The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-06-11
AGRICULTURAL ANARCHIST.
How the Single Tax VIII Affect Farm
Property.

How the Single Tax VIII Affect Farm
Property.
Farm and Fireside, printed at Phila-
delphia, is an agricultural paper, which
thinks that the farmers will be particu-
larly burdened by the establishment OF
the single tax. 1t declares that under
such system one of two things must
result: "Either the users of land must
pay all taxes, or the users OF the prod
ucts of land must pay taxes indirectly
through the increased prices OF those
products" Farm and Fireside is right in
it's first proposition. The users OF land
must pay all taxes. What our contem-
porary does not understand is that they
pay such taxes now, either in the form
of an annual rental to the landlord or in
the shape of purchase price, which usu-
ally involves the annual payment of i'll
terest The single tax proposal is thitt
the taxes thus paid to private individu-
ais shall henceforth be directly paid to
the State or community, and that all
other taxes shall be abolished.
Farm and Fireside is mistaken, how
ever, in assuming that the single tax
would increase the prices that consum-
ers pay for agricultural products. Since
the farmers now pay ground rent, either
annually or through a purchase price on
land, they will pay no more under the
new system, and would have no occasion
to increase their price even if such an
increase were practicable. Farm and
Fireside surely knows that the latter is
not the case, since the prices OF farm
products are in the main regulated by
the prices received for such products In
the free trade market of the world.
If our contemporary will take the trou'
BILE to really study and understand the
single tax proposition, and will ther
bring it's own knowledge to bear, it car
not fail to see that the levying OF al
taxes on land values will decrease thu
farmers share of the total public bur
den. 1t certainly can not fail to know
that in whatever part OF the Unltet
> States it circulates, the mere land valu
of farms has stood still or decreased
while the land values in cities and il
mining districts have enormously ad
: yanced. 1t must also know that enol
> nous fortunes have been made by spec
: ulators through this increase in tn
= value of city and mining lands, Will
u the farmers of the country have bee
! becoming relatively poorer from year
> year. A basis of taxation that compel
Il the owners of city and mining Ian
) to pay taxes in proportion to tn
. value of natural opportunities they hold
u and only requires farmers to pay for tn
. less valuable opportunities held b
% themselves, exelnpting their building
> barns, bitches, drainage and other in
! provements from assessment, must o
= viously lessen the burden now borne /
20 the agriculturist.
~ Farm and Fireside is fair enough
~ copy an article from the Standard b
y fore making its comments, but in a
-, other issue of the paper it unfortunate
y loses it's temper, denounces the sing
r. tax proposition as one to take the la1
~ away from private owners without col
" pensation, and declares that ''when t.
-, land owners understand that, single tt
- can not be established in this count
- without revolution" We suspect tn
~ the land owners of America, like ;
- other citizens, will submit without
Il. fight to the enforcement of any law tn
~ has been duly passed with the conse
of majority of the people. If any
-, them entertain such an idea as our &C
". temporary attributes to them they h
of better begin organizing their rebelli
ID at once, because they are so rapit
,,o diminishing in numbers that tn
chances of success will decrease fir
al. year to year. We repeat, however, tt
Of we do not imagine that they contempl
~ rebellion, and we are surprised that
oil agricultural paper printed in the DUAL
= - city should adopt the tone of the Chi
10 go anarchists. Y. Standard.