Page:Earle, Does Price Fixing Destroy Liberty, 1920, 010.jpg

10 with but one pound of goods to replace his original pound? Much less, could he be indicted, had he in the end actually given two pounds of goods for but one? And, yet, that is substantially happening, under an inconceivable return of the thoughts underlying the "commercial system" that is now being unconsciously revived. The minute money is introduced into the discussion, its real function and complete lack of stability are both entirely lost sight of, resulting in preposterous and constant error. But, strangely this only relates to our own money. When it is some other country's money, we all think as clearly as  did upon the subject, and wonder at its folly or commiserate its resulting misfortunes. Take the German marks, for example, how successful an indictment would be there if the mercantile system is to be revived! On the low price of marks, a man could be proven to a jury to have made ''two thousand two hundred and twenty-two and one-third per cent. profit, although he had simply gotten one pound back for another pound. If it had been the Russian Government, and they had forced him to take their present roubles, he could be convicted of having  to the extent of five thousand one hundred per cent., although all honest men here agree in denouncing them for really stealing his property.  And when we come to the Austrian kronen, the man who had simply gotten his pound for pound cycle completed, would certainly go to jail when it was proven that in the intermediate illusory money step he had apparently made a profit of six thousand six hundred and sixty-six and two-thirds per cent.!''  This is taken only as a single illustration, for all other things in relation to commodities are fluctuating in the same way, though in varying degrees. No man ever has or ever will be able to forecast such situations with even ordinary certainty. To put him where he must