The Evolution of Money

he government from an intended Republic to a plutocracy, has been caused by the legal abuses necessary to sustain the right of the gold and silver owners to the exclusive enjoyment of "use-value," intrinsic-value, and the Legal-Tender power of the government. In other words, the change has been necessary to secure to the gold and silver owners?and now the gold owners alone?the exclusive enjoyment of all the benefits that necessarily accrue from the exercise of the sovereign power to issue money?the most dominant of all the sovereign powers of a people. The first abuse was in support of the First Bank of the United States, and was judicial. The State of Georgia assessed a branch of the First Bank. The bank refused to pay the tax. The sheriff collected it by force. The bank sued the sheriff for the return of the money. The State Courts gave judgment in favor of -the sheriff. The bank then sued the sheriff in one of the inferior United States Courts. It dismissed the case on the ground that it had no jurisdiction. The bank appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. The issue in the case was, whether a corporation?such as the bank?was a citizen. If not, the United States Courts had no jurisdiction, for their jurisdiction was limited, in controversies arising between the people, to the citizens of different States. The word citizen was also selected to exclude the corporations of one State from being entitled to the rights, privileges... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.