The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-01-19

his subject, together with the convinc-
ing manner in which he answered all
questions. that the single tax idea re-
ceived many new converts from Mr..
Georges eloquenteffort. Among other
things be said:
We single tax men propose a good
deal, and to one that has not followed
our reasoning, we are apt to seem wild
enthusiasts. Nevertheless, what we
propose Is a very simple thing; and
even in relation to it's Immediate effects,
it is thing which must commend it.
self to the sound judgment Of every
one who will note the condition Of
affairs today, aud apply it to the max
inns of public policy. We believe that
in this simple measure of single tax lies
the remedy for the great social and
political evils of our time. We do not
pretend that it will accomplish ali re-
form; but that it will acconDlish the
greatest and most fundamental of re
forms, and will make all other reforms
much easier Of attainment. propose,
! in the time have to talk to you, to
state clearly and briefly what we pro-
pose, and some of the things we expect
from it; and then, as know thai il an
hour no man can go over the great
ground that is covered by this question
to answer any objections OF meet any
points, and reply to any pertinent CUES
ton that anyone Of the audience may
see fit to put.
We mean by the single tax, the sub
stltution for all the taxes for revenue
now levied, of one tax upon the value
OF land. l would like that point TO be
especially noted. Some ct our oppo-
nents are constantly talking of us as
people who wish 10 put all taxes o.,
land; we don't propose to tax land. We
propOse-and that is a very different
thirg-to tax lard values. Taxing
land means taxing all land, but tax
ON land values Goes not mean the tax
| ing OF all land, but only che taxing Of
valuable land, and that in proportion to
| it's value. A tax upon land would tax
all land, would resolve itself plainly
into a tax that must be paid before land
! could be used, and therefore into a tax
Upon labor; but a tax upon land values,
only falling upon valuable land, would
NOT Effect all land, or even all land in
use, fer the~poorest qualities Of land in
LIE 6 have no real value. II at any time
they nave selling value, it is merely a.
speculative value. And therefore tax
Oh land values would always leave a
margin Of land upon which no tax fell
| at ali. It would not be tax upon labor,
nor q tax upon the production of
wealth. It would be simply tax upon
a special privilege.
The value Of land, the real value Of
land, depends upon the opportunity
which a particular piece of land gives
to return to labor AMI capital a greater
amount than the poorest land in Use,
AS either from quality OF situation, or
any otner circumstance, THIS premium
| rises, SO does that value rise; that value
which political economists call rent
term that is to be carefully distln~
syuished from the ordinary meaning OF
the word. Ordinarily rent means a sum
! that is paid for the use Of land and 1m-
proven ents upon land; but the econom-
| iG sense of the word rent means that
which is paiu or obtained for the use Of
| the land alone. irrespective Of all i'm"
provements. That capitalized gives the
real selling value OF land. But in any
community where land IS steadily rising
iii value, that is to say, III any growing
community, there arises confident
expectation i'll the future increase III
land value, which leads to discount
ing Of the future. and a 10 lding of
land, not for a value FOR 2 resent use,
but for what it is supposed will be Its
value in the immediate future. That
value is not real value, but specula-
tive value; not q premium that cau be
obtained fairly from use at the present
time, but a discount OF the premium
that it is supposed will be paid in the
future. Now it is on land values,
irrespective OF improvements, that we
propose to put our single tax; from that
value that we propose to raise all re We
nues, abolishing all other taxes that fall
upon wealth or upon the production Of
wealth. Now, in the first place, this
must commend itself to anyone who
thinks over the matter, for these two
important reasons: 1t will remove OBJ
stacles to the production of wealth.
We haYe not enough wealth IN this
country, nor neither is there enough
wealth in any country in the civilized
world. The American people, the great
body Of them, are not half clothed nor
half sheltered. The great body OF peo-
pie in European countries are neither
half clothed nor half sheltered, nor in
many cases are they half fed. The evil
arises largely from the unjust dlstribu-
ton of wealth. Some have more than