The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-05-21

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would give city revenue of SCI, year.
''You must adopt this single SYSTEM"
| he said, with earnestness, ''or continue
to fine men for telling the truth or fine
them for their industry"
SPECULATION VS.. INDUSTRY.
Shall We Tax Men for Beautifying the City,
or Help Them Make a Fortune Out Of
Vacant Lots.
A good illustration of the single tax
in working order would be to tax the
owners of the vacant lot just as much as
the owners of the lot upon which the
Opera-house stands; for instance, or, in
other words, if the two pieces of land
are equally valuable, tax them the same
without taking the improvement value
into account. When we fully appreciate
| the result of taxing things, we will see
the beauty of the single tax. For in
| stance, it is a time-honored custom to
| have dog tax, SO il you wish to keep
dog you must frs consider whether or
not you are willir.. TO pay the tax, and
it occurs to most people that the higher
the tax imposed the fewer dogs there
will be.
The higher "a tax on houses, the
fewer the houses. The higher the tax
on clothes the higher the price, the
more you will have to give to get the
clothes, and the longer you will wear the
oil mes. Now, what does all this mean?
Don't we want houses? Don't we want
clothes? Don't we need food and fuel
Then why tax these things. Why make
it more difficult to get the things we
want?
Do wo want vacant lots in the cities?
D We want idle land in the country?
When 1--WE build houses men are en-
pioyed, wages are earned and paid, and
then exchanged for the various things
other men have produced. You know
that perfectly we'll, but do you realize
that whether you are carpenter or a
bricklayer, or a cotton planter, or
tailor, you are each one of you applying
your labor to land? Some will see that
at once, others will have to think it out;
but it is fact that everything we use
comes out of the land. Now, let's go
back to the vacant lot and the idle land,
taking with us the knowledge that
everything comes out of the land, and
don't you see at glance that if all land
was held idle OF kept out of use, that VIC
could get none of the things we need for
our subsistence, and when part of the
land that is needed is kept out of use,
we must go without some of the things
we need, and don't you see that the
price of land represents the necessity of
the people, and at all costs men must
use land. Land is necessary for your
existence and my existence, and the life
of each and every nan, woman and child
in this world or who shall be born into
this world to the end Of time. Do you
believe in monopoly of the style that
the STANDARD Oil Company rejoices in?
Do you think speculation in breadstuffs
good thing? Do you fancy such mon
sters as the Jute Bagging Trust? No
independent American citizen can fancy
or believe in such things. Do you SYM
pathize with those who toll and toll for
starvation wages, both in town and
country. Here is what Mr.. Lindbloom,
of the Chicago Board of Trade, says:
"If the lawmakers were better in
formed they would not be satisfied with
preventing the forestalling of the mar
kets for certain products of the soil, but
would strike at the root of the evil and
prevent speculation in vacant lands"
DO you think Mr.. Lindbloom has level
head? do not mean flat head, but do
you think his ideas are good? Well,
then, how shall we prevent the specula-
ton, not in corn, not in cotton or wheat,
but in the source of all things material
in land. Shall we give each man forty
acres of land and mule? Some men do
not want forty acres, some want ten
times that much. Forty acres in one
location are worth 81, while forty acres
in another place are worth many thou
sands; yes, even millions. That would
not do the business, would it? We pro-
pose to simplify matters and place all
taxation on the value of land, upon that
value which has been created by the
coming together of many people; and
mind this, the coming together of many
people as in cities increases the price or
value of but one thing, and that is the
value of land. If you double the popu-
lation of any city, that city will need
more money for its public expenses than
before the addition to the population,
and owing to the increase of population
the value of land has increased but
nothing else has increased. The land
value is the creation of the whole peo-
pie, and therefore is the proper subject
for taxation. Individual industry should
go free, whether it is represented by
houses and stores or farm implements,
or enriched land or any other form of
wealth that is produced by individual
industry If you don't believe in vacant
lots, help to educate public sentiment
to that point where the people will see
the injury of holding valuable land I'M
used. just keep in mind that all en-
ployuent comes out of the land, and
that farming is to other employments