i62 POPULAR SCIEXCE MONTHLY. 



the borrowing power of the State itself, and of the municipalities 

 within its territorial jurisdiction, have also in some of the States 

 been adopted. 



From the above discussion the following conclusions would 

 seem to be fully warranted : 



The limitation on the exercise of the power of taxation under 

 a free government necessarily grows out of the source and sole 

 justification of the power namely, its necessity ; and the right- 

 eousness of any specific interference by the state with individual 

 rights in respect to property (as well as in respect to personal 

 liberty) may be tested by the question. Is it necessary 9 Not Is it 

 convenient ? Not Is it suitable ? If the necessity exists, then the 

 power may be justifiably exercised to a corresponding extent. 

 But, on the other hand, if the interference transcends that which 

 is absolutely essential for fulfilling the rightful purposes for 

 which the state exists, then it loses its sole justification of neces- 

 sity and becomes tyranny, the definition of which is "despotic 

 use of power." Further, " if the state, even to promote its neces- 

 sary and legitimate objects, takes the amount of property to 

 which it is entitled in such a manner as requires a citizen to pay 

 more than his just share of the requisite amount whether it be 

 great or small it takes that to which it has no right; it does 

 what, if done by a citizen in defiance of law, is called robbery ; if 

 under color of law, is called fraud ; but which in a government 

 which makes law is simply confiscation and tyranny." And yet, 

 very strangely, this tyranny has come to be regarded and de- 

 fended by not a few intelligent persons who claim to understand 

 the theory and nature of a free and just government as an act of 

 wisdom and statesmanship, and in the highest degree beneficent 

 to the citizen whose propeity is confiscated. 



Reporting concerning the progress made on the English Philological 

 Society's New English Dictionary, now in F, Mr. H. Bradley observed that 

 the F-words include many scientific terms, and some of the oldest English 

 and Romanic words, besides several onomatopceic words of arbitrary coin- 

 age. Initial^ has attracted makers of imitative and contemptuous words : 

 flip, flap, flop ; flish, flash, flush ; flick, flacJc, fliick ; flim-flam, flip-fliap, 

 etc. Of special words, foist has not the nauseous origin often attributed to 

 it, but is analogous to the dialectical German fdusten, to get into one's fist. 

 It occurs first in Dice-Play, of 1532, and means the holding in hand of a 

 false die, to introduce at any point of the game ; the false die was "foisted 

 in " ; all the known senses flow from this and parallel those of cog. Fog- 

 ger in " pettifogger of the law," of about 1550, and in trade a huckster, 

 peddler, sweater, is probably from the Fuggers, the great merchants of Aiit- 

 werp in the fifteenth century. The word has passed into many languages. 

 To fog, to cheat, swindle, is a back formation from fogger. 



