The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-07-13


house daily in our country and the
world over.
AS matter of fact business of all
kinds is simply barter. 1t is goods
that is exchanged for goods. Money
is simply a standard of value made
by governmental action for the con-
venience of trade. Baltimore is a
great entrepot for all kinds of
country produce. When a trucker
sends his produce to town on a
wholesale market day he does not
receive payment in actual money
from the commission merchant but
takes a check for the amount, which
it is customary to honor weekly for
the whole amount of shipments
made during the week. Both the
farmer, merchant and Gamer find it
more convenient to let the matter
stand on credit for a short time
than to make daily payments.
When settling day comes checks on
banks make the payments which
checks the farmer may, if he
chooses, use in payment of his in
debtedness to city merchants or
others.
1t is only in small retail transac-
tions that money is used to any
extent and even in many of them
direct barter of labor or it's products
takes place. Having, l think,
pointed out that money is not abso-
lutely essential to social life, let us
return to the taxation question. 1t
is an old saying that nothing is GER
tain to happen except that each of
us will die and pay taxes while we
live. 1t is true that it is about as
easy to escape one as the other.
Everybody pays taxes either con
sciously or unconsciously. From
the swaddling clothes of the new
born infant to the nails in the cof-
fin of the patriarch everything used
by us is taxed. The power to tax
is the greatest of all governmental
functions. By its use Or abuse
prosperity or desolation may result
to people. Billions of gold, silver
or paper money may be coined by
government-the metals would rust
and the paper rot from disuse if the
laws of taxation in any country
were made stringent enough to
abolish all enterprise, and such use
of the power of taxation is pos
sibility. History is strewn with
the wrecks of civilizations resulting
from the abuse of the power of tax
alton. History tells us of many a
revolt of men against oppressive
taxation. Rarely do we find any
reference to the circulating medium.
The Egyptian civilization, lasting
for centuries, had no official gov
ernment money that we have any
knowledge of. Money, whether
made of gold, silver, copper or
other materials, never seems to have
entered in the public affairs of any
ancient nation, Greek, Roman, Jew
or Gentle, to any great extent.
Nor do we find much Importance
attached to money in any modern
country. No war or rebellion has
ever been started about it. - An
account of the resistance of man
kind to the spoliatiOn from unjust
taxation would be almost the his
tory of mankind itself.
Very truly yours,
VIM. n. HILL, NJ. ID.
The Doctors notions of the
science of money will hardly pass
muster among financial students.
He seems to mistake the mere ma
nipulation or mechanical use of
money for monetary science. A
check or order to an agent to pay a
part or whole of the sum entrusted
to him for safe keeping does not
add to or take from the volume of
the circulatingmedium or influence
prices to the extent of a farthing.
Neither is the transaction of bus
mess by the use of money and
Charter" the same as the Doctor
assumes. In fact no two systems
could be further removed from each
other.
The influence which money
exerts on civilization is well
described by the Silver Commits
siOn's Report which was held in
this country in 1876. We quote