Iron County register., 1888-01-26
The Land Question.

just WnaL 1t IS. FIeaSe state 1t IN the
fewest and plainest words?"
| Lit is this: Does the value that at
taches to land by reason of the increase
of population belong to the community
that creates it or to the individual own
er of the land who does not create it?
The question is really absurd; for it
is like asking whether a party has a
right to something that belongs to an
other party. Stated as an affirmative
proposition, it is impossible to success
fully dispute the assertion that this
value of land, sometimes called the
unearned increment, belongs to the
community, which by its increase has
created it, and hence it seems childish
to ask question that has but one ar-
swer, and that answer known before
the question is asked. Yet, absurd as
it is, we actually permit this value
created by the public TO go into private
pockets and the public is compelled to
follow up tins folly by filching revenue
from values that individuals create;
hence the present unjust distribution
of wealth; hence the crimes that dis
grace humanity, and the miseries that
affiict and degrade US. 1t IS this fla
grant violation Of moral laws that tax es
all the true Christ out of our Christian
ity and turns out civilization into a
kid-glove barbarism. It is this def
ance of justice that has made "this
earth the tomb of dead empires, dea q
states and dead civilizations, no less
than of dead men," IT is this viola
ton of moral law that has led us to the
violation of physical law, thus afflIct-
ing us with those unfavorable changes
of climate that we see taxing place and
that all human experience tells us has
taken place in countries like ours, situ-
ated like ours and governed with the
same disregard to right and justice.
Those among us who profess to be
patriotic refuse to consider or actually
sneer at proposition that lies at the
root of our prosperity, as a people;
those who admonlsh US to 'do justice,
love mercy and walk humbly with our
Cod" and to "render unto Caesar the
things that are Ceasar's," never warn
us against the effect of laws that defy
justice, trample mercy under foot mock
God, and set the principle of mine and
thine at raught, and those who suffer
and complain of the hardships the law
puts upon them, never point out and
demand the abolition of this perversion
of social order.
Now, my friend, have formulated
the land question in a few words and
yet so that it cannot be misunders Ood
and let me add that the solution of this
question lies in the single tax or in
taking this unearned increment for
public revenue and abolishing all other
taxes. 1t would not only be just to do
so, but as the need for more public rev.
enue increases, so this value increases
as population increases. and though
levied upon one value OF thing, it nat
urally distributes itself upon all other
things or values, with absolute perfec-
ton, something impossible under any
other plan.
You also ask me to give you Henry
Georges theories in the most compre-
hensive manner"
Henry George may have many theo-
ries, about many things, but l have
not been able to find them out yet;
and, in fact, take no particular interest
in his theories, any more than in any
one else's speculations. I have read
his works on political economy critic
ally, but have failed to find any theo-
ries stated there as his own. He calls
aud then gives his conclusion, based
upon those facts, and his conclusion is
that we should take for public revenue
thisssvalue of land which the public
gives to it and tlen We should not
have to confscate what individuals
produce by their industry, as we now
do, in order to grease the wheels OF
government. You say you are farm
OI, tilCu .Sou hho" bCobS "tth 'AAS
bag is untied," and can say for your
self whether this plain conclusion, in
regard to a very simple matter, is cor
rect or not. You also ask me to point
out the relation between the labor
question and the land question.
1t is the relation there is between a
man and himself: they are only differ
ent statements Of the same question.
AS land rises in value, wages and in
terest fall. Interest here means only
the wages of capital, and capital is that
part of wealth used for producing more
wealth. Money loaned upon land is
not capital, but land, as the return for
it constitutes the price that labor pays
to get at natural opportunities or land,
it is properly to be called rent and not
interest. The value of land that rises
as population becomes denser ia called
the rental value because rent rises as
this value of land increases, and hence
as more of the product is taken for rent
| less is left to be divided between labor
and capital. Hence the apparent con-
fiict between labor and capital-rent
leaves less and less for them and they
sauahble about the division, especially
where population is densest and land
highest, instead of uniting against the
i thief who robS them both.