Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-09-04

CLEARFIELD, PA.
"WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPT. I, 1873.
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- ~ 81 5d " V sasAaIahsi =, ,He'r
The Nationals Of New York, in the
resolutions adopted at their State Con
vontion at Syracuse, have made the
most oulspokcn presentation OF com
munistic doctrine that We have thus
far had from any presumably respecla'
bic body Various foreign agitators
in New York and San Francisco have
promulgated similar ideas, and numer-
Gus Conventions, not only of Nationals,
Greonbackers and Labor.Relormers
SO. called, but even of the older political
parties as we'll, have made demands
which logically lead to these results !
but we believe this to be the first time
that body of decent American citi.
zens, who are described as for the most
part honest and sober men, have delib.
erately recorded their conviction that
the accumulation ofproperty is crime.
For that is really the sum and sub
stance Of the Syracuse resolutions, as
well as Of those adopted at the Ohio
Convention on Tuesday, tho llth ult.
These patriotic reformcrs do notsim-
ply demand that tho United States
shall Issue an unlimited quantity OF
notes, in order that they may get
"cheap money" with which to pay
their debts. This is form Of the lovol.
ing theory with which we are already
familiar, though the Syracuse people
explain the operation Of their plan in
an unusually definite way. Thus they
demand tho immediate calling in and
payment Of all bonds in absolute paper
money, without regard to the time
they may have TO run on their face
That is TO say, that all tho people who
have saved anything in times gone by
and invested their surplus earnings
either directly or through the Savings
Banks or the Life Insurance Compa-
nies, in United States Bonds, shall have
all their savings swept away by a flood
of paper notes, which it may please
these wiseacres to call "absolute
money" but which everybody knows
will diminish in value and purchasing
power in proportion as its quantity is
increased, so that man who has put
his savings into a hundred dollar bond
will find himself possessed of a note
marked a hundred dollars, which may
be worth seventy.fve or fifty or forty
dollars, or ultimately may not be worth
ten. Securities of every kind, Of course,
would be sealed down in the same way,
This is the first step which these
New York reformers propose toward
wiping out all accumulated savings
but recognizing that the desire to OBJ.
tain wealth is so firmly planted in the
human mind that, even were all prop
erty distributed evenly, some men
would soon accumulate more than 9TH
ers, they propose to prevent any such
accumulation in the future by new
system of laws. The plan suggested
is not a new ono, but if could be carried
out it would be effective. 1t is that of
an income tax, graduating upward,
but leaving untouched all incomes un-
der $1,000 a thousand dollars q
year seems to be regarded as n proper
income Tor man TO have, but nobody
should have more than that, and any
surplus, by this system Of graduated
taxation-which can easily be arranged
to run as high as hundred per cent
is to be paid into the common fund.
Along with this goes adoption Of land
limitation laws" to prevent any man
getting more real estate than his neigh
bors, an idea plainly brought from the
Pacific coast if not from Europe, where
such thing as monopoly Of the soil +"
may exist, but which is nevertheless
consistent with the general plan. OF
course, under this system "the State I"
is TO control the railways, carry on
"internal improvements establish
agricultural, mechanical and indus.
trial schools, aud prohibit the importa-
ton Of any article that can be produced
in the country, admitting all others
free, except Chinese, who are not to be
admitted at all. The brotherhood OF
man 4" breaks down here, but with this
exception the whole scheme is near to
the German Socialist idea as il would
be possible to come all at once. A very
little development would be required
beyond the Syracuse platform to merge
theindividual whollyin the community.
We commend this platform to the
very earnest attention Of the numerous
politicians who are cultivating the
" National movement" and think that
they can direct it to some wise end.
OF course the scheme that is here pre-
sentcd is impracticable, but surely it
is not necessary to try it in order to
demonstrate its folly. And we are
likely enough TO try it-though the
experiment would not last long-ifour
political leaders do not leave off nurs-
ing this mischievous lunacy as means
OF injuring one another, instead OF
dropping their miserable selfish quar-.
rels and uniting TO cultivate a healthy
and vigorous political sentiment, in tho
presence of which this un-American
Communism would wither and die
Philadelphia Times.