12 Conservative *
MONTESQUIEU ON TAXATION.
As Lock's "Civil Government , " Mon
tesquieu's "Spirit of Laws" and Rous
seau's "Social Contract" were the three
works that theoretically and practically
lie at the foundation of this government ,
it is not without interest , and should
have value , to read what one of them
has to say on the important subject of
taxation.
"The public revenues , says Montes
quieu , are a portion that each subject
gives of his property , in order to secure
or enjoy the remainder. " ( In other
words , as THE CONSERVATIVE hag been
hammering , in season and out , men
establish and maintain governments for
their individual preservation. )
"To fix these revenues in a proper
manner , regard should be had both to
the necessities of the government and to
those of the subject. The real necessities
of the people ought never to give way
to the imaginary wants of the state. "
"Imaginary wants are those which
flow from the passions and weakness of
the governors , from the vain conceit of
some extraordinary project , " ( wars for
humanity and conquest ) "from inordi
nate desire for glory , and from a certain
impotence of mind incapable of with
standing the impulse of fancy. Often
have ministers imagined that the wants
of their own mean and ignoble souls
were those of the state. "
"The public revenues should not be
measured by the people's abilities to
give , but by what they ought to give. "
Such were the principles of Washington ,
Adams , Jefferson and the early found
ers. Such are the principles of a demo
cratic republic.
"The study of the laws form a very
beautiful prospect. A venerable old
oak raises its lofty head to the skies , the
eye sees from afar its spreading leaves ;
upon drawing nearer it perceives the
trunk but does not discern the root ; the
ground must be dug up to discover it. "
"As useless laws debilitate such as are
necessary so those that may be easily
eluded weaken legislation. "
"Every law ought to have its effect ,
and no one should be allowed to deviate
from it by a particular exemption. "
"Laws should be so worded as not to
be contrary to the nature of things. "
BEVEKIDGE REBUKED BY AN EX
PANSIONIST.
The speech of Senator Beveridgo of
Indiana in support of his resolution
favoring the permanent retention of the
Philippines was distinctly disappointing
to those who support expansion in order
to extend American institutions rather
than American trade. We do not
believe that such a plan of government
as he outlined represents the purposes or
the desires of the administration , and
still less did Senator Beveridge represent
them when he demanded ' -the establish
ment of import duties on a revenue
basis , with such discrimination in favor
of American imports as will prevent the
cheaper goods of other nations from
destroying American trade , " aud "the
establishment of the English language
throughout the islands , teaching ib ex
clusively in the schools , and using it
through interpreters exclusively in the
courts. " Senator Hoar's brief reply
warmly complimented Senator Bever
idge upon his eloquence and enthusiasm ,
but hit upon the fatal weakness of his
address by pointing out that the words
"right , justice , duty and freedom. " were
absent. It is only upon right , justice ,
duty aud freedom that the expansion of
America can proceed ; extension of our
sovereignty upon any other basis would
be the abandonment , not the expansion ,
of the American idea. The Outlook ,
supporter of the expansion policy.
TALE OF A POSSUM.
Thonox was lit by lux of hum ,
And 'twas a nox most opportune
To catch u possum or a coona ;
For nix was scattered o'er this mundus ,
A shallow nix et non profundus.
On sic a nox with canis unus
Two boys went out to hunt for coonus.
The corpus of this bonus caniri
Was full as long as octo span is ;
But brovior legs had canis never ,
Quam had hie dog ; bonus , clever ,
Some used to say in stultum jokum
Quod a field was too small locum
For sic a dog to make a turnus
Circum self from stem to sternus.
Unis canis , duo puer
Nnnquam braver , nunquam truer
Quam hoc trio unquam f uit ,
If there was , I never knew it.
Hie bonus dog had one bad habit ;
Amabat much to chase a rabbit ;
Amabat plus to chase a rattus ,
Amabat bene chuso a cattus.
On this nixy moonlight night
This old canis did just right.
