An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy (Vol. 2 of 2): Being an essay on the science of domestic policy in free nations. In which are particularly considered population, agriculture, trade, industry, money, coin, interest, circulation, banks, exchange, public credit, and taxesSteuart, James, Sir
General
An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy (Vol. 2 of 2): Being an essay on the science of domestic policy in free nations. In which are particularly considered population, agriculture, trade, industry, money, coin, interest, circulation, banks, exchange, public credit, and taxes
Steuart, James, Sir
Economics
Let me suppose that they are not in the combination, and that they
honestly procure the coin at their own expence. If they are paid in
notes for the coin they furnish, we must suppose that the coin they have
procured, is not in consequence of a loan, but of a _credit_ given them
in the place from which the coin is sent: for I never can suppose that
any merchant will borrow coin upon a _loan_, and lie out of so large a
capital while he has bank notes in his hand to pay up what he has
received. If he has procured this coin upon _credit_, will not this,
when it comes to be replaced, augment the grand balance against the
nation in favour of the country or city which granted that credit? And
must not that balance be paid by exchangers out of the coin received by
the bank? If, therefore, we suppose that the undertaker does not draw
out the very coin he had just delivered into the bank, will not
exchangers do it for him; will not they be ready with notes, as soon as
the coin is lodged in the bank, to draw it out, and send it off, in
order to furnish the undertaker with bills to fill up his credit, for
the coin he had received from people residing in the place to which the
exchangers have sent coin, to be ready to answer their draughts? Does
this differ in the least from what is called drawing and redrawing,
which is sufficient to ruin any man, and must not a like practice ruin a
bank, by raising exchange to a monstrous height?
This being the case, the shortest and the best method of preventing such
abuses, is to oblige banks to pay upon demand, in coin or bills, at the
option of the holder of the note. This will force them into the method
of providing them; to wit, fairly borrowing money from nations to whom
we owe, and paying a regular interest for it, without an obligation to
refund the capital, until the grand balance shall take a favourable
turn; in which case, the banks will regorge with coin drawn from
strangers, and these strangers will then find as great an interest in
being repaid, as the bank found in borrowing from _them_, while the
balance was in _their_ favour.
We have said, that a statesman should oblige all public banks to pay
regularly upon demand, in coin or bills, at the option of the holder of
the note. But then he must facilitate to them the means which he has in
his power, of providing themselves with the coin, or bills demanded.
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