Lysander Spooner

Its whole purpose is--not to raise revenue--but solely to establish a monopoly of money, by prohibiting the issue of all notes intended for circulation as money, except those issued, or specially licensed, by the government itself.

In short, they virtually say, that this government exists for itself alone; and that all the natural rights of the people, to property, liberty, and life, are mere baubles, to be disposed of, at its pleasure, whether in time of peace, or…

Next they say that, although the government is no longer in peril of its life, it may still go on forever licensing the same crimes as it was before necessitated to license!

They first say that, because the government was in peril of its life, it had a right to license great crimes against private persons, if by so doing it could raise money for its own preservation.

Neither the conquerors, nor the conquered, have yet learned that no government can have any right to exist for any other purpose than the simple maintenance of justice between man and man.

But all other government crimes have been more rampant since the war, than they were before.

Neither faction cared anything for human rights then, and neither of them has shown any regard for human rights since.

In its desperation, it resolved to destroy men and money, without limit, and without mercy, for the preservation of its existence.

In this war, each faction--already steeped in crime--plunged into new, if not greater, crimes.

No such principle as justice to anybody--black or white--was the ruling motive on either side.

But these robbers and tyrants quarreled--as lesser bands of robbers have done--over the division of their spoils.

The whole purpose of its laws was to rob and enslave the many--both North and South--for the benefit of a few.