When was it published?

August 1, 1777 in The Virginia Gazette

Letter to Editor August 1, 1777

The Virginia Gazette

Q: What sub-type of article is it?

Persuasive, Political, Provocative

Q: What keywords are associated?

Paper Currency, Depreciation, Tax Collection, Courts, Justice, Insurance Office, American Governments, Public Opinion

Richmond, Williamsburg, Richmond County, Virginia

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What is this article about?

A letter under the pseudonym Cato poses rhetorical questions to the public about the rapid depreciation of paper currency in America, criticizing the neglect of tax collection, opening courts for debt enforcement, establishing justice, and creating an insurance office to prevent scarcity and high prices, emphasizing dependence on public opinion of the new governments.

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OCR Quality

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Full Text

QUERIES for the public.

Does not the rapid depreciation of our paper currency threaten us with a more alarming danger than even the arms of our enemies?

Why then have we neglected some of the most essential means of supporting its credit? Why have not the taxes been collected to remove the necessity of issuing more bills of credit? The country never better able to pay taxes. Why have not the courts been opened, and the value of money rendered more real by obliging men to pay their debts? Can a well regulated police ever be of disadvantage to any country, or was it ever known, that a people could prosper wherever deprived of justice? Why has not an insurance office been established to prevent the great scarcity of necessaries, which must, from the nature of things, command a high price? Does not the fate of America depend altogether on the good, or the bad opinion that the people entertain of the wisdom and prudence of their new governments, and will they not be apt to number comparisons between the present and the past times?

CATO.

What sub-type of article is it?

Persuasive Political Provocative

What themes does it cover?

Economic Policy Politics

What keywords are associated?

Paper Currency Depreciation Tax Collection Courts Justice Insurance Office American Governments Public Opinion

What entities or persons were involved?

Cato. The Public

Letter to Editor Details

Author

Cato.

Recipient

The Public

Main Argument

the rapid depreciation of paper currency poses a greater threat than enemies, yet essential supports like tax collection, opening courts for justice, and establishing an insurance office have been neglected, risking public distrust in the new american governments.

Notable Details

Rhetorical Questions Challenging Government Inaction Emphasis On Justice And Regulated Police As Essential For Prosperity Warning About Public Opinion And Comparisons To Past Times