Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-08-05
Spirit Of sgdfersolr,
charlestown,. Jefferson county, West Va.
TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 5, 1873.
IFer the spiri. of Jetfsr.on.l
THE DANGER OF A MeNIED ARIS-
TOCRACY,

the danger he apprehended and prophecied
against of a s,loniea asistocrocy has been fully
realized, and the people are now groanine and
suffering under its effects.
With the simple remark that as the law
against the entaiing of landed property
freed us from the danger of a .lanaea aris-
Lfocrocy," so it will be necessary to overthrow
fthe present ''neonted aristocracy" by limiting
the rate Of interest-and. as, in fact, the con-
sttuton of the United States injoins, to-wit
"Congress shall coin money Cor stamp if of
paper) and regulate the value thereot''-I
shall proceed to my quotation and for the pur.
pose expressed. OBSERVER.
Summit Point, June 9th, 1878.
t:Of our civil policy, division and respon-
sibility, are the chief rallars. An accumula-
tion OF wealth ly iaU, is the counter principle.
to that division. Aud ont of this accumula>
tion will grow an influence over the lecisla-
ture, (eccc, Oakes Amcs y which will secretly
deprive the people of their Influence over it.''
This principle of division has been ap-
piled to the laws of inheritance in everv State
in the Union to diOide land and accumulate
stock, exhibits political phenomenon, worthy
of attentive consideration !; because it's conse-
queuces must be and curious IF an ac
cumulation of landed areahh, by the narrow
and limited efforts of talents and tnt7usf,y is
an object of Jealousy to our policy; an accu-
mutation of paper scednh Iy the crfensice
'ower of law, cannot be object of its 'ap-
probation. Land is in some degree repre-
sentative OF every man interest. as being the
source OF human subsistence, and a landed
interest cannot tax without taxing ITSELF
Out of paper stock nothing grows. 1t only
represents the interest of its holder, and IL
can tax, 'ouhout turimy ITSELF 1t must do
this, because it can only subsist upon the sub
sistcnce it can draw from land and labor; and
as an imposer of taxes it is strictly analogous
to legislature of officers receiving legal SAL
aries. 1T landed interest though naturally
friendly to man, may be corrupted by mould
ing 1t into. a separate order; and rendered
malignant and oppressive in considerable
degree; it is extremely Improbable, that a
paper. stuck, taxation interest, can be
changed from 4 foe into friend, by the
means which convert friend iutu foe
The English have paid somc regard to their
principles of checks and balances by leaving
pr,m"geniture, or an hereditary landed po>
Hticai order or faction, st ,nlng, as sn of1sett
against their monied faction thc American
legislatures have paid no regard to their
principles of division and responsibility, and
more entirely partial to monied faction, of
their own architecture. have DESTROYED this
offset, alone capable of holding a monied fac>
tion in some State of responsibility and Sc
cured agricultural sub hjecton to heir offspring
by charters for accun,u2uiing one, and laws
for 'EciR'"g the cther.''
1t is plausible consideration against this
conclusion, that the laws of distribution reach
and scatter paper wealth. as the laws of inner.
itance do landed. The following fact, settled
by experience. is n conclusive answer to tho
objection. The English laws of distribution
by which paper wealth is divided upon prin.
ciples similar to our laws OF distribution. have
been unable to prevent the existence of a
separate, stock paper, or taxation interest, or
the ruinous effects Of that existence
"Such is the fact; let us search for its
cause 1t presents itself in the consideration.
that corporations, or Fictitious separate inter-
ests, neither live or die naturally; they ouly
live or die by law. An established church
for instance, is Fictitious separate interest,
not of natural, but of legal origin, and by
law only can its existence be terminated-
by increasing the number of priests and di>
viding the income of this separate interest
among more members, the interest itself is not
divided; and instead of being weakened. it is
strengthened. So in separate, stock, paner.
or taxation interest of any kind established
by law. It is an interest one and indivsibfa
and though the laws of distribution NAV oc
casionally add to the numbers benefited by it.
these additions are recruits similar to new
levies added to an,arny, or new priests added
to an established church. In all three of
these cases, an interest, created by law, and
subsistlng upon nation, becomes stronger,
by multiplying the individuals united to it
with participation in its income and weaker.
by diminishing the number of these indi-
viduals. Such interests are incapable, az will
presently be proved of inclu1in1 rho r,o;or;tv
of a nation, of general division among its
members; the cement of fear, excited by
perpetual danger of the stroke of death. from
their creator, law; and consciousness of phys
lca! imheciliity, distinguished them from the
object of their apprehensions,'
None of these causes will prevent landed
interest from being weakened by division of
lands. Land is not created by law; there's
tore 1t IS under no apprehension of its death
stroke from law. It does not subsist upon
other interests; therefore it is not beset by a
host of enemies, whose vengeance it is con-
scious of deserving. BY the operation of
laws adverse to its monopoly, it quickly ad,
justs itself to the interest of majority of
nation thenceforward it is incapable of the
avarice and in Justice of tacti,ous legal in-
terest, because no temptation to seduce it into
either, exists. To this point of improvement,
landed interest will be invariably brought,
by laws for dividing land nor can it be cor
reeted, except by laws which couine lands to
minority. Then it becomes in degree
Fictitious legal monopoly, capable of being
favored by law, and infected with portion
of that malignity. which constitutes the en-
| tire essence of minor separate interest purely
/ Fictitious
! "a paper, military, OF an established
| church interest, cannot. it has been asserted