The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-08-29
A FORD AND A DOLLAR

Mr.. Ford has a notion that to change the dollar is the way
out of any difficulties we may feel we are in. Indeed Mr.. Ford
has a scheme in his mind as to the currency of the country and a
new dollar invented with blueprints already for a start in then.
manufacture.
Going back a little way Bryan had one of those different
dollars all arranged for. Many of us recall that Bryan dollar
and how excited we grew over it. We were pretty hard up in
those days. It was hard to get, that dollar of the time. But it
was a darned good dollar when we got it. If you remember we
were pretty well divided over that dollar question and it is quite
probable that if the election had been held in June instead of
November Mr.. Bryan and his dollar would have been elected. AS
it turned out Bryan was defeated and his dollar went with him.
We held to the standard dollar. A standard dollar is one that
represents labor done, wealth produced. 1t represents a fair
trade of service between man and man. So we stuck to it. Fol-
lowing that decision we entered upon a 25 year period of such
prosperity as we had never known.
There was the greenback dollar. 1t caught our eye before
Bryan invented his. 1t sounded good. Fact is the scheme was
just to make it and call it a dollar. The U. S. was to say so and
that was to settle it. 1t was to be easy to make and easy to get
and when it was gone there were always the printing presses and
the dictum of the government to make a new one just as good.
1t was nightly attractive for most of us were a little short just
then. But we walked up in time to avoid the mess that Germany
has put herself into with her printing presses and the assertion
that a scrap Of paper" is a mark just because the government
marks it so and the law makes it legal tender.
Plenty of green paper and enough printing presses are a
financial fools paradise.
What is the matter with the American dollar "as it is?"
The inference is that its most serious drawback is that we have
to work for it and that we can't spend it and keep it. 1t buys
anything on earth anywhere on earth and buys more OF 1T than
any other dollar so far invented or likely to be invented by Henry
Ford or other political quacks. Nobody questions it. Everybody
grabs it eagerly. Nobody even looks at it when you hand il. over
arCne imam 10 e wa II IgureS ~ O II II corner o the
bill. It's as good as gold. Better. For nobody calls for gold. He
takes it in paper money. A nowadays dollar says it is worth 100
cents and it is. 1t has wheat and corn and pork and labor and
service in it. 100 cents worth and we can trade it for 100 cents
worth of food and service. It's worth a dollar because it is a
dollar. When the trade doesn't seem fair it is not the dollar
that takes more of our service than it does of some other service
IN the trade. It's because someone has got the bulge on us fol
the time being. But an American dollar is a dollar in fact. 1t is
something besides printers ink and an impression, whether il
POdunk or Patagonia. They all know it and like it. It's popular
You haven't noticed that Mr.. Ford is going to junk his auto
factory and start maxine hcyclo airShnS have Won 2 We'll no isn't
A FOrds a Ford and folks want it. Sos a dollar a dollar. Like
Mr.. Fords Ford it's hard to improve on for its particular uses