The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-07-16
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
SINGLE TAX THE INSTRUMENT.


British statesman, Tell me all about
the British constitution in ten minutes"
but my friend, Rev. Mr.. Barrows, pro-
posed a harder task when he asked me
one day to explain to MIN the single tax
in sentence. If | should say In reply,
1.-THE single tax means equal and exact
Justice for ALL" or ito secure the earth
for the use of all it's inhabitants" or
.'to yield to the laborer the, fruits of his
toll" or ''the exemplif1cation OF true
Christianity" | am afraid | should be
charged with uttering ':glittering gen.
eralties." TO be Illuminating l shall be
forced to use many sentences and yet fail
TO be understood at my conclusion. For
how can one in forty minutes express
what has taken him years to compre-
bend? The very brevity and concise
ness required for concrete presenta-
ton of the subject will permit only an
outline of the great theme.
The single tax was deliberately
chosen as the name of reform which
is based upon the most solid ethical
foundation. 1t describes the instrument
to bring about result and not the OBJ
ject to be attained. 1t is the method to
be pursued in the solution of the labor
problem. The reason for adopting the
name is this: It has clear, specific,
practical meaning 1t is not nebulous
or indefinite. A single tax is intelligi-
BILE to the common understanding. Its
aim is to abolish all taxes on property
and to raise the entire revenue OF the
country by single tax on land values.
| 1t is necessary to understa nd terms
clearly. The single tax is not tax on
land, but tax on the value of land. If
land is worthless because undesirable or
remote, it would not be taxed. If of
small value then the tax would be small.
All value ;s given to land by the pres
ence OF people who require it for USE
Remove the people of Boston and place
them on spot where the land can be
had for nothing and the land values of
Boston will fade away and on the new
sight spring up full-armed, like Miner
va, from the brain of Jove. Therefore
remember that not land but site value
is to be taxed 1t is value made by the
community, and justly belongs to the
community Economic rent" is its
scientific appellation, and ground
rent" the familiar term.
What wonderful change can this sim
pie process bring to society? The varia-
ton of tax, mere fiscal measure, is
all that there is to the much Wanted
movement? Is it for this that volumes
have been written and newspapers es-
tablished? Is it upon such device that
the abatement of poverty and the equal
ity of opportunity is predicatcd? Even
SO. Let us got beneath the surface.
wonder how many of you are familiar
with the ninth chapter of Herbert Spen-
GERS Social States, that famous chap
ter on THE right to the use of the earth. y
For the moral statement of the cause
we advocate, it leaves nothing to be de-
sired 1t is complete and it seems to
me irrefutable. You have doubtless
seen the recent controversy between
Spencer, Huxley and others on the very
chapter, which Mr.. Spencer, shrinking
from the application of his teaching
suppressed in later editions. Even had
he recanted his philosophy, which he
did not, the philosophy would still re-
main to be judged OH it's merits, regard
less of his altered opinion. 10 alter 6
little Arthur Coughs lines:
1T fortfes my soul to know
That, though men perish, Truth is SO,
That, howsoe'c or they stray and range
Whateer they do, Truth does not change"
Mr.. Spencer stood by his proclama
ton, but shrank from the war that log
ica1ly followed, and his critics i'm
proved their chance to ''heckle" hin
for his inconsistency. But the right O
mankind to the use of the earth stand:
impregnable.
1t is upon this right that the single
tax plants itself. It's advocates hole
with Spencer that every human being
born into the world has an equal right
to the use of the earth upon which he
must subsist, but it is imperative thai
no one shall use it in such way as tt
prevent others from enjoying a similar
use. Equity, therefore, forbids proper
ty in land. "For if one portion of the
earth's surface may justly become the
possession OF an individual,
then other portions of the earth's sur
face may be so held; and eventually the
whole n may be SO heidi anc
our planet lapse altogether into private
hands" 1t follows, logically, from this
"that if the land owners have valid
right to it's surface, all who are not lane
owners have no valid right at all to it!
surface" and they can exist by suffer
anee only. ''rhey are all trespasser.
They exercise their faculties and car
exist only by consent of the land own
ers, and consequently exclusive posses
sion is an infringement on the law O
equal freedom.
Mr.Spencer finds furtherreason deny
the rectitude OF property in land on &C
count of defective title and refers the
doubter to the chronicles. violence
fraud the prerogative of force, the
claims OF superior cunning-those are
sources to which those titles may be
traced. The original deeds were writer
with tho sword rather than with the
pen; not lawyers, but soldiers, we're the
conveyancers, blows were the current
coin given in payment; and for seals
blood was used in preference to wax
Could valid claims be thus constituted?'
And he denies that Time is a great
legalizer;" or that immemorial posses
sion can constitute legitimate claim
This is the verdict given by pure
equity in the natter" he says, land die