Any attempt to de-legitimize the 16th & 17th amendments, and the Fed. Reserve Act by wishing away their legitimacy through supposed illegitimate methods is useless and serves any arguments against them, good or bad, poorly.
DiLorenzo is so blinded by antipathy for Lincoln he can't see anything but what he hates in things Lincoln had nothing to do with. You folks get equally blinded in arguing out whether or not the Fed Reserve, etc., is real or not. Who gives a sh*t what Wilson thought of it. Wilson was an ass. He signed the damned thing. That's like having Dubya complain about CFR.
Then why even discuss history? Who cares if the Civil War was fought over tax revenue?
Who cares if there was a PRO-SLAVERY amendment, passed by both houses and endorsed by lincoln, before the war even started?