Iron County register., 1890-07-24

SINGLE TAX THE INSTRUMENT.
Address Of William lloyd Garrison Be-
fore the Unitarian Ministerial Union ut
Claiming Hail. Boston. April s. 1880.

Claiming Hail. Boston. April SS 1850.
TcoSTNTFD FEoM LAST ISSUE
'-I hear you say Under the single
tax would not the rent be taken just the
same2 And what matters IL II the town
Of Killarney or the Earl Of Kennare ex-
act i19@ A pertinent inquiry Mark the
distinction When the topen gathers
the rent Of the land, who gets it9 The
town gets it and II belongs TO the town,
and the town Is The people Justice pre-
walls Nhen the Earl takes the rent
the Earl gets It, and souanaers It and
the town gets left When the Earl
tees a farmer improving his soil and en-
1a-ging his house he pats up the rent
high enough 10 absorb the in provenenr-
and can always take the product OF the
farmers industry, provided he leaves
just enough for scanfv living.
Inoer the single tax the farmer would
1oI be taxed for single Improvement
He may have an d5aoent neighbor who
neclects his farm and lets 1t run down,
but as both have By situation land Of
equal value lie viii pay no more rentfor
his prosperous farm than the sloven viii
pay for his neglected one Nowif those
TWO farms were in Massachusetts aud
A1E 12l12&E-S - ~4E NA1E SA HTS LIE 4A4SE
would pay Low tax and the industrious
one d high rate The law would thus
reward 3dleness and punish thrift.
IN 1hs city what happens now2 Crowd
cd 1euenents and lofty buildings ana
vacant lots It is com puted that New
York City is to-day only half bzilt up
On Per contra in Philadelphia, where
4 personal property IS highly taxed and
ground rents are common, there are
more homes and more comfortable ones
for the working people than in any city
Of the Union. and fewer tenement
houses in proportion Manufacturers
! graviJa1e there. / saw IL stasAd the
other day that the manufacturing inter
ests in the city Of Philadelphia eoualed
those Of all New England. But think
bow much more Philadelphia would
+ prosper and labor secure its comforts II
the ground rent went TO the CITY
treasury and not 10 private pock-
cts Prof Ely. OF Johns Hopkins
university. al one time an assessor Of
Baltimore, asserted that with the single
tax on land values in that city, 1t would
be the most desirable place for living in
the Cn3bed States, Not only would the
! land yield sufficient revenue for govern
mental needs, bpf enough for other pub
lie purposes including q reduction Of
the fares On the street railroads Per
haps no single expense Of municipal or
town government is SO great as Of the
streets and roads They are in d per-
perual state Of repair and extension
They have great capacity 10 absorb
the money paid IN taxes None Of them
are toe good, most Of them are far from
satisfactory, but they represent an i'm
Tneuse investment made br the people
Notwithstanding their Importance and
cost, private corporations have 10 diff
Guilty in getting for nothing the street
franchise for their railroads or gas pipes
or electric wires Here Is an enormous
value, created BY the community. and
belonging 70 il, practically con6scated
By few shrewd men who profit by the
simplicity and blindness of the citizens,
who submit 10 and ra1ify the injustice
II the revenue were paid to those who
have the rightfUl claim TO il, II would
lift the burdens OF labor instead of
swelling the pockets Of the spectators
The single tax would prevent such
spoliation, and corporations would pay
for the privileges granted them
{ But YOU are wearied hy my exposition
q the wrongfulness of prevailing meth
ods Of taxation and impatient for con-
slderafion Of the remedy. ] once asked
David A Wells this question: seSuppos-
ing the country were TO start afresh and
individual ownership Of land not rooted
in law, would it not be better for all
land TO 1e rented by the people?" I'm
qGestionably." he answered; but the
l.
fion without confscation and great in
justice And this is the position of
Herbert Spencer The principle we con-
tend for Is granted, but its application
is deprecated
am one of those who believe that
right principles are always susceptible |
Of application. and while, popularity
speaking. Wells and Spencer would be /
called safe and oonsiderate guides on /
this point. and MIR George a fheorist ,
and fanatic, venture 10 prophesy |
that posterity viii give different YER !
diet
No reform IS possible without disturb |
ing vested property and privileges |
When railroads were first proposed the /
stage coach interest fought them tooth /
and nail When gas was in trodu uced the |
makers Of lamps, the dealers in oil and /
the whaling interest protested against |
1t as ruination TO their business In /
turn gas antagonized the electric as /
long as fighting chance was left /
Investments made in good faith, with /
belief in the stability Of things are |
often wiped out By new discoveries and /
innovations II Is unquestionably hard |
for the sufferers. but the many are ben /
fitted ana blessed, and progress is the /
Law Of life and civilization
So in your sympathy for the nonopo- |
lists Of land, who are TO be the
chief losers in the day of the single |
tax. think for moment Of the millions /
who crowd the ranks Of poverty and /
want. simply for the reason that the ]
opportunities TO labor have been closed /
TO them By the iron hands which grasp |
natural privileges, and save few tears /
for them Who can rernanerabe them? !
Pity the owners of the rich stores Of /
mineral wealth the iron and copper and /
coal. for whose benefit nature. for thou |
sands Of years, has been storing her |
bounty. but never mind the freezing |
families who can not get coal TO burn /
because some man or corporation has /
and holds the key TO the earth and all /
that its bosom holds. Who shall re- /
mnnerate people made paupe-s, not by /
nature. but by the greed OF their fellow /
Uen2