St. Landry democrat., 1885-03-07
The Naturalization of Land.
n. o. Pfcaynne.

The seeds of that gigantic national
evil, landlOrdism, are already planted
in the United States. The ease with
which land can be acquired, its cheap
ness and, above all, the comparative
llghtness OF taxation upon it have COM
bined to lead rich men, both native and
alien, both titled aud untitled, to invest
in it to a large extent, some of them as
individuals and others in the far more
dangerous form of corporations. The
dissertations of Henry George in En-
gland and Scotland are not an unim-
pOrtaDt individual and cratic exhibi-
tion, but clearly a sign of existing feel
ing, as truly as the fleeting cloud is a
sign to the mariner. Pick up an En-
glish paper and find it overrun with
speeches and letters on public affairs,
and scarcely one of them but has in it
abundant argument on the land ques-
tiOn. Ii we believe that socialism is
making no progress among the English
people, it we think that there is no re-
form legislation taking shape in the
national mind, then we must suppose
that the lords are fighting windmills
la QuixOte, and that the learned men
are busily engaged in the discussion OF
chimeras. 1t is easier to believe that
the land question is apprOachinga stage
where a solution cannot be long de-
layed. Tt is better to assume that the
Parliament must henceforth annually
be burdened with the debate until the
balance of Judgment is discovered and
phrased in statute. II we could hope
to escape from somewhat similar ne
cessity, we might afford to look on
quiescently while England settles her
own status.
But we cannot afford it. The ques-
tiOn-is not yet as urgent with us, but it
is every whit as vital. We may post
pOne, but we cannot obviate. We
should therefore not only observe with
care the currents Of thought in England,
but we should discuss the matter for
ourselves. We should consider wheth-
er the danger can be alleviated in ad-
vance of its real existence it is now
imaginary-that is to say, we can see it
coming, but it does not yet Cypress us.
II by a small exercise of legislative
authority now, we can prevent the
growth of large evil hereafter, we
ought not to hesitate.
The suggestion of a cOnsideTate and
reflective correspondent of Wednesdays
Picayune that if we suppose all land to
belong to the community, to the organ
lied nation in other words We can do
nothing with it except tax it, seems TO
point toward sort of compromise be-
tween the naturalization of land and
private ownership. If what We want
is taxes, we have the amplest power of
taxation now, without any revolutionary
theories or communistic methods. The
whole evil, all of the evils, Of land
lordism belong to the ownership of
land by those who do not occupy and
utilize it. Consequently the evil can
be gradually and surely abated by a
sliding scale of taxation of land, where
by the larger the holding the heavier
shall be the tax, and whereby also an
occupier may be permitted a rebate for
so much land as he has actually in use.
The principles of taxation require
elaborate discussion, and since we know
ordS aS Me %Ts %s saod oe not pospone the
discussion until our land is as full of
the complainings of poverty as En-
gland uow is.