Lysander Spooner

In this country, and in Western Europe, where the uses of money are known, there is no excuse to be offered for the monopoly of money.

There is, consequently, in these latter countries, almost literally, no diversity of industry, no science, no skill, no invention, no machinery, no manufactures, no production, and no wealth; but everywhere miserable poverty, ignorance…

In nearly or quite all the other countries of the world, labor is not only robbed and enslaved, but to a great extent paralyzed, by the monopoly of land, and by what may properly be called the utter absence of money.

In the most civilized nations--such as Western Europe and the United States--labor is utterly crippled, robbed, and enslaved by the monopoly of money; and also, in some of these countries, by the monopoly of land.

Therefore labor cannot be free, unless we have freedom in money, and free trade with all mankind.

In short, labor cannot be free, unless each laborer is free to hire all the capital--money capital, as well as all other capital--that he honestly can hire; free to buy, wherever he can buy, all the raw material he needs for his labor; and…

And they cannot be free to hire all this money capital, unless all who can lend it to them, shall be at liberty to do so.

Plainly labor cannot be free, unless the laborers are free to hire all the money capital that is necessary for their industries.

But it is to be kept constantly in mind, that there can be no such thing as free labor, unless there be freedom in money; that is, unless everybody, who can furnish money, shall be at liberty to do so.

In this way each country contributes to the wealth of every other, and the whole human race are enriched by the increased power and stimulus given to each man's labor of body and mind.

And these discoveries and inventions, given by each country to every other, and received by each country from every other, will be of infinitely more value than all the material commodities that will be exchanged between these countries.

With freedom in money, the scientific discoveries and mechanical inventions, made in each country, will not only be used to the utmost in that country, but will be carried into all other countries.