own district, he was punished by six months' imprisonment at hard labor
in the district where he violated the law, and if any person, either of
his own account or acting as agent for another party, sold goods
brought from a foreign country for a less price than the wholesale
price of the goods at the place where they were produced or
manufactured with twenty per cent. added for freight and other
expenses, was punished by six months' imprisonment at hard labor, and
if not a citizen of the Republic of Eurasia, was expelled from the
country after serving out his sentence, for, as a prominent officer
remarked to me: "We do not permit any Standard Oil methods in our
country." There were no tariff duties levied. Every article produced or
manufactured (except those produced or manufactured by the Government,
which were prohibited) were admitted free, provided the Government of
that country admitted articles produced or manufactured in Eurasia
free; if not, then a non-intercourse decree was issued by the President
of Eurasia to be in force until the other country accepted free trade.
The railways were built directly by the Government, employing soldiers
to do the work, and no contracts were allowed, Government
superintendents and foremen bossing the construction, even to getting
out ties in the Government forests and the rails made in Government
mills and foundries. The Government built railroads at less cost than
they were built for in any other part of the world and politicians had
no chance to get their political friends into soft berths at the
expense of the taxpayers. No money was paid by the General Government
for right of way.

All claims for damages arising out of the building of railways had to
be presented to the District Court, and the law provided that the
District Court could grant such compensation as was just, but in no
case could it exceed the assessed value of the land per acre that the
owner had sworn to previously as the full value of his land, to be paid
out of the funds of the district. There were only two forms of taxation
in Eurasia, a land tax and a graduated income tax. There was no tax on
improvements of any kind, either on city or country property, but on
the land only; by this wise system of taxation encouraging the people
to improve their property and beautify and discouraging land
speculation; and when the Government wanted land owned by private
parties who were citizens of the Republic (for no for