MUTUAL BANKING HUB

This is central page for material relating to William B. Greene's mutual bank writings, as well as those of his predecessors, influences, disciples and critics. Some texts are available in Reference Editions, which include indications of the original pagination. I have also constructed Equality and Mutual Banking: The Combined Edition, as a tool for assessing the development of Greene's ideas. A Master Table of Contents, with detailed listings for the Combined Edition and the Reference Editions is available below.

Book and/or pamphlet reprints of most of this material are in the works, and will be available starting early in 2006. Check the Blazing Star Library page for details.

Those familiar with the literature may notice the absence of several editions of Mutual Banking published after Greene's death. The editions were the occasion of a fairly extensive debate within anarchist circles about the nature and intent of Greene's work. As it becomes possible to present that context, and do the additional text collation required to present these editions, they will appear here.

William Batchelder Greene (1819-1878)

• Articles by "OMEGA" in the Worcester Palladium, 1849
  
• Equality. West Brookfield, Mass.: O. S. Cooke, 1849. [Reference Edition]
  • The Banking System
  • The Usury Laws
  • Equal Laws and Equality Before The Laws
  • The Currency
  • The Currency--Its Evils--And Their Remedy
  • Solidarity
  • The Formula of Labor
  • Communism--Capitalism--Socialism
  • Socialism in Massachusetts
  • Liberty
    
• Mutual Banking. West Brookfield, Mass.: O. S. Cooke, 1850. [Reference Edition]
  • Introduction
  • Mutual Banking
  • Petition for a Mutual Banking Law
  • Value
  • Capital
  • The Proletariat
  • Usury
  • Credit
  • The Cherubim
  • Petition for a Mutual Banking Law
    
• The Radical Deficiency Of The Existing Circulating Medium, And The Advantages Of A Mutual Currency. Boston: B. H. Greene, 1857. [Reference Edition]
• Mutual Banking, Showing The Radical Deficiencies Of The Existing Circulating Medium, And The Advantages Of A Free Currency. Worcester, Mass.: New England Labor Reform League, 1870. [Reference Edition]
• Socialistic, Communistic, Mutualistic and Financial Fragments. Boston: Lee & Shepard, 1875.
• Proudhon's Solution Of The Social Problem [By] P. J. Proudhon; Including Commentary And Exposition By Charles A. Dana And William B. Greene, Edited, With Introduction, By Henry Cohen. New York, Vanguard Press, 1927.

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MASTER INDEX to Combined & Reference Editions

CONTENTS:	1849	1850	1857	1870
EDITOR'S PREFACE [by Ezra H.Heywood, 1870] Epigram. INTRODUCTION. Sparta. Egypt. Israel. The Sabbath. The Three Forms of Inequality. The Christian Communion. THE BANKING SYSTEM. Banks prevent competition among Capitalists. Banks organize inequality between the borrower and the lender. Banks of Discount. Banks separate between the borrower and the lender. Deposits. Exchanges. Banks enable certain persons to live without producing. Banks of Circulation. Bank Bills drive the precious metals out of circulation. The way the system works. THE USURY LAWS. Effects of the Repeal of the Usury Laws. The Usury Laws are necessary under present Circumstances. Argument in Favor of the Repeal of the Usury Laws. Power of Capital in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Actual Value and Legal Value. The Matter brought nearer Home. The Answer. EQUAL LAWS AND EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAWS. Equality, Justice, and Charity. The Privilege of Usury. An Illustration. THE CURRENCY. The nature of Money. The Disadvantages of a Specie Currency. The Evils of a Specie Currency.-Usury. The Monopoly of the Currency. THE CURRENCY. ITS EVILS. AND THEIR REMEDY. The Business of Banking. Currency. The organization of Credit, and the remedy for the evils of the Currency. The bills are not bank bills, but bills of exchange. Advantages of this Currency. This bank ought to be a State Bank. Objections answered. The Mutual Bank. MUTUAL BANKING. Mr. Beck's Bank. Bills of Exchange. Proudhon's Bank. Remarks. Real Estate Mutual Banking. PETITIONS FOR A GENERAL MUTUAL BANKING LAW. Remarks. The Rate of Interest. Advantages of Mutual Banking. Mutual Money is generally competent to force its own Way into General Circulation. The Measure of Value. The Regulator of Value. The Way in which the Affairs of the Mutual Bank may be closed. Conclusion. THE PROVINCIAL LAND-BANK. VALUE. The California Gold. Mutual Money. MONEY, or CAPITAL. There are various Kinds of Money. Social Unity. An Illustration. [Solidarity, reprinted from Equality.] False Capital. Savings Banks. Convertible Paper-money renders the Standard of Value uncertain. The Evils of convertible Paper-money. Advantages of a Mutual Currency. THE PROLETARIAT. USURY. CREDIT. Personal Credit. Real Credit. The Usury Laws. Legitimate Credit. CONCLUSION. THE FORMULA OF LABOR. "COMMUNISM--CAPITALISM--SOCIALISM." Transcendentalism--Communism. Materialism--Capitalism--Plutocracy. Pantheism--Socialism. SOCIALISM IN MASSACHUSETTS. LIBERTY. Liberty. Equality. Fraternity. Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. THE CHERUBIM. The Past and the Future.	----- 01  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- 01 02 03 04 05 06 06 07 08 09 12 13 15 16 17 19 21 24 27 27 29 29 32 33 33 34 37 38 41 42 44 47 48 49 50 52 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- [61] ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- 57 59 60 61 62 65 71 73 73 73 73 ----- -----	----- 01 03 03 04 05 07 08 10  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- ----- ----- -----  -----    -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- 13 14 15 18 23 24  27, 95 28 29 30 36 40 ----- 41 42 ----- 44 49 51 54 [55] 58 59 62 66 ----- ----- ----- 68 72 79 79 79 80 82 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- 85 93	----- -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- 01 05 09 12 14 20 27 36  -----  -----  -----  ----- 39 ----- 43 50 52 67 69 74 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- 81 87 89 100 107 122 ----- 131 135 138 139 144 152 156 163 166 171  -----  -----  ----- 197 202 ----- ----- ----- ----- 206 214 217 ----- ----- 225 ----- [225] 227 233 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----	iii  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- 05 06 06 07 07 09 10 12  -----  -----  -----  ----- 12 ----- 13 14 15 17 18 19  -----  -----  -----  ----- ----- 20 21 22 24 25 28  ----- 30 31 31 32 33 34 35 36 [37] 38  -----  -----  ----- 43 44 ----- ----- ----- ----- 44 46 47 ----- ----- 48 ----- [48] 49 50 51 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----