Chapter 618 Pay off the debt

Chapter 618 Pay off the debt

James Polk continued to purchase more and younger slaves while claiming to free them. But as a public figure, he was not stupid enough to buy slaves himself.

All this was done by his wife, Sarah Polk, and the secret slave trade continued until James Polk's death.

Polk himself believed that treating slaves as chattel was morally correct, but this was not in line with the mainstream view at the time, so he could only purchase slaves in secret.

"James Polk never purchased slaves; those transactions were simply to keep his family together."

As far as slaves were concerned, Polk preferred those who were young and efficient.

"Especially those girls, who can create more value in their lives. Every child born to slaves will be part of my property." - From a letter written by Polk to his cousin.

In addition, the proportion of children in Polk's secret transactions was quite high, accounting for almost 60% of all transactions, which was considered a very discerning practice at the time.

Because child slaves are cheaper and have a longer "use life", some American economists even called them "great investors" in history.

Although some jokes often say that slaves in manors live better than slaves in factories, as far as minors are concerned, the mortality rate of minor slaves in manors is 45%, while the national minor mortality rate is only twenty three%.

That is to say, nearly half of the slaves in the United States did not survive to adulthood, while three-quarters of ordinary Americans did.

The mortality rate of underage slaves in Polk's manor was 55%. This was mainly due to his wife's focus on breeding more slaves to obtain more profits, causing those teenagers to endure hardships that should not have been experienced at their age.

If Polk did not move toward slavery, he would have no choice but to attack the British. But with the national strength of the United States at this time, it is also impossible to do this.

After all, the United States at this time had offended Austria and was in competition with the French. The only stable market for cotton was the British.

In fact, Austria had its own cotton fields, and the French also built a large number of cotton plantations in their North American colonies. Not only were the models similar to those of the Americans, but even the black slaves and overseers were brought from the United States.

Therefore, in order to ensure the sales of American cotton, the British Polk did not dare to offend.

In fact, even without the above, the military and national power of the United States cannot be compared with that of the United Kingdom.

However, although the U.S. military performed poorly in the previous U.S.-Mexico War, everyone from generals to politicians still looked arrogant, as if those failures had never happened.

As for the reflection on this war, there was almost no reflection. Robert E. Lee was thrown tomatoes by students because he lectured on "The Lessons of the Failure at the Battle of the Rio Grande" in class at West Point Military Academy.

After the war, the U.S. military was disbanded in large numbers. These people were originally young and strong laborers, but because many of them were infected or carried yellow fever bacteria, a yellow fever epidemic spread across the United States.

The result is that these soldiers who just fought for the United States have become poisonous rats that everyone beats.

The reason for this result is related to the way the U.S. government resettled the soldiers. The government hoped that the soldiers could stay in the land they had just obtained and settle nearby, which would also save the time of immigration.

But these soldiers were generally poor, and their income could not cover the cost of purchasing land. But if it can be placed on the newly acquired land, it will not only save the expense of disbanding soldiers, but also stabilize the border. It is definitely the best of both worlds.

While senior White House officials were hesitating, bankers headed by Soros came to the White House. They came here for no other reason than to collect accounts.

Specifically, there are three points:

First, restore the independent treasury system.

Second, reduce tariffs.

Third, manage the western region.

The first point is what bankers and Jewish financial groups value most, although in theory the establishment of an independent treasury system will separate the government from banking operations and prevent certain interest groups and individuals from using banks to make profits.

It will even in turn hit the banking industry, reduce the use of bank rolls, and hinder the interests of certain interest groups. But in fact, this system is more likely to breed corruption, and the independent treasury of the United States has never been independent.

Instead, it evolved into a currency-issuing bank, a national silver coin reserve center, a gold and exchange rate control center, replacing the central bank to a certain extent, and eventually established the Federal Reserve System in 1913, becoming the prototype of the current Federal Reserve.

This was discussed before Polk came to power, so he had no objections. However, the list of treasury officials made him frown because almost all of them were Jews.

The reputation of Jews in this era is really not good. If this list of official appointment and dismissal is revealed, I am afraid that he will not be the president.

“There are too many Jews on this list.”

Soros smiled: "Mr. President, they are not Jews, they are just American citizens."

In fact, except for some special surnames, ordinary people have no way of judging whether those officials are Jewish.

Polk: "Mr. Soros, your wisdom is really admirable. It is true that the value of a citizen cannot be defined by his racial identity. It depends on what he has done for the country."

Soros: "I also admire your wit and profound sense of justice. Everyone respects the great America!"

"Here's to our America!"

The richest plutocrats in the United States raised a toast together.

As for the second point of lowering tariffs, it is part of the deal between Soros and Franz. However, I have to say that these businessmen are sometimes very trustworthy. Of course, this may also have something to do with the gun in Franz's hand.

Polk actually did not advocate lowering tariffs because the American industry was in its infancy and needed a large amount of cheap raw materials, cheap labor, and a stable market.

However, once tariffs are lifted, a large number of European industrial products will flow into the market. At the same time, a large number of foreign orders will rob the raw materials on which American domestic industries depend. What's more, some European powers will attract immigrants in the opposite direction, leading to a brain drain.

This is what Polk did not want to see, but his personal will is not worth mentioning in the face of power.

In fact, the tariff issue has been around for a long time, but at this time the South was strong and coupled with the collective pressure from bankers, even Vice President Joel Dallas, who had always opposed lowering tariffs, surrendered.

In the end, Polk instituted the lowest tariffs in U.S. history. U.S. cotton and grain exports had almost zero tariffs. Similarly, European industrial product imports also had almost zero tariffs. Austria's high-end industrial products even received U.S. official symbolic of subsidies.

The third point is that in addition to those powers and false reputations, bankers also need to recover their costs. The land in the west is just right. After all, this is the legal income of the US government, which is perfect for repaying debts.

But the resettlement of veterans is not under their control. If they want land, they can just buy it with money.

You get what you pay for, that's fair enough.

As for those soldiers who can't afford it, what should they do? But there’s always someone who can afford it, right?

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