Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1879-10-11

representative vi Capllai, whose Whole
virtue is to exchange capital. Thus,
by way of example:
You have farm worth $4,000
which is capital; have $4,000 in
money, which is the representative OF
capital only. Here manifestly there is
but one capital. I buy your farm and
rent it ont for 5000 per annum, and'you
loan the $4,000, representative only OF
capital, for the same sum-$6O0 per an
nun; now who or what pays this rent
and interest but labor? And thus labor
is taxed not only on veritable capital,
but on an artificial and fictitious capital
besides.
The same thing may be said Of the
whole bond system and funding system,
public and private; all the interest is
paid by labor, and upon an artificial
and not a genuine and natural capital.
All this might be wiped out, and would
be wiped out, by new policy and ad-
ministration of human affairs, as you
have suggested throughout your letter,
and in which l think we perfectly agree.
refer TO those portions OF your let
ter in which making many useful sug-
gestious and changes in the administra-
ton of public affairs, you say "the Gov
ernment shan Go al tie pao'io business
now chartered to private capital" DC.
Here you strike great principle
which, if introduced into practice, as it
ought to be, by the letter and spirit OF
our constitutions, would at once restore
us to the true Interpretation of the Coz
stitution of the United States, by which
no other charters or patents are author
ICED than those to 'au,hors and inven-
TORS" and at the same time vindicate
the great principle and injunction that
runs through, sticks out, and pervades
all cur constitutions, State and nation
al "equal justice to all,special privileges
TO none.
Ii is the identical principle announ-
ed, more than two thousand years ago,
oy the great man, patriot, orator and
statesman, Cicero, who lays it down as
the second of two great and primal laws
! and rules of ethics and statesm nship.
For while he puts first, "that we should
iniure no one unless provoked by inJu-
nv" he names second, ''that we should
use public things as public things, and
only private things as our own"
give his words in his own language
"Sed justitia primum minus EST, ut
ne cm qms noceaf, nisi Lacessifus inju-
ria: detnde ut cOmmuni0us ufatur pro
commmibus, priUatis ut suis."
Our departure from this principle and
rule of plain common-sense and justice,
and at the same time from the very let
ter of all our constitutions, has envelop-
! ed us in all the numerous evils in which
we are now foundering. 1n charterlng
all these banks, railroad companies, tel
egraph companies, and insurance COM
panies, we have in letter and spirit VIC
lated all our fundamental laws, and sur
rendered up as special privileges to ia
vored citizens the sovereign rights aud
property of the whole people, which
should have been managed as common
rights and property as the post office
and other things belonging to the peo-
PIC; " .,' T0'i'l,o" A., o,.,,, -
regard to the authorized charters for
Inventors and authors" they have
been managed in way and granted
WIN P'n Nes.' ~ 'o .' w." ,oonlo ,bns
sNe " ,h o ,r.lnI' oons,;,n,rg thnsc char
"Po', ''ie ""o.:' 49,, ,,oa1 nvnonS;ye
'ered Corporations INC 'no'. e I,p tm,S
ana oppressive ,o" ",'' ~ ,ho o ~. u is
. d. ., ''' , "" ,;,las Or ;ns;onia or
t'"v ."s nov - d;s,;n1uisb tbsm. and
"'.o ,'ah ,ho rorso for then thev would
:" , "i"''' o ,,'e Go hnt ,hov control al
a'''ao' u'.e"'ior r,t ~, oo w.. nnd hoyo
'he leS'S,a'loi' oi 'ne 1o" ~ m nu 80 "or
praclica'iy S"os'I'"'eo a., D 'Ina of o"r
pora'ion charters Ill 'he p'''o u o"'
CONSTITUTIONS =, :,
Your proposition TO get rid OF all
these charters and specia! privileges ny
renting to the Government lhe u"'y
OF exercising all me soTere'S. 'rusts VI
the people, instead OF dele5atinS 'hem
to unconstitutional corporations "ou'u
60 far not only in relieving US from
many of the evils we now Su1er' Out
would furnish fund sufficient TO de,
fray all the expenses OF both nationai
ana State governments, and relieve the
people from all taxation for that pur-
pose. And all this would be done with
out violating the personal ana private
rights of single citizen
All citizens should have all thelr per-
sonal and private rights; but the puOlc,