Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-06-19
RHODE ISLAND.
Talking of the Single Tax in Legislative
Halls.

Halls.
ST, Providence.-Thes single tax has
reared its head in our State Legislature.
There is bill pending in that body to
create permanent board of State valu-
alton. 1t was being discussed the other
day, and the section was before the
house. 1t is as follows:
"Said board shall, continuing the work
of and following the plan established by
said committee, prepare revaluation
of all the ratable property of the sever
al towns and cities of the State, and
| shall report the same to the general
treasurer on or before the 1st day of
February, A. D., 1891; the same to be
used by him as the basis for the appor-
tionment Of the State tax among said
| towns and cities"
Senator Garvin moved that the follow
ing words be added to the section:
provided that said board shall report
q separate valuation of all the land, OK
elusive of improvements of the several
towns and cities of the State
| To this amendment Senator Garvin
spoke. ''expounding,'' says the Provi-
dence Telegram, 1.-The single tax theo-
ries of Henry George"
Now was the time, said the Senator,
to consider the important matter of tax
alton. A radical reform was needed,
and should be had in view in the Gre
alton of a board of State valuation.
Some Senators were DESTROYS of making
greater efforts to find and tax personal
property; but in the opinion of the
speaker fewer rather than more things
should be subject to assessment. He di-
vided taxable property into three dis
tinct classes: first. intangible personal
property; secondly, tangible personal
property and improvements upon land,
and, thirdly, the land, exclusive of all
improvements whatsoever. The first
class he said, should be exempt from
taxation, if for no other reason, because
the assessment of such property was tho
merest guess work and utterly unfair.
The second class, including all the
products of labor, should also be ex-
empted from direct taxation, because the
payment of such taxes fall finally upon
the consumer, and most heavily upon the
poor.
The third class, comprising the bare
land, ought to bear the entire weight of
taxation, as levied for State and munic-
ipal purposes. Such tax could be as
sessed with accuracy and would not fall
upon the poor. The Senator farther ar
gued that the farming lands of the
State were overvalued, and that the
farmers taxes should and would be
lessened by the reform he was advocat-
ing.
AS indirect benefits of the single tax,
the speaker specified the abolition of
speculation in land, the cheapening of
land to such degree as to give homes
to our now almost homeless people; and,
finally, an increased return to capital
invested in manufacturing. In con-
clusion, the speaker said it would be
very easy to inaugurate a reform in
which bitter antagonism between capt.
talist and laborer would be engendered.
The single tax, however, was in the in
terest of both capital and laboc. Its
good effects would be SO far reaching
for good as to make unnecessary many
of the minor reforms, restrictive in their
character, which had elsewhere been
sought through legislation.
At the conclusion of his speech Sea-
ator Garvin answered questions pro-
pounded by Senators Richmond and
Church.
Of course Senator Garvin's amend
ment was lost: but the Senator's speech
has attracted general attention, and pep
pie are now talking about the single tas
who never heard of it before.