The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1899-07-13
MORALS AND DOLLARS.
Standard Oil and Water Of Life Will
Not Mix
Person Who Evades Just Taxation
Is No Better Than
Larcenist.
BY WILLIAM ). BRYAN,


Standard Oil and the water OF Life
will not mix.
"If man say Il love God and
hatheth his brother, he is a liar, for he
that loyeth not his brother, VIII I'm he
hath seen, how can he love God, whom
he hathsnot SEEM"
Thus does John in his first epistle de-
nounce those who pretend 10 love the
Heavenly Father, while they hate the
earthly brother. Christ condensed the
Ten Commandments into two when he
said; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind. This
is the first and great commandment
and the second is like unto IL, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor az thyself"
The first defines mans duty toward
the Almighty; the second his duty to-
ward his fellow-men. The fatherhood
OF God and the brotherhood Of man are
parts OF the same gospel and cannot be
separated. We have no way of meas
uring mans love toward the Creator,
except by the goodwill which he man
ifests toward his fellow creatures.
There ia wide zone between the af-
firmative benevolence which religion
commands and the reCtitude which gov
ernment compels. The Christian can
not content himself with a life Of neg
ative harmlessness; the fruits of the
spirit must manifest themselves in
positive helpfulness.
The object OF this article, however, is
not TO point out ways in which the
Christian brother may aid his brother,
but rather 20 indicate few ways in
which he may be doing injustice to him.
The subject OF taxation is an ever pres
ent one. II, because of bad system Of
taxation, or because OF the faulty adj
ministration of good one, taxes are
collected in such a way that some pay
more than their share and others less,
injnstice Is done 10 those over-burdened
and partiality shown TO those too lightly
taxed. The wrong done in this way APP
proaches, II II does not reach, the pro-
portions of grand larceny. The person
who robs by force or by fraud il no more
guilty from a moral standpoint, than the
man who purposely secures legislation
which ltransferes TO the shoulders Of
others the public burden which he him
self ought TO bear. Can the Christian
who loves his brother conceal from the
assessors property rightfully subject to
taxation, or favor tax systems favorable
10 himself and unjust TO others2
Honest differences Of opinion as TO the
merits of any proposed financial policy
are to be expected, but there ought to
he no differences of opinion as TO the
IDEAL policy toward the securing OF
which every effort should be directed.
The questions what money is sound and
what dollar makes the nearest approach
10 honesty may afford ground for dis
pute, but there should be no dissent
from the proposition that the best dol.
lar, no matter what system secures it,
in the dollar which is most stable in its
purchasing power. Absolute stability,
II attainable, will give us an absolutely
honest dollar; but such dollar has
never yet been devised. In money, as
in other matters, we strive for preiec-
tion, knowing that il cannot be fully at
tanned.
Every flucutation in the purchasing
power OF the dollar Injuries some one. II
a dollar rises in purchasing power il
benefits those who own money and thos,
who hold contracts payable in dollars
but il Injuries those without money, and
those who produce wealth. A dollar
which falls in purchasing power pro.
duoe the opposite effect. To increase
the number OF dollars called for in a con-
tract would not be tolerated for mo-
ment; to increase the purchasing power
OF the dollar, however, has exactly the
same effect. The purchasing power of Q
dollar may be- changed by legislation
For instance, other things being equal
legislation which lessons the whole o
standard money increases the value o
each dollar. This idea was forcibly sci
forth by Mr.. Mckinley in speech
made in Toledo, Ohio, in 1891. Speak,
ing OF Mr., Cleveland's hostility 10 silver
he said "le was determined to con.
tract the circulating medium aud de
monetize one OF the coins OF commerce
limit the volume of money among the
people. make money scarce and there
fore dear. lie would have increased the
value OF money and diminished the
value Of everything else--money the
master, everything else the servant"
II legislation intended TO make money
scarce and therefore dear, makes money
the master and everything else the ser
want, can Christians ignore the moral
question involyed9 Conditions have be
come SO alarming that church organiza-
tions are beginning to sound a note OF
warning, AZ the general synod Of the
Reformed church, held at Tifin, Ohio,
last month, the committee ON the state
OF the church reported the following
resolutions;
"fhe danger To he apprehended from
certain agencies which are slowly hut
surely revolutioniEing the entire coun-
try, in the hands Of Jew, the steady
enlargement ol the poor classes OF peo-
pie and the gradual diminution Of a