Milford chronicle., 1940-10-18

ing, darkness means danger. It's just
dustrial life and economic relations
with its extreme exercise Of the po-
lice power and with its enactment oi
laws for the individuals economic
good has passed far the limits ever
heretofore reached by any govern
ment in the assertion of its right to
take from the individual his liberty
for the welfare of the public.
The pendulum is now swinging
towards Capitalization in political
coordination with economic action.
Russia is dominated by the arbitrary
rule of a group of international
communists who are impelled by no
patriotic impulse. but are motivated
alone by class aggrandizement. Die
tators rule with iron hand Italy and
Germany and have put under their
heel the whole of Continental Eu-
rope. In America the Federal Gov
ernment has taken to itself powers
of the several states and the indi-
vidual by both federal and state leg
islation is submerged in what is
conceived to be the good Of the
group.
Collectivism in the Unite d
States has assumed its most insid-
ious forms of Communism and Of
regimentation, which is but another
word for dictatorship. in the con-
troll Of the industry of the nation.
Let it be realized that no change is
necessary to our fundamental law
to make actual, Communism under
our Constitution.
The Supreme Court has now de-
termined the legality of the utiliza-
| ton of taxation for the purpose Of
re-distributing the wealth of the ma
tion. Until few years ago taxation
was conceived as the instrumental
ity of raising revenue alone for the
! expenses of government; public
moneys were used for public well
fare only as emergency demanded.
The idea of those whose fundamen-
| tai theory of Communism is opposed
to the traditional concepts Of Amer
| ican individualism has revolution
lied the function of taxation and
has exposed the savings of the
workers OF America to confiscatory
taxation under the guise Of public
welfare.
The Sixteenth Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States
does not provide any limitation on
the amount that may be taken from
| your property and handed to others
on the plea of their necessities.
There is no constitutional limit to
the Federal debt. 1t is this omis-
/ sion from the Constitution of any
check on the tax that may be levied
against private property or any lin
itatiOn on the public debt or on the
spending for the general welfare
that makes not only for the possibil-
ity of Communism but for its actual
ity and as we'll for the bankruptcy
of our government under the Consti-
tuition whenever a congressional ma
jority, obedient to the will or coer-
cion of a president, so wills.
II has then happened in the short
period Of a century and a half after
mans greatest achievement in his
social and political development,
when for the first time in human
annals he wrote in his constitution
protection of his liberty and the
conservation of his property as es-
sentials Of his development-that the
fundamental law so has been
changed by formal amendment and
judicial construction, as now In eff
feet to make the government, and
not the individual, the master Of his |
freedom and keeper of his property. |
Thus. has passed from the individual
human will to a legislative discre-
ton, the control of the determinants |
of human initiative, enterprise and |
thrift; and, likewise. the creation of |
those property sulpluses of human |
effort and labor that have made
possible and have given form to the
progressive development Of his ma
terial achievements and to the
growth of his personality.
So it now is that the foundation i
institution of private property which
has contributed so abundantly to the
development of man and his civiliza-
ton is without any right under the
Constitution which the Congress
and the President must respect, that
the power to tax and to spend under
separate statutes may be exercised
without any limitation except the
restraints Of conscience and coer-
cion, and that the taxable whose sur
plus of material things alone makes
it possible for government to exist
and civilization to endure has been
deprived, or is exposed TO the loss
of inherent reserved rights, most
vital to the development of his
character and rights as citizen
the liberty to work, to save, to own,
to strive and to achieve.
A Congressional majority and an
acquiescent President, or a dominant
President and an obsequious Con-
gress, by mere statute for revenue
may strip you owners Of your prop
erty. and. converting it into public
funds, by general or special act Of
then may distribute 1t
in the exercise Of their discretion to
such distributes and in such parts
of the United States as they deem
for the general welfare; or they may
withhold from any Legislative, ad-
ministrative or judicial branch Of
the government, funds necessary to
its proper functioning. In short, no
limitation restraints,
but an aggressive minority or self
seeking group, may now redistribute
horizontally among the many, or
few. or territorially, throughout the