The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-08-24

| DDrlhll6m Vi OIkhuAL1A 1AA
greed has not only decrsed that all the
world shall be taxed, but it has adopted a
system of tax collection that makes the
very existence of the tax payer depend upon
the prompt payment of the tax. The en-
tire burden falls in the end upon the wealth
producing toilers upon the farm, in the
shop, the factory and the mine. All other
Glasses of people, from the very nature of
their business, are enabled to add these bur-
densome taxes to the price Of the products
they sell, and hence upon the masses, who
purchase only for the purpose of consump-
ton, this burden falls with crushing
weight. No individual, community, or
even state, is so powerful as to be able to
avoid the payment Of this tribute to this gi
gantic power, which holds the nations of
the earth in the hollow of its hands. Moth
ing but the determined and harmonious
action of the millions can rescue the useful
Glasses of society from the deadly grasp of
this gigantic devil-fsh of finance that is TO-
day sucking the life-blood of the people
and trampling our common humanity into
the dust.
By law we have in our country conferred
upon private corporations and individuals
the power TO tax the people upon every ar
ticle they purchase as well ss for spot of
earth on which they are permitted to exist.
BY law and custom we have made money
the medium by which exchanges are ef-
fected, and by law we have conferred upon
private corporations the power to control
the distribution of this law created medium
for private gain. This law-created mo-
nopoly Of money is in effect equivalent to a
monopoly of all that money will purchase.
By the exercise of this power under our law
created system of land tenure, the mines,
the forests, the soil and all the natural re-
sources Of the earth which enable people to
create wealth by their labor have passed
and are passing into the possession Of the
few, and the many have become and are be-
coming but mere serfs, to do the will of
their aw-created taskmasters. These power
full combinations of wealth, under the law,
own our industries, our railroads, tele-
graphs, and control, directly or indirectly,
all the exchanges between the producer and
consumer. They claim and exercise the
power to create private standing armies,
construct gunboats and wage war against
the people, the constitutional militia of the
nation, as we have seen recently at Home
stead, Pa. We have witnessed similar
scenes in Wyoming, Idaho, and in fact
wherever the producers of wealth have
dared to protest against the tyranny Of the
favored few who amass their millions by
taxing the people.
Such, in brief, is the situation as we find
it throughout the civilized world to-day,
and this is the legitimate consequence of
comforting the power to tax upon organ
lied greed. Twenty-Five thousand persons
own One-half Of the wealth of the United
States, and fifty persons possess the power
to control the currency and commerce Of
the nation, close down its industries, force
millions into idleness and plunge legiti-
mate business into general bankruptcy at q
days notice. By law all debts are payable
in gold whenever it suits the purposes of
plutocracy TO demand it, and according to
the census one person in every seven is
under mortgage to pay over $500. Out of
the 100000 inhabitants Of New York city,
10000 own more than ons-half of the wealth,
and only 1900 have any title to real estate;
while 10000 workingwomen are 80 poorly
paid that they must accept charity, sell
their persons, or starve. The combined
wealth of the Astor family is estimated at
$3.50, 600 900, accumulated by the law-created
power TO tax the people for the use of land.
The ner oanita Of wealth ia given at 81, ,OOO