The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-02
ON 1.-THE THEOLOGY OF TAXATION"
 REY. 4. ]. DICKINSON BREACHES
contInued from Fifth Paasl


 custom; tear to whom fear; honor tC whom honor." "So is the will of God that by well doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men; as free and not using your freedom as cloak of malice but as bond servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king
 But l may present my subject more clearly by taking up the matter con cretely in some civil duty now pressing on us. Let us take the matter of public education The state of Alabama has decided that it Is the province of the state to educate the youth of its citizen ship, or putting it in another shape that every child born Into society thereby in- herits the right to enjoy the degree or civilization and culture present in that society. The state in the exercise or us province to effect for It's citizens the tuli enjoyments of their rights, provides means whereby society shall confer on her newborn son his full birthright oi the education common in his day Hence we call these schools common schools.
 Duty of Society.
 What 1t is the right of the child to in- herit from society it is the duty of the state to provide. The child has as much right to receive free the culture which
 
 in the ages of history, as to inherit the air, earth, and water which the creator formed in geological epochs of years long ago. So the state strives to make our common schools the purveyor of our common culture to the rising citizens or our commonwealth. Now since property gets it's value not from it's material com- ponents but the uses made of 1t In eul- tured society, and since that value in- creases with the increase of culture of citizenship 1t is both in equity and In in- terest that this property should con- tribute of its enhancing value to the maintenance of the agency through which that value comes.
 I am socialist enough to believe that since no holder of the wealth which he has by some fortuitous incident taken over to himself, but that such wealth is the creation of society in ages before he was born, that therefore society has the right to present such portion thereof as she needs for her own adequate main- tenance and growth. But to put 1t in another form. The man of wealth has received his wealth at the hands of so- eiety and owes her his ntal therefor. Such is the principle of the taxation in the Mosaic law. It Is therefore not an arbitrary exaction of state, but a debt due for a quid pro quo: debt as honest as 1t Is possible for one to be. The man who would beat the cnllunOOQ oI lno state out of it's birthright needs some gospel of common honesty preached against his hardened heart.
 Tax on Citizenship.
 As a tax is laid on citizenship as it enters the door to the ballot box, the state says: You have received from the generations gone your personal culture and civilization making you more valua- ble and capable of providing for your self. Now out of this increased value you have received at society's hands, con- tribute by it's bestowment on society 8 future. It is a quid pro quo debt for what you have received and the man who refuses to pay his poll tax is un- worthy of civil standing and Is justly disfranchised. So I present you this gos- pei that you owe to Caesar the things that are Caesars as taught by our Lord and his apostles. There is great deal of wholesome theology and religious cul- ture in a sacred regard for the privilege of paying taxes. There is much whole some religious culture in paying taxes and one of the greatest reflections on our of today is the grudgingly way men met this civil duty, having to be held up and forced to do what ought to be pleasant and grateful service to this country.