The Labor enquirer., 1884-03-01
burdens. Bat it requires only : little
thought to see that such i not the case.

T
thought to see that such i not the case
What is the government Its simply
number Of members of the community
or nation who are selected 70 see that
the rights of the community and Of the
individual are protected. Inssmuch =
these are men engaged in useful and
necessary work, and thus prevented
from raising their own food and provid-
| ing their own clothing, community must
provide those things for them. Hence,
community gives them orders, or due
bills, or money, or Thateyer it may be
called, by means of which those men
obtain the necessaries of life. But Of
whom do they obtain them7 OF the
men by whose labor they were produced
The producers take the orders or money,
and exchange them for things which
they need and have not themselves pro-
duced. There is no additional value in
existence. The orders or money were
mere representatives, for the time being
of value. But the producers had to work
harder than they would if. there had
been no officers Of the government, and
the men who were officers had been
producers themselves instead. In that
event, they would have produced their
own necessaries, or produced by labor
things which could be exchanged fol
their necessaries.
All taxes are paid by those who work.
A rich man who derives bis entire in
come from the loaning of his money,
and who does no. work except looking
after his tenants and debtors-a con.
temptible sort of employment, and en-
tirely useless to community-cannot be
said to pay cent of taxes. Every cent
he receives somebody else earns; and ID
he pays some as taxes, it does not cost
him moments labor. He simply gives
to the government an order on the pro-
ducers for certain amount of the nec-
essaries of life-gives it money which
will buy them.
As matter of fact, it is not the land
lord nor the mortgagee who pays the
taxes. 1t is the tenant and mortgagor
The landlord requires net income from
his property over and above expenses
Suppose the taxes were l per cent and
repairs l per cent, and the rent was
per cent on the actual value of the prop.
erty. In that case, the landlord gets
per cent net. Suppose, however, the
taxes were increased to 10 per cent, and
the repairs to 5 per cent. If the rent
remained at 8 per cent, the landlord
would be paying out each year 15 pei
cent, and seceiving 9, loss each year oi
7 per cent. If he did no labor by which
he earned anything; the sure result
would be a loss of his property. But
the landlord would raise the rent so as
to make the tenants pay the taxes and
repairs, and give the landlord an income
besides.
This income varies in different local..
ties. A capitalist prefers to have his
property as near him and as much under
his control as possible. And in commu'
mites where there many capitalists, as
in New England and New York, there
will be more or less competition and
they will require less net income than
when their money is loaned or theil
property is located farther away. And
in communities where there are few cap
italists and little composition, proper
tionately higher net incomes will be re-
quired.
But as a general principle, the landlord
requires net income from his property
and any expense incident to the prop
erty, in the way of repairs, taxes, etc.
really, although not apparently, come
out of the tenant in the shape of addi
tional rent that is, he pays more rem
than he would otherwise pay, anc
enough more to pay those charges.
So that after all, all the expenses o
government are paid by the lsborers
and not by the property owners.
Buy the new pamphlet, Evolution o.
Revolution" For sale at this ofic'
| price, Is cents.