The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-02

"A N amusing story has been going RA the rounds of the press for the past few days, regarding the money situation which may prove of interest or it may not; 1t did to me, so I'll pass it on"
 The universal financial disturbance not only in America. but throughout the world. especially in Europe. has brought about in certain continen- tai countries rather curious situa- tions and the attitude of the Amer lean (who was the hero of the story), Is amusing, to say the least of it.
 It seems that the aforesaid Amer ican was in Budapest, and went to a Budapest hotel to have an American check cashed.
 The Budapest hotel clerk began showing bills" through the grating and showed and showed, on and on, until the American cried frantically:
 "Enoughr'
 Of course, all those who believe that the American or any other ma tionalty cried thusly may stand on their heads Gold maids exempD, for the story is quite incredible, knowing as we do the lust and love of money and how terribly we all med it just at the present chaotic state of af- fairs.
 Following this story comes another which quite caps the former, told by a clever Washington woman about the Russian press having to work overtime to print enough "rubles" to cash one of Washington Vanderlip' S checks.
 While both of these stories are amusing and interesting and sound quite impossible, they are ncverthe-- less founded on fact.
 People returning from "gay Farce" tell us that the small coins have en- tirely disappeared; 5.3nps" are ac- cepted without murmur proN ided they are clean enough for ase; the street car companies have issued metal tokens" of some sort, which are ac- cepted for fares; these tags are Tn general use as currency. which du- plicates a situation in America during the regime of Tom Johnson in Cleve- land, according to a New York au- thority.
 Winthrop D. Lane in his book op the miners strike in West Virginia entitled, Civil War in West Vlr- ginia." tells us of a situation where money is virtually superseded.
 scrip" is used by the miners, is- sued by the companies, and With this they buy their supplies, their tools. their clothes, and Allah be praised, tbev go to the movies" without handling one penny of money.
 I've always wished that leaves or rocks or stones or any old thing could pay my bills, where the "filthy lucre called money would play no part, whatsoever in my daily Ire anu who knows but that this conditloh may yet obtain?
 Shipton's" prophecy about the horse less carriage" would be verified-Tand we never dreamed that it would be possible to do the things with wire less" that we are doing, or thou sand and one other things-so why not leaves. and blades of grass, and rocks and stones-in exchange for a perfectly good Paris gown" or bon net from the Rue de la Paix," the Street of Peace'' - which Kenneth Harris declares is so called because no married woman ever has any peace until she gets there, and no married man afterward."
 To financiers-of course this sort of jargon sounds like "tommy-rot'- and to be perfectly honest it does to me. too-a mere layman-because Tye always had to give notes" and "sigr contracts" and dosa million and ont things which "sew you up' world without Instrumentation you Dor row money or go into any sort oi business agreement - so that this 1 pendulum which is swinging toward metal tokens and tags and scrip" and things seem positive debauchery of financial methods and l precedents.'
 As a matter of fact-laying aside all levity and persilage, this money situation being duly regarded by many of the leading writers of the world today resolves itself into the question, Where will it all lead?'
 One writer holds out the hope thai it will, eliminate what he calls the itching palm" and if by these tokens we shall pay there will be many itching palms. which will