The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-08-20
Money and the Taxing Power
BY ". 81. ASHBY.

service and al al manner Of commodi-
ties endowed with power to perform
such services.
"Coin," thus subjected to an imperl-
Gus force of demand, becomes in the
hands of the people a commodity uni
versally sought for in exchange for all
things, and rapidly moves from man
to man in obedience to the force OF
demand.
The governments of the civilized
world, meantime, have turned over to
the owners of gold the exclusive right
TO receive these receipts stamped ex-
clusively upon their gold; and refus-
Jig to issue them to anyone else, make
gift Of them to the owners Of
that metal.
Having deprived themselves thus
of the power to anticipate the rev.
eLues, and being unable to 'cnoke the
deficit" by exercising the power to coin
money, the governments of the earth
then borrow back from the gold
owners the same receipts, bestowed
upon them as a gift, and in exchange
therefore give them the bonds of the
nation bearing usury, both usury and
principal payable only in receipts
stamped upon the gold owners gold.
Having thus procured from the ma
lions those usury- bearing bonds, usury
and principal to be collected by the
taxing power, backed up by the bay
onet and the knout, their bonds be-
came chattel mortgage and a perpet-
Ual first lien upon every grain Of gold
in human possession.
The gold owners no longer burden
themselves with the care of looking
after and boarding their "coins," the
free gift to them from the govern
ments, impressed upon their gold. The
duty and expense of boarding and
caring for their private gold, upon
which alone receipts able to cancel
tax levies and judgments are stamped,
has been devolved upon the govern
ments of the civilized world.
In this great and free and enlight-
ened country Of ours the gold owners
received as a gift some thousands of
millions of dollars" of those receipts
stamped upon their gold by our gov
eminent, which receipts they are now
graciously lending back to the gov
e: nmenr that made them the gift, at
2 per cent per annum usury, on bonds
upon which no taxes of any kind are
required or permitted.
Then this generous government
gives for nothing to owners of the two
per cent chattel mortgage on gold,
| another issue of those receipts,
stamped upon paper, for the whole
amount borrowed, and continues to
lay the usury upon the loan thus full
" paid off!
This is amazing craftsmanship!
While the gold owner who loaned to
| the government his receipts stamped
as a gift to him, holds a chattel mort
gage bearing usury upon the coins he
loaned, he receives all his receipts
again, free of cost to him, stamped
this time by the government upon pa
Fer instead of gold.
The government must by taxation
gather in the "coin" which it stamped
as gift upon their gold, and with
that "coin" alone pay the usury upon
the chattel mortgage, and be ready to
give coin stamped upon gold, when
demanded in exchange for one of
these it now gives away stamped upon
paper.
And to what end is all this done?
The political economists who are
supporting the scheme tell us it is to
establish the nations finance upon a
solid basis, and furnish the people
sound and stable currency"
The Stiffness of all this is mex
pressible and is only equalled by it's
consummate wickedness and knavery
1t is as if one born an idiot should
then become insane and a murderer.
l. can only be likened in absurdity and
Utter incongruity with common sense
| and the known relation of things, to
the phantasmagoria of a nightmare.
J Continued Next Weekly