Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-08-14
TAXATION OF LAND.

The Republican Senatorial Convention
of the Thirteenth District passed reso-
luton declaring that the evil of land mo-
nopoly could be broken up, if the large
holders were made, as they should be, to
I pay an equal amount Of taxation for the
support Of government. The resolution is
a little ambiguous in its terms, but its in
teniions are correct. The question Of the
taxation of land is one destined TO bear
an important part in the future, and we
may Il. well, considering the fact that
leading land monopolist is n nominee for
I Governor, discuss its bearings a little
What gives the question prominence is
! the fact, t1at while, in past years, the
working men Of the country we're engaged
in developing the mines, in building mp
/ homesteads, or in the establis hment ofin-
dustries, calculated to give wealth and
permanencc to the State, Spectators were
laying plans to gain possession of the vast
valleys, which the labor Of industry was
proving to be Of great value rs grainpro
ducing sections. How well they succeed
ed is proven BY the records. Swamp lands
and lands which were segregated as
swamp, through trickery, were gobb.ed
up under the loose system Of legislation by
which a few knayes Mt the State Capt. II
were enabled to make laws the true intent
Of which was not known 70 the honestly
meaning members who represented the
mining districts where no question per-
tanning to agriculture vexed the people.
The character Of the valley lands was not
definitely known; the early farmers Of
the State settled near the streams and be-
loved the treeless plains back of them to
be unsusceptibIe Of cultivation. And so
it was, as far as related to general farm
products, but the experience of later years
shows that the lands of the great valley,
from mountain to mountain, TEEN with
the elements which fit them to become the
granary Of the world.
Before this became generally known,
however, spectators had been active and
the public domain swooped up by the tens
and hundreds of thousands of acres. And
they are held in that form to this day, re-
tarding immigration and the settlement
aud development of the State. And thro'
the laxity Of our revenue laws, these i'm
mense tracts of land, which monopolists
hold from sale, in the hope of obtaining
great prices, escape their due share Of the
burden of taxation. The only way in
which the holders Of these tracts can be
/ be compelled to divide them up and throw
them open to settlers at reasonable prices,
will be to fix rate of taxation, by which
land can be classified, without regard to
locations or Improvements. Now, while
Improvements, which are the result of la
Dor, are taxed to their full value, land is
/ frequently assessed at n nominal rate
Land should be assessed in proportion to
its productiveness whether cultivated or
not, and there exists any difference, it
should be that the land which is made val
liable by the hand of labor should reap the
benefit of that difference. But so long as
we place premium on speculation while
honest industry is taxed to support the
/ government, we cannot expect otherwise
than that the same erasping spirit which
now holds the broad acrcs of the State in
little prncipalities, will yield 10 any de-
mand except that of sefintercst But let
taxes be levied on every acre of these do
mains as they now arc upon the home
stead of the actual settler and we will
see how quickly they will be putup3n the
market.
1t would be idle, however, to expect
such legislation from party which would
elect n land monopolist like Bid well to a
position where he could hy the exercise of
/ the veto power, prevent any legislation of
/ that kind. 1t is fashionable to cry out
4 against monopoly, bat only against partic-
unr kinds. When ral ties show that this
I opposition to monopoly istcal and extends
10 those Of every kind, we have II right to
look for legislation which will be OF some
practical value.