The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-11-05
BOOK 2.-Chapter XIII.

On the face of the proposition there
appears to be Lo good reason why
a Government should do more for a
man who digs for gold, than for him
VINO digs for corn. 1t Is indisputable
that producing food, clothing, shelter
and fuel, and transporting and distr1-
buting them. is far more important
service to humanity than hunting gold.
And yet while ali the vast multitude
engaged in such useful service find
the burden of taxation weighing heav-
lily upon them, nothing they produce
or possess, or can 40 will be accepted
ip discharge of their obligation to sup
port their government, although their
service and their products are the
identical things the government re-
CURES and ultimately seeks to obtain.
Instead OF accepting these things at
fast hands, ii sends all these people
| in a wild chase In search Of the gold
owner, who has scarce metal incap-
able Of supplying the national needs,
and compe1s them to give up their SER
vices and products to him, in order to
obtain those metal disks, upon which
alone their government will stamp the
receipts 1t accepts in satisfaction. The
civilized world has today but one
serious occupation and that Is life
long struggle TO command these GER
tifeatAs coined upon gold.
And most astounding of all, the
government gives those receipts to the
gold owner for nothing. 1t then gives
the gold 1t obtains as taxes back to
ite owner for part OF the articles he
took from the people.
Every article upon which the bur-
Ger of taxation rests should have
power remove that burden by It's ten
der. The production of all useful
| things would thus be encouraged, and
that of useless or injurious things, not
made taxable, would be discouraged.
Taxation thus applied would pro-
Elote production OF the things taxed,
and by fixing by statute the prices at
which they should be taxed, and at
which they should be received in pay
rent of tax leyies and judgments-as
is now the case with gold-with the
| right OF every taxpayer to pay in those
| taxable articles as many years OF
taxes in advance as he chooses, and
to receive "coin" inscribed, at his OPP
| ton, either upon the books or upon
slips of paper, in return, would call
bsck that enormous mass OF human
energy now directed to senseless
scramble for useless gold, and turn 1t
upon the production, distribution and
preservation OF things endowed with
the power to perform beneficial ser
vice for man.
When we demand reason why gold
alone should be the vehicle to car
ry the receipts called "coin," the an
swer has always been, "the suitability
OF gold as material for that pur-
pose" But that is false reason and
is proven false by the experience of ev-
cry people. Among business men in
all civilized countries, nearly every
bayment is made by an order for gold,
called Check" and between banks
BIZ clearing house receipts, both drawn
upon paper.
Why is this?
| Because gold, which Is survival of
ar ignorant and barbarous age, is
cumbrous and not Suitable" willie
paper is suitable" on account of Its
ilEu liCoSf C0oC Vi tOhttollACul Qnd
| durability, and there Is no limitation
Upon its capacity to express quantities
OF value, great or enthusiastically
small, by receiving the impress of our
money" and II can be made prac-
ti,ally impossible TO counterfeit.
But we are not left to rest the claims
lere made upon hose reasons alone
!, decisive as they Seem to be. The ex-
perience of the Venitian republic gives
the lie to this claim of suitability and
D,cyes by the incontestable facts OF
IFS history that receipts inscribed up
on paper armed with the same power
against tax levios and judgments M
: geld coin, performed perfectly all the
functions ascribed to gold coin anc
stood at a premium of 20 per CEN
over gold coin Of the Ike denem!na
tons. In the clearing house OF thu
world, during six hundred years ant
until the republic which supported Oh,
-. "A