Nunquam treed a frightened rattus ,
Nunquam chased a starving cattus ,
But cucurritt , on , intentus ,
On the track and on the scentus
Till ho treed a possum strongum
In a hollow trunkum longum.
Loud he barked in horrid bellum ;
Seemed on terra venit helium.
Quickly ran the duo puer
Mora of possum to secure.
Quum vuierint , one began
To chop away like quisquo man ;
Soon the axe went through the trunkum ,
Soon ho hit it , per , chor chunkum ,
Combat thickens ; on yo bravusl
Canis , puer bite ot stavus ;
A1 * his powers non longus tarry ,
I'ossttm potcst non puynare.
On the nix his corpus lieth ,
Down to Hades spirit flieth.
Joyful puors , canis bonus
Think him dead as any stonus.
Ain't his corpus like a jolly ?
Quid plus proof ought hunter voile ?
Now they seek their pater's dome ,
Feeling proud as any homo ,
Knowing , certo , they will blossom
Into heroes when , with possum
They arrjvo , narrabunt story
Plonus blood et plenior glory.
Pompoy , David , Sampson , Cussar ,
Cyrus , Blackhawk , Shalmanezarl
Toll mo where est now the gloria ,
Where the honors of Victoria ?
Quum at dome narrent story ,
Plenus sanguine , tragic , gory ,
Pater praiseth , likewise mater ,
Wonders greatly younger frator.
Possum leave they on the mundus ,
Go themselves to sleep profundus ;
Somniunt possum slain in battle
Strong as ursae , largo as cattle.
When nox gives way to lux of morning
Albam terrain much adorning ,
Up they jump to see the varmen
Of the which quid est the carmen.
Possum /i/c est resmirrcclitm
Leaving puers most d jectum.
Possum linquit track behind him ,
Bed the puers never Hud him.
Cruel possum 1 bestia vilest 1
How the puers tu boguilestl
Puers think non plus of Cicsar ,
Go to granimen , Shalmnnozar !
Take your laurel cum the honor
Since ista possum is a goner.
And now I'll leave the language brindlo.
And will wind up on the spindle
Made of English every bit ;
And I'll try to draw a moral
That with possum tale wont quarrel.
MOItAL.
We , the people of this nation ,
After years of tribulation ,
Crushed and strangled by our power
Mormonism , shameless flower
And relic of barbaric times
With slavery , and kindred crimes.
And 'tis known the ugly creature
Seemed a possum in each feature.
What the moral is you guess it ,
So it's useless to express it.
MAN IS NOT MOUE DISHONEST THAN
HE WAS.
"Again , the modern era has undoubt
edly given now openings for dishonesty
in trade. The advance of knowledge
has discovered new ways of making
things appear other than they are , aud
has rendered possible many now forms
of adulteration. The producer is now
far removed from the ultimate con
sumer ; and his wrong-doings are not
visited with the prompt and sharp
punishment which falls on the head of a
person who , being bound to live and die
in his native village , plays a dishonest
trick on one of his neighbors. The
opportunities for knavery are certainly
more numerous than they were ; but
there is no reason for thinking that
people avail themselves of a larger pro
portion of such opportunities than they
used to do. On the contrary , modern
methods of trade imply habits of trust
fulness on the one side aud a power of
resisting temptation to dishonesty on
the other , which do not exist among the
backward people. Instances of simple
truth and personal fidelity are mot with
xiuder all social conditions ; but those
who have tried to establish a business of
modern type in a backward country
find that they can scarcely ever depend
on the native population for filling posts
of trust. It is even more difficult to
dispense with imported assistance for
work which calls for a strong moral
character than for that which requires
great skill and mental ability. Adulter
ation and fraud in trade were rampant
in the middle ages to an extent that is
very astonishing , when wo consider the
difficulties of wrong-doing without de
tection at that time. " See "Principles
of Economics , " Marshall , page 7.
