The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-09-10
Money and the Taxing Power
cred the force and formulated tn
great law Of grayitation.
81 ". q. A6HBT.

Had General Walker, and those who
accept" this definition sat where
Newton did, they might have gazed
during all the intervening years at an
annual shower of falling apples from
that tree, without ever once feeling
the necessity to ask for the cause
which impelied them to move in a
straight line toward the center of the
| earth!
By the terms Of the definition, here
| Is physical object, properly called
s'coin," which h describes as pass
ing'' or moving from hand to
hand" and so far as disclosed by the
definition, or elsewhere in his writ
iIgs, it is impelled by no force what
ever!
There Is not the slightest hint that
this unique object, thus moving free
| ~, performs any service beneficial to
man, constituting an Office. or function
among these strange people, through.
whose hands 1t thus passes; and with
cut such power, nothing is endowed
with utility-without which there can
b, no force of demand for it.
The picture suggests an entire COM
munity engaged in playing something
similar to the alcient child game of
"thimble. No one appears to want
the coin. No one is compelled to ac-
cept it. No one gains or loses any
thing by receiving it, or rejecting il,
or passing it on. No Office or function
is performed by it. No motive or force
impelling it is anywhere manifest. 1t
is not disclosed that it performs any
beneficial service for men
And yet, with no force behind to
push it. and none in front to draw it
still, without any disclosed cause. it
passes freely from hand to hand
throughout the community and when
its movement is completed it has per-
formed nothing Whatever.
The community through which It'll
thus passes freely, appears to be en-
gagged in the game for mere amuse-
nent! Each PLAYER accepts" it auto
matically, with no other object, SO far
as can be gathered from this marvel
GUS definition" than simply to try
the experiment of rendering it" toll
come other player in the game, for
no apparent reason except to crafty
a morbid curiosity, to know by test
ing it, whether that other player will
er will nOt-WithOut object, motive,
or purpose accept 1t in discharge OF
debts and in full payment for COM
n ODDITIES"
And We who as spectators watch
this astonishing game, wonderingly
wait to learn, the issue of each new ex-
pertinent of the kind, as Ed mortal
can pretend to foretell the result
Wonderful people! Magical object
But see! The next player accepted
ii in discharge of debt What will
he do with it? He is not permitted
by the rules of the game, set out in
the definition, to "eat IT," nor to "en-
JOY it, nor to make any ether use
OF it, except to play in this amazing
game. See! He has selected a vic
tim and will !.y it upon another of
those extraordinary creatures as full
payment" for commodities endowed
with power to perform service ben
eieial for man.
Bets, it would seem, might row bel
in order as to whether the next auto
NATION. without motive. will accept |
it, and give up in return toilsome SER
vice of his body, or commodities |
bought with such service simply to
avoid interrupting the game.
Who can guess what may happen
among people where such unaccount- |
able things occu daily, as is exhibited
by this causeless movement of this en-
tirely useless thing, throughout that
community? Who can guess what
nay happen among people where
such definitions are generally ac-
cepted?"
The definition defines nothing.
The essential and characteristic fea-
lures of ssc0in" are not included in it. |
Any portable commodity in good de-
lrand would pass in the same way
from hand to hand. Before human be-
iags will uniformly accept" in ex-
change for the toll of their bodies or
for things bought with that toll, a |
thing they cannot consume, nor enjoy, |
nor make any use of, except to tender
it in turn to others, that thing must
be endowed with power to perform
So me beneficial service for men, the
performance of which is urgent and
universal.
Observing, as General Walker did.
that it supplies no natural need,
~ nnvor ,onurrod RI him m cooroh <,,,t