The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
nv EDWARD A. BRADFORD.


Tho theory OF taxation was never
considered or better under
- tban in our own time. The
sn'~iIcn OF taxation has hardly ever
Ian worse than at present. The
.ntrost between good theory and
5,I practico in taxation and citizen
sbln clamors for consideration ar
f"rinr from that used by those VINO
f.yy discriminating taxes and enact
.vImptions from laws In a manner
,yrigh is a reproach TO both citizens
and legislators.
Nrierrc of taxation or legislation
j, mako laws or levy taxes In a
,s1ncr which shall be just because
,,,Fg.rsaI In ancient times there
,,.srs ouiv traces of democracy in
S,y. and small governments, and the
r.,I, r|arardlng autocratic taxes and
i,vs was that they were frankly
5,sigopd TO give privilege and
lower Ella $500 for the bene-
NJ The upper classes. The prac-
'1Iiro Of the Roman Empire In cx-
limiting its conquered colonies and
snbiect races for the benefit of the
ruune classts was general, ana con-
irtgcd right down to u revolution
nv even so enlightened a nation as
England. our revolution happens
rouchly TO mark a dividing line be-
tween the old and the new in eco
romirs and politics. Democratic
ruIo was born with the industrial
royolution and the factory system,
and reached finality in the world
war. ~Fcudalism succumbed to the
steam engine as truly as to popular
revolt. We live in better times
both economically and politically.
hut there Is a drawback-popular
rule tends to exploit the upper
classes AZ the upper classes exploit
ed the lower during feudalism. Mod
ern democratic majorities rule the
minority, which is superior In mind
and therefore in property
possession, ~ruthlessly, and some
times i%gnorantly. They have yet
to learn that attempts to exploit
classes by taxation or legislation
are as mistaken in object as i'm
practicable in execution.
France affords a typical example
OF how autocratic exemption and
eAloitation by political means
ttt IS, by law and political institu-
tlous-defeat their objects and re-
coil upon those who practice them.
Under the Louis who said he was
the state citizen hardly ranked az
humans. only one-third of landed
property belonged to n who
profited by possession. Two-thirds
belonged to the church and the
mobiles. They were tax exempt,
neither the church nor the mobiles
paying a sou, the ~peasantry paying
all. The privileged and exempt
classes numbered 10000 in a pop
ulation Of $1,000, 900. The drones
consumed the substance of the
poor. If an acre produced 75 farncs,
taxes consumed so francs. The cul-
%tivator who received % farncs paid
half to the landlord and received for
himself 12h francs. The workers.
who are the bulwark of democracy.
went barefoot and slept on the clay
floors Of their home sites. Women
were harnessed to plowS, and the
peasants were such serfs that they
even lent their brides to the lords
OF the manor. The king had 800
cooks, and 1000 horses in his
stables, and spent $50, 000.0 600 francs
on his establishment. Cardinal de
RohaH, a prince OF the church, the
grand almoner' of France, said
that it was impossible for him TO
live on less than a million and a
half, and paid his clergy 500 francs
a year. Naturally the revolution
followed, and the lesson is that ex-
emption and privileges defeat them
selves.
The Proletarlat as EXploiters.
That is just as true of democratic
~ OF %autocratic institutions. Russia
, proves that a well as France. The
cable tells us that Russians eat grass
soup. just 80 in the middle of the
eighteenth century It was written by
contemporary c~hToniclcrs that The
men are dying as thick as flies, and
the living are eating grass Before
~ eyes the proletarian ~autocrats,
I'M eXplOiters Of the bourgeoise for
the benefit Of the workers, are pay
ing the penalties Of their eXemp-
lions and privileges by law In the
very manner in which feudalism ex-
plated its offense of expoiting one
class for the benefit of others. ooh
LIBERTY Liberty! how many crimes
are committed in thy name" ex-
CANNED Nine. Roland during the ex-
Vesaes by which the French work
e,rs revenged themselves on their
bourgeois exploiters. Now the pro-
tetarlat are the exploiters OF the
Oourgeoise, and the crimes are com
United In the name of humanity.
me french revolution was political,
~ change a kingdom into a repub-
~, ihe RUSSIAN is economic in eff
1Sets' although political in form.
me regime of the car was over
HIoWh to show that if the prole-
tallat ruled 1t would be more pros
telous than under the wage slav-
~ OIL capitalism. What was to end
men wages and profits were abol-
@neu ana the exploitation OF work
~ stopped. 1t was necessary to
' ,ybbms famine to millions to prove
tnG paradox that, human nature
lug what 1t is, there can be no
~mn.uaucton without compulsion, and
s'@t When there is uneconomic COM
SSuuNoh thcre is deficiency of pro-
TIup'ioon' IL is no better known after
sne russian object Lesson than be-
aIlg H. The first criticism of so
vianSih' or communism, or bolshe-
r,aaNn, Is mat it Is contrary to human
wuIHILtIe TO work without pay and
".nout hope Of ownership OF prop
Ivy The b~olsheviki abolished
TTIUney' wages and industry together.
irtu'er millennium is a barren
btvvpIa' a purgatory, In the name Of
ohe reason for contrasting these
Soyect lessons, so alike i'm their diff
ma..ceF' Is to apply them in argu.
any," against similar tendencies
ca.4ns ourselves. Our hope of es-
yePu's such eXcesses Is to rely upon
Al and experience for protec-