The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-23
MONEY TALKS AND BANK NOTES
copyright, 1917, by F. w. Weitzel,
Washington, D. CO.

copyright, 1917, by F. w. Weltzel'
Washington, D. Co.
The skill, dexterity and judgment
with which labor is supplied is an inn
portant factor in the success and
] prosperity of either individual or race
Tribes which depend upon the chase
to furnish daily food, and nations OF
flshermen have little time to devote
TO aught but obtaining of immediate
wants. In more civilized nations, the
more intelligent application Of skill
and labor brings about larger pro-
auction, gradually provides a surplus
and bears the desire to get something
else for that surplus. The hunter and
fisherman might then supply food to
the more civilized people, in return for
articles which the less skillfuI could
not make for themselves. The ability
to dispose Of fish and game not needed
for their, own use then brings about
greater prosperity even among the
tribes Of the lower order. In some
nations as in some communities and
in, some families, the number who
labor, as compared with the non-pro-
ducing class. also has an important
bearing on the production of wealth
as we'll as upon its accumulation; but
diligence in the intelligent application
6f labor and skill is the foundation of
wealth.
All men can not pursue the same
kind Of labor. Physical and mental
ability environment, ambition, OPP
rportunity, all must be reckoned with;
but whatever you do to procure, con-
serve or dispense wealth, you would
find it inconvenient indeed if you had
to trade. your services. not for money
but for the services of another. There
must be distribution of labor as we'll
as "a standard by, which the value Of
all kinds of labor or services can De
computed. !, There must be money.
= In New England, only a few hum
dred years ago, leaden bullets were
used, not only as medium of ex-
change but as denominator of price.
The value of other things was indicat-
I ed in terms Of leaden bullets. In the
past few years instruments of death
and munitions Of war, while not the
denominators of price, have become
sd much in demand by civilized ma
TONS that gold, which is our stand
ard Of value, has become cheap; so
cheap that you can buy twice aY much
with . bushel Of wheat, and several
times as much, with a dozen Of eggs,
a pound of butter, barrel Of pota1
toes or a ton of paper, as you could
only a few years ago. Should cop
Ner continue to increase in value at
the same rate, within a few years our
minor coins" might he worth more
than their face value. The large
copper cents of the early days wonld
be worth more than the two-cent piece
of the sixties and early seventies. This
illustrates the fact that money, which
has SO largely contributed to the rapiF
development of commerce and the
great economic changes os only recent
years, is itself subject to influences
of economic conditions generally.
While gold and silver have proved
themselves to be very satisfactory for
use as money, they are quickly given
up for something that is more desir-
able, and the enormous transfer of
wealth, and imitation of values as the
result of that transfer, is given our
statesmen, our politicians, our finan-
ciers and in fact every consumer, no
little concern. ~