Modern Political Economy, like an idle, lazy cart-horse, goes well only down-hill, when it has no collar-work; but as soon as it has anything to draw, it at once refuses, pretending it has to go somewhere aside after its own business. When any grave, essential question is put to Political Economy, scientific discussions are started about some other matter having only in view to divert attention from this subject. You ask, "How are we to account for a fact so unnatural, monstrous, unreasonable, and not useless only, but harmful, that some men can eat or work only according to the will of other men?" You are gravely answered, "Because some men must arrange the labour and feeding of others, such is the law of production." You ask, "What is this property-right which allows some men to appropriate to themselves the land, food, and instruments of labour belonging to others?" You are again gravely answered, "This right is based upon the protection of labour,"--that is, the protection of some men's labour is effected by taking possession of the labour of other men. You ask, "What is that money which is everywhere coined and stamped by the governments, by the authorities, and which is so exorbitantly demanded from the working-people, and which in the shape of national debts is levied upon the future generations of workingmen? Further, has not this money, demanded from the people in the shape of taxes which are raised to the utmost pitch, has not this money any influence on the economic relationships of men,--between the payers and the receivers?" And you are answered in all seriousness, "Money is an article of merchandise like sugar, or chintz; and it differs from other articles only in the fact that it is more convenient for exchange." As for the influence of taxes on the economic conditions of a people, it is a different question altogether: the laws of production, exchange, and distribution of wealth, are one thing, but taxation is quite another. You ask whether it has any influence on the economic conditions of a people that the government can arbitrarily raise or lower prices, and, having increased the taxes, can make slaves of all who have no land? The pompous answer is, "The laws of production, exchange, and distribution of wealth constitute one science,--Political Economy; and taxes, and, generally speaking, State Economy, come under another head,--the Law of Finance." You ask finally, "Is no influence exercised on economic conditions by the circumstance that all the people are in bondage to the government, and that this government can arbitrarily ruin them all, can take away all the products of their labour, and even carry the men themselves away from their work into military slavery?" You are answered, "This is altogether a different question, belonging to the State Law."