It is true, that it never was intended, neither was it foreseen, that the debt contained in the paper currency should sink itself in this manner; but as by the voluntary conduct of all and of everyone it has arrived at this fate, the debt is paid by those who owed it.
Paine acknowledges the unforeseen consequences of the paper currency's depreciation and its impact on debt.
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I know the value of moral instruction, and I have seen the danger of the contrary.
Whether robbery shall be banished from courts, and wretchedness from countries?
To account for this sudden transition, it is proper to observe that there are two distinct species of popularity; the one excited by merit, and the other by resentment.