Principles of Political Economy, Vol. 1Roscher, Wilhelm
History
Principles of Political Economy, Vol. 1
Roscher, Wilhelm
Economics
state paper money does not diminish the available capital of the people.
Its only effect is that a smaller portion of it is at the disposal of the
bank or of the government.
But in contrast with these advantages are the great disadvantages, since
paper money is wanting in most of those properties which originally made
the precious metals the best instruments of exchange and the best measures
of value. In addition to this, paper money may be increased at pleasure,
and at almost no cost; and an occasional surplus of it cannot flow either
into other branches of employment (as a surplus of metallic money may into
utensils, ornamentation, etc.) nor into other countries. And thus the
constancy of value of paper money, that is, one of the chief requisites of
all good money, is imperiled in the highest degree. True, the
payment-power, or “legal tender” character given such money by the state
may certainly supplement in some way its matter and form-value. But this
supplement or addition constitutes, in the case of large amounts(914) a
small quota; or else the quantity of money as compared with the amount of
money needed for commerce would have to be fixed very accurately; a thing
of peculiar difficulty in the case of paper money, which is almost
costless.(915)
Section III.
Kinds Of Redemption.
While precious metal money carries, so to speak, by far the greater
portion of its value in itself, and this to such an extent that it appears
on the inscription found on its face, the inscription found on paper money
is almost the only reason of its value.(916) (Credit-value.) The issuer
promises in one form or another, expressly or tacitly, that he intends to
redeem the note, almost valueless in itself, in real goods; and the value
of this promise depends on the probability of its fulfillment.(917) The
only fully satisfactory kind of redemption consists in this, that every
holder of the paper money may, immediately on demand, obtain its nominal
value in good current metallic money. This only can, in the long run, keep
paper money up to its full nominal value. But experience teaches that even
with less perfect modes of redemption, paper money may maintain a part of
its nominal value, and a part greater in proportion as the following
conditions are approximated to: freedom from personal considerations, the
immediateness of the redemption, and currency of the goods by means of
which redemption is effected. Thus, for instance, the acceptance of paper
money for all debts due the state, in countries where taxation is heavy,
where there are large state industries etc.; where the lands of the state
are farmed out etc., has a great influence on its course of exchange.
Redemption in parcels of land is a very imperfect one, not only on account
of the great differences in the value of pieces of land according to
quality, situation, the times etc., but also because only a very small
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