The independent., 1903-10-15
Money and the Taxing Power

mo CitlLen VINO o We anything or
who owns anything can escape the
necessity to buy or borrow, at no
matter what cost, the gold owners
gold, upon which alone governments
will inscribe the sorely needed re-
ceipt
Gold alone, as the direct result of
statutes procured for that purpose,
mas power to pay tax ievies and judg-
ments.
The burden of maintaining govern
ment weighs heavily upon every form
OF wealth, but gold alone is empow-
cred by statute to remove that burden.
And the gold trust holds chattel
mortgage, bearing usury upon every
grain of it in human possession. and
that mortgage lien is enforced by tax
alton, backed by military force in ey-
cry civilized nation.
The possession of every COM
modify imposes upon its possessor the
obligation to pay taxes, but no COM
modify except gold is given power by
the statute to pay that tax
BY force Of barbarous and iniquit-
Gus statutes in all lands, the entire
force OF demand, arising from the tax
ltvles and judgments of the civilized
world, is concentrated, like the rays
or the sun by lens, upon the COM
modify gold, and the disastrous result
is sought to be hidden from men by
the Infamous trick Of mailing fast by
statute the device of each nation
for expressing quantity of value, to a
'flxed weight of gold, so that the ruined
standard can henceforth do nothing
put proclaim the lie that the given
lump of gold is the quantity of value
expressed by the symbol.
Compared with gold, whose price is
thus unalterably fixed, the prices of
all other commodities and of all SER
vices are constantly beaten down in
the competitive battle for possession
o. gold. This explains the astound-
ing scramble, world wide, and fierce.
Tor possession of that metal which
but for those iniquitous statutes, would
be no more valuable and no more
sought for than SO much zinc or tin.
The taxing power of each govern
Laent has no known limits, except the
lllnit OF the national need. The entire
contents of nation are assumed to be
subject to it's disposal, through the
taxing power. Every possession of the
citizen, and the citizen himself may
De slezed when the national need re-
Guires it.
In this country there is scarcely an
article that the national need could
require, that is not found within the
limits OF this great empire. The gov
ernment should place the burden of
taxation upon the commodities able
tc supply it's needs. These should be
enumerated in a schedule. and no ar
ticle not named in that schedule should
be permitted to bear the burden of
taxation. Every article there enum-
Grated should be empowered by stat
ute to pay taxes and judgments at the
same price at which it is subjected to
taxation; and no article exempt from
taxation should be empowered to pay
any tax levy or Judgment.
All the minerals in the earth should
belong to the nation, and all the gold
and silver in human possession should
be gathered into the public treasury.
Metals should no longer be used to
manufacture coin, but should be used
as commodity to exchange with bar
barous metallic money nations for
things required by the government or
the people. All the surplus of corn.
wheat, oats, rye, barley, cotton, cat
tie, hogs, sheep, and everything not
too perishable, fit for food clothing,
Or shelter. which should be offered by
its owners in payment of taxes, either
due or to fall due in future years,
should be accepted by the government.
The only ground of exclusion from the
list OF taxable articles, would be too
great perishability, or desire to dis
courage it's production.
Continued Next Week.)