Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-04-18
The Single Tax IN Illinois.

| On the Goth of March your correspor-
dent appeared before the Senate Rev.
enue Committee and opened the argu.
ment for the advocates Of the single tax
The matter had been brought up hy
Senator Richard M. Burke introducing
a concurrent resolution to amend the
| constitution so as to make land values
| the sole subject of taxation, and which
| had been referred to the committee OH
revenue. The resolution was identical
| with that introduced into the Missouri
Legislature by Swaine, of st. Louis,
and which has already been published
in the REGISTER. In substance it was
| the same as recommendation made
| by your writer to the Missouri Legis.
lature when McHenry was the mem.
| Der from Iron county, some twelve or
fourteen years ago.
In opening it was statet! that the day
had not yet gone by when it would not
| be thought absurd to advocate the tax
| ing of but one thing when there SEEM
ed to be so many that we could tax;
but it would hlep US to an earlier and
clearer conclusion to remember thai
: there were but two things we could
| tax, and one of these was tie source of
the other; and hence, if we taxed the
source the burden would distribute
itself naturally and far more equitably
than any human enactment ever could.
Land, using the term to signify all nat
ural opportunities, was one thing, and
the product of land, when labor was
applied to it, was the other. If we tax
ed production it would be only bun
Cling attempt at best; for production,
or wealth, not only assumed elusive
forms, but could IN almost any form be
hidden, or covered from its full share of
taxatiod, as the whole history of taxa
ton proved; but even if all wealth
could be found and made to bear its
full share of taxation, we only,succeed-
ed in discouraging production on the
the one hand, while making natural
opportunities things of monopoly and
speculation on the other. 1t was a
proposition that no map could contro-
vert, that if either factor of production
was made a commodity slavery was
the result-cha ttel in the one case and
industrial in the other. But if land
values were made the sole subject Of
taxation the burdeas Mspld be equal
upon all things, aaEen, and all classes
of men; production would be encourag-
ed, and land would not be bought and
sold; for men. would want it only to
use and DOT to keep others from using.
1t would promote rnore secure individ-
ual possession of land than now while
making occupancy and improvement
inseparable from possession. Care W.
taken to impress the committee with
the fact that this was not question of
policy or of expediency, but matter
of absolute and imperative necessity
and a conclusion to which we must
come; and that our opponents stood
helpless before Us, without a single
valid argument that they could adduce
against the system we advocated.
Mr.. Jno. q. White. of Chicago, Secre-
tary American Tariff Reform League,
followed with an array of figures and
practical statistics. He is a ready, flu
ent speaker, admirably posted on ques-
tions of government. and revenue, and |
most thoroughly in earnest. Like the
first speaker he was well catechised,
but the questions exhibited the igno-
rance Of the quesiioners on the subject,
and more than once the speaker had to
insist upon tie use Of exact terms by |
his examiners.
The first two speakers took up so
much time that Prof. Richard Welton,
of Spring field, Ills, had only fifteen Or
twenty minutes left, and then the hour
was SO late the committee adjourned
without disposing of the resolution. In
the few minutes allowed to him the
Professor proved that he stood upon |
that could not be moved.
He is clear, calm, yet forcibie and
convincing speaker, and with few |
House Senator BUrke's resolution
would carry by large majority.
The single tax is fast gaining ground
in Illinois ,and there was not a member
of that senatorial committee who was
not willing to admit there was some
thing in Ii, after hearing the arguments
of its advocates; while most of them
were well started on the way TO con-
viction. What has been done with tlt
resolution your writer cannot now say.
Several repofters were present, but the
leading papers avold the arguments,
though the Globe Democrat was fair
enough to say that much interest was
developed in the subject.
FARMER.
aIucrayville, ILL.,, March 81, 1889.
Political IngratItude.