Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-10-17
Reading troubles, who practically rec

Reading troubles, who practically rec
commended the adoption of the singl
tax as cure for the evils in the Goa
regions of Pennsylvania. To-day
seven men dictate to the anthIacit
/ coal miner what he shall receive 70
his work, and fleece the consumer o
coal as they please, raising prices p
their own sweet will.
| Coal operators in many cases pay
more for permission to mine coal thar
} the entire cost Of mining. Apart from
this royalty, they levy tax on Goa
consumers 50 heavy that many man
utactures have been driven entirely ou
of business byi and thousands of mel
are now idle because of the coal barOns
arbitrary and Irresponsible use of this
vast taxing power. So long as we give
them this power, however. We should
not complain. It's source lies in the
fact that amused coal lands are taxed
at but "a fraction of their value, while
Improvements are taxed.
| President Corbin claims that there
are four times as many men as are
needed in the coal regions, but exempt
machinery and improvements from
taxation, tax all coal lands, used or
| not used, at their full selling value;
and the dogs in the manger who stand
now between those who wish to mine
and those who wish to consume, would
have to get out. Owners of coal lands
would be compelled to use them or sell
them to those who would use them.
Coal would cost the consumer less, but
yield the miner more. There would
be work aud good pay for ever man in
the coal regions. The building trades
would receive an immense impetus
that would he felt through every trade.
What is true Of the coal region would
be equally true every where else.
In every state there are vast tracts
of lands held out of use by spectators,
in every city there are blocks of vacant
lots, because our tax laws are SO franz
ed as to encourage land speculation
and discourage us,-are SO administer
ed as to find energy, enterprise and pro-
duction. Reverse this, let spectators
pay tiieir fair share of taxes for awhile
aud We will, literally, see the wilder
ness blossom as the rose; involuntary
poverty will be a thing Of the past and
panics vanish with the land specula-
ton that produces them,
<>r, ha hn
corners wheat and thereby increases
the cost Of bread. injuries US. But even
the man who corners wheat benefits
the wheat producer and stimulates
production by raising prices. But
speculation for rise in land leads to
less food and less production of all
kinds. The man who ''corners"
piece of unimproved land, to the ex-
teLt of his corner, prevents all produc-
ton. He Injuries us with out any COM
pensating advantages.
What we single tax men seek, is
merely to see that this land specula-
tor should no longer escape his fair
share of taxation. In both city and
country lie has shouidered it off on
citizens and farmers. Let him try
paying his own score for awhile. In
the cities this vacant lot speculator
prevents the production of houses and
thereby crowds people like cattle; i'll
the country he prevents the production
of food. For these "bountiesn we have
been rewarding him by exemptlng his
wild country land from all taxation
and taxing his city lots lightly as Tag
ricultural lAndn while he holds them
idle. What we ask, in brief is, that
two men owning land and of equal Vdt-
ue shall pay the same tores whether one
is used and the other idle or not.
We do not ask that the men who in
jure the community by land specula-
ton shall be punished for it, but we
do ask in the name of Justice that our
Legislative Solons shall stop reward
ing them at our expense. In most
counties of this and adjoining States
mans taxes are raised if he paints his
house Who does he njure in painting
it? Iftwo farmers owning land ofequal
area, fertility, and value, one is idle;
negl ects his fence, allows thistles and
weeds to grow In the fence corners,
his house and barn TO decay, and his
stock run wild; aud the other is indus
trious, thrifty, keeps things in apple
pie order and improves his stock and
surroundings, we all know that the
last named pays the most taxes. But
why? Are criminals so rare that in-
dustry must be made a crime? Is 1t
wise to fine man for thrift? When
injurious dogs increase to much, we
tax them to reduce their number. Un-
less we have too many houses let US
stop taxing men for making them, or
stop calling them improvements.
In every growing community the
value of the land (as distinct from all
mprovements) increases with the
growth of the population, with the ar
rival of every immigrant, with the
birth of ever child. Every improve
ment, public or private, adds to it.
1t ia value due not to the efforts of
any one individual, but it is drawn
equally from all. 1t is from this val
ue created by the community that we
hold the community should draw when
funds are needed for public purposes,
before we take from any one and por-
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