Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-01-14
CHAPTER Will

WV dice which attributes TO mon
~ a magic power. Having
come 50 near enchanted ground. we
Will not retire in awe. but plant Il
firm foot here. persuaded of many
truths that should be spoken. They
are not new. but how they are forgot
ten,
see no possible way OF doing with
out money. The only thing that theo-
rists or Legislators who accuse IL OF all
our Ills have hitherto achieved has
been TO change its name or form. But
they have never been able TO dispense
with symbol representative OF the
commercial value OF things. One
might as well wish to do away with
written language AZ TO do away with
money. Nevertheless this question OF
n circulating medium - very trouble
some. IL forms one OF the chief ele-
ments OF complication in our life The
economic difficulties amid which we
still founder. social conventionaIi;ies
and the eutire organization OF modern
life have carried gold To rank so
eminent that IL il not astonishing to
find the imagination Of man attrIbut-
ing to Il sort Of royalty. And IL IS
problem.
The term money has for appendage
that OF merchandise. II there We're no
merchandise there would Ice no money.
but as long as there is merchandise
there will lie money. little matter IN
der what form. Tie source OF all the
abuses which center around money lies
IN q lack Of discrimination. People
have confused under the term and IDEA
Of mcrcha ndiSe things which have no
relation with one another. They have
attempted to give venal value 10
things which neither could have II nor
ought 20. The idea OF purchase and
sale has Invaded ground where 10 may
Justly be considered an enemy and n
usuTper. IL IL reasonable that wheat.
potatoes. wine. fabrics. should be
bought and sold and IL Is perfectly
natural that mans labor procure
him rights TO life and that there be put
into his bands something whose value
represents them. but here already the
analogy ceases.fo re complete. \ mans
labor is not merchandise I'm the same
sense as ~ sack Of -four or ton nf coal. |
Into thiS labor enter elements which |
cannot bc valued in money. In short. |
there are things which can in nowise |
he bought sleep. for instance. knowl- !
edge OF the future. talent. lie who Of |
fers them for sale must be- considered |
q fool or ava ImpOstor. and yet there |
ere gentlemen who coin money by such /
traffic. They sell what does not be- |
long to them. and their dupes pay ficti- |
tious values I'm veritable coin. SO. too. |
there are dealers in pleasure. dealers |
I'm love. dealers in miracles. dealers In |
patriotism. and tie title OF merchant, |
so honorable when IL represents Il man |
selling that which IL IE truth a COM
modify OF trade. becomes the worst OF |
stigmas when there Is question OF the /
heart. OF religion. OF country
Almost all men are agreed that to |
barter with ones sentiments. his hon
or. his cloth. his pen. or his note. is in |
famous. Unfortunately this idea. which 1
suffers no contradiction as a theory /
and which thus stated seems rather
than n high moral truth.
has infinite trouble to make Its way in /
practice. Traffic has invaded the world
The money changers are established
even in the sanctuary. and by sanctu-
airy I do not mean religious things
alone. but whatever mankind holds sa-
cred and inviolable- IL il not gold that
corrupts and debases life:
IL Is our mercenary spirit
The mercenary spirit resolves every
thing into a single question, How
much Is that going to bring me? and
sums up everything in n single axiom.
With money you can procure anything.
Following these two principles OF con
duct. n society may descend to a de-
gree OF infamy impossible 10 describe
or to imagine.
How much IL AZ gong 10 bring mel
rr..iis question. so legitimate while II
concerns those precautions which each
ought 10 take TO assure his subsist-
ence 10y his labor. becomes pernicious
rs soon as il passes its limits and
dominates the whole life. This is so
true that Il vitiates even the toll which
gains our daily bread l furnish paid
labor: nothing could be better. But II
To inspire me I'm this labor I have only
the desire TO get the pay nothing could
be worse man whose only motive
for action + his wages does a bad
piece OF work What interests him IL
not the doing. it's the gold II he can
In pains without lessening his
.-,t,s IN ,s~ur..l that no will do ~