Tom:
You have presented a well written, impassioned posting about our current fiat money situation—bully for you! Keep up the good work!!
As you and Enoch noted in subsequent messages, the attribution of that quote to Franklin is dubious at best. Many sources agree with our assessment. Another quote frequently bandied about as emanating from Franklin is, “New Jersey is like a barrel tapped at both ends.” The first documented person to attribute this quote to Franklin was Abraham Browning, a well known Camden County farmer and the keynote speaker for New Jersey Day at the 1876 National Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. However, historians have exhausted all possible sources for this quote and have come up empty-handed. So, I have feeling that Franklin often receives the credit—and the blame—for statements that never really passed over his lips.
Best regards,
Jerseyman