without wisdom" and the
mass of epithets referred to, If fused
into one, would but family express
the contempt which such have de-
IL 4 aNFyr