138 Wisconsin - Stats Agricultural Society. 
no larger than the State of Iowa, that Ireland could he contained 
in the State of Indiana, and Scotland in the State of Maine. 
While taxes in the United States are over $18 per capita for every 
man, woman, and child, the currency, including bank-notes, and 
legal-tender notes, and fractional currency, in circulation and in the 
Treasury February 1, 1876, being just $16.80 per capita, would, if 
divided all around among the people, share and share alike, and the 
tax-gatherer should come around just after, after-paying out the 
$16.40 currency, each person would be obliged to ask credit on the 
tax bill to the amount of $2.51. It is evident that the greenback 
is not depreciated owing to its redundancy. If we could close and 
seal up air-tight all the doors, windows, and other orifices in this 
room, and then connect by pipes coming through the floor with air- 
pumps worked by engines, we should soon be physically in the 
same condition in which the country is financially, commercially, 
and industrially—dying of asphyxia and inanition. 
1. We have the hoarding-pump, that makes it so u hard to col¬ 
lect.” If a man gets hold of any currency he don't pay a bill with 
it if he can help it, and if every one will hold on to $16.80 for each 
member of his family, there will be no currency to circulate. 
2. Pump: $10,726,860 of legal-tender notes have been canceled, 
and, I presume, burned, under this resumption act, between Janu- 
uary 14, 1875, the date of its passage, and the first day of this 
month, (February.) The bank-note circulation has been contracted 
during the same time about $9,000,000 directly and nearly $22,000,- 
000 indirectly, under this act, making a total contraction under 
this act of bank-notes, legal-tender notes, and fractional currency 
canceled or destroyed of $42,368,663 in twelve and one-half months; 
or $3,389,492 per month. 
Another pump: Since June 30,1875, six months ago, government 
debts have been paid by taxing the people—debts not due—to the 
amount of $10,771,593, or $1,765,265 per month, these last-named 
pumps together drawing out the life of commerce, the hope, the 
courage, the energy, from your hearts at the rate, in dollars, of 
$5,161,058 per month. 
All of my figures are official, or on the best attainable basis, and 
they will bear the fullest test of examination. 
The first pump—hoarding—is of as much capacity as any; and 
every cry of “hard times,” or financial danger, or death, is a stroke 
