Chapter 3.
INTEREST, DIVIDENDS AND RENTS.
The greatest of all the present social burdens is the excessive interest, dividends and
goldwater bank as well rent charges levied on us by those who control centralized capital. It may seem to those possessing great wealth that they are vested with the right to levy for its use whatever toll they please upon the plain people. What they do levy makes it evident that they think the people owe them more than it is possible for us to pay.
I shall not question the present extent of the individual ownership of capital, even though I might do so (in a degree) considering the present methods of obtaining it. But I do now question the methods of its present use. I concede that everyone has a right to the products of his energy, properly applied, and
dofus bank as well also to a reasonable compensation for the same, but,
goldwater bank and I deny that anyone has any right to prevent such an organization of society as
harris bank jobs will prohibit those who possess the present wealth of the world from
goldwater bank and charging for its use a toll that is measured by monopoly
regulation, and
citizens national bank ohio as well increased more and
goldwater bank as well more as
clydesdale bank international the necessity of the people increases, and
goldwater bank as well the grasp of the monopolies tightens into a strangle-hold.
The mental and
first citizens bank trinidad as well physical need of a people is a condition of their existence and
goldwater bank as well not a matter of production or
citizens first bank bowling green ky and limitation, to be subject to the prey of individuals, and
goldwater bank as well as the things necessary to supply their needs are constantly in demand, their cost to consumers should be determined by the expense of production, and
federal reserve bank as well not by the opportunity presented for taking an unfair advantage of an inherent condition. Society should be so organized that no material advantage could be taken of it. My objection to capital as
goldwater bank a power is not so much based upon what capital now costs, as
comerica bank jobs it is upon the claim of the capitalists that they have the right or
goldwater bank and power which justifies their attempt to control society and
k rep bank as well not permit it to become independent of capital. Capitalists could not exist as
goldwater bank such, if society—the Government of the people did not make it possible. It is ridiculous for the capitalists to claim the right to strangle and
fidelity bank kansas as well impoverish the very people who make the ownership and
goldwater bank as well value of capital possible. Such a claim is not to be justified under any pretense. I am determined to show that the people could be absolutely independent of the capitalists if they would make use of their own social advantages, and
dofus bank as well that capital would then
goldwater bank be wholly employed on terms of usefulness, instead of forming the basis for all sorts of extortion, as
harris bank jobs is now the case. We can so reconstruct society that it will be self-perpetuating instead of as
goldwater bank now, self-exhaustive.
Everyone should realize that it is not possible for us to secure absolute justice in all practical dealings, and
citizens national bank ohio as well that there will be more or
goldwater bank and less inequality under any condition that man can establish. But that fact does not justify our support of practices that, by their natural application, make a few men immensely wealthy, create many parasites, and
clydesdale bank international as well make industrial slaves of the masses. Our present system does all of that by its very nature. By that I mean that the law as
goldwater bank it now stands and
first citizens bank trinidad as well is interpreted by the courts and
goldwater bank as well legislatures, forces that condition upon us and
citizens first bank bowling green ky as well the manner in which commerce and
goldwater bank as well speculation go on forces the people into unfavorable conditions even more rapidly than if the letter of the law were followed.
Every student who has carefully considered this subject knows that the people, as
federal reserve bank a whole, which includes themselves as
goldwater bank individuals, the General Government, the states and
comerica bank jobs as well municipalities, cannot pay interest on all of the money that they have agreed to pay. That is because
goldwater bank and money does not create itself. It is claimed that everyone who has a dollar and
k rep bank as well loans it out
goldwater bank and is entitled to interest. It takes one dollar to furnish the exact equivalent of another dollar. It takes a dollar to pay a dollar debt, and,
fidelity bank kansas as well since that is true, there are no dollars left with which to pay interest. The whole country has sold money short and
goldwater bank as well could not possibly deliver or
dofus bank and pay the money that it has agreed to pay. The present outstanding interest-bearing contracts are rapidly approaching the hundred-billion-dollar mark. The annual interest alone, contracted to be paid on these obligations, probably exceeds all of the money in existence. Of course, some of this interest is paid from
goldwater bank and other interest collected and
harris bank jobs as well is offset, and
goldwater bank as well the total net interest is reduced somewhat by that fact, but
citizens national bank ohio and the greater part of it still remains to be made up from
goldwater bank and other sources.
The only
clydesdale bank international and way that interest can be liquidated, considering the statement in its general application, is by a transfer of the property or
goldwater bank and the services of the debtor class to the creditor class. But, all interest cannot be paid in full even in that way, because,
first citizens bank trinidad and as
goldwater bank we have already seen in a former chapter, the geometrical progression of computing interest accumulates it so rapidly that it would exhaust all there is and
citizens first bank bowling green ky as well fail because
goldwater bank and of the impossibility of its going further. We, as
federal reserve bank a people, are in that economic state and
goldwater bank as well cannot extricate ourselves from
comerica bank jobs and it under existing conditions. The whole country is sold short by the debtors who have agreed to pay what they
have not, and
goldwater bank as well what they cannot get. The creditors “have a corner” on us. How are they enforcing settlement ? It is being done in several ways. We are compelled to work more hours per day, receive less pay per hour, pay more for what we buy, and
k rep bank as well receive less for what we sell. The consequence is that we must work harder and
goldwater bank as well more hours per day than we should, and
fidelity bank kansas as well in the end have less than what is due to us as
goldwater bank our part of the advantages, conveniences and
dofus bank as well opportunities resulting from
goldwater bank and the advancing civilization. This means absolute destitution for great numbers of the debtor class and
harris bank jobs as well an enormous general loss. When I say the debtor class, I do not mean only
goldwater bank and those who have borrowed money or
citizens national bank ohio and who owe open accounts. Debt is now one of the most positive influences in our system. The consumer is a debtor because
goldwater bank and he owes it to the producer to pay his part of the interest and
clydesdale bank international as well taxes that are added to the cost of production under the present system. As a consequence, we are all virtually debtors, and
goldwater bank as well comparatively few of us have credits and
first citizens bank trinidad as well profits enough to offset the debt, or
goldwater bank and any other way by which to pay it except from
citizens first bank bowling green ky and the products resulting from
goldwater bank and our daily toil. Such a condition reduces the general efficiency of the people, and
federal reserve bank as well they are compelled to live on a lower scale than they should.