The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1890-08-09

TIME TO BE PRACTICABLE.

a,u,1e Tax WIN soon Receive the Atsen-
tlon Of Law Mskers.
A one of those who have advocated
the single tax for years, and whose e1-
perience in the work Of spreading the
lirht" has been considerable, beg tho
privilege Of the columns Of The STAND
ard for few remarks In the earlier
DAYS OF the movement before the estsO-
lishment Of The Standard, matters usu-
ally discussed by those to whom .ne
knowledge had come through reaoin8
.sSocial Problems" Progress and Pow
srty," ETC., that there might come time
when men would as brothers be-" were
always looked at In philosophical way
more IS matter Of theory than OF prac-
! teal, every day affairs. In my opinion
this phase of the movement has passed
away. Such has been the marvellous
advance OF public opinion that the SIN
| gle tax will in few years receive ~
| tention from law makers We are no
longer classed with cranks or associated
in the public mind with 'long haired
men and short haired women" nor DO
| we wish to be again. What is especially
obligatory on single tax men now is the
preparation Of plans to put our tax idea
into practical shape.
A gentleman of high position in our
tax department In Baltimore once told
me that in his opinion our present sys-
tenn of taxation was an 'infernal OUT
rage" but that any attempt to improve
it would probably prove more DISASTROUS
than the continuance of the present sys-
| ~ a. had mt
studied the single tax doctrine, or he
would not have made the latter state
ment He was one Of the many who re-
fuse to look into the single tax because
Of the common impression that to be
single taxer involved necessarily oppo-
sition to private possession Of land, and
some interference with the tenure OF
land as now constituted. We who have
read The Standard and thought over the
question carefully know that this is not
so. We know also that the power to tax
is the greatest agency for the veal or
woe of q people possessed by Govern
ment. All other governmental functions
sink into utter ins:gnifcance along
side the power to tax. 1t is not too
much to say that the phrases, "a just
system Of taxation" and "a good govern
ment," are synonyms Prof. r T. Ely,
Of the Johns Hopkins University, with
|, whose views on many economical ques-
tions I, as well as many other single
takers agree. says, in his Problems Of
To-day" published in the Baltimore
Sun and in book form: 1.-THE more one
reflects upon the nature and the conse'
quences Of taxation, the more profound
| ly one is impressed with its far-reachine
] Importance. Taxation may create
/ monopolies or it may prevent them; il
may diffuse wealth or 1t may concentrate
It; it may promote liberty and equality
Of rights or it may tend to the establish
8 ment of tyranny and despotism; it ma,
be used to bring about reforms in indus
0 trial society or it may be SO laid as t.
. aggravate existing grievances ant
: foster dissension and class hate; taxa
q ton may be 50 contrived by the skillfu
: hand as to give free scope to every oppor
tunity for the creation of wealth and tn
advancement of all true interests Of tn
: city or it may be so shaped by ignora
: muses. as to place dead weight ON Bal
. timorc in the race for municipal su
! premacy ON the Atlantic COAST
The professor in the same article lay
!. down . rule for taxation as follows
y s'Never tax any thing that would be q
). value to your State that could and wopl
run away or that could and would com
to you"
To my mind single tax on land va
ues alone fulfills the requirements Z
1 4 <Ho'
!. we have always with US. Riches Of q
) kinds may take wings and fly away,
: but land value always sticks to th
= community that has crested it Th
: operation of tax on buildings, as
II rule, appears rather to prevent the
= erection. Thus the community dot
: not get one of the things which ''woul
q come to it." A graduated income tax
3 . popular ''fad" with many people, b.
Mark Twain long ago gave us sketc
- Of how an income can be raised or lov
- cred, according to circumstances, whic
i sketch is worth all the arguments
/ favor of the graduated income tax.
= Another s'fad" is the collateral inhe
!. itance tax, or succession taxes. In Bs
4 timore we have what is known as an Q
~ phan's court, which levies percenta{
- ON all estates so unfortunate as to IA
n into its hands. So high are the
If charges that many persons dispose
e all property before death with no 9th
- purpose in view than to avoid the imp
"A sition of these taxes. Such . plan
- avoiding . succession tax would I
~ doubt become more popular If the tax
VI La In ~ hn