Page:The fallacy of danger from great wealth.djvu/38

32 life and the failure to produce wealth on the part of those engaged in war. They not only do not produce, they destroy. Think of the $1,000,000,000 cost of the Boer War to Great Britain, and the big amounts to Russia and Japan in their war,—all wasted, if war could well have been avoided. Think what a different result would have been produced if, instead of bonds for war, bonds had been issued for industry; if, for example, Russia could have spent her money for good roads which she sadly needs.

The idea that government is benefiting workmen or society by taxing the rich (thus taking money directly from the funds that employ workmen in productive industry), and using these taxes in paying officers and employees of the government, is utterly false, unless those officers and employees perform services which are more important for workmen and society than is the wealth that would have been produced and the wages that would have been paid if such taxes had not been collected. Cutting off all useless offices and requiring the greatest efficiency in all necessary government officers and employees are desirable for the same reasons.