The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-07-04
Single Tax.


LAND is the mother and Labor is the father
of all wealth.
Under this motto the proselytes of the
single taxi or more properly speaking the
tax on opportunities, are industriously
teaching their system of political economy.
And the doctrine is taking firm hold of the
masses who toll necessarily and pay out of
their earnings pretty nearly all the taxes
which go to the support of government in
its various branches. They see their indus.
try adding TO the wealth of property much
of that property lying idle yet increasing
in value and putting wealth into the peck.
cts of men and families who are little else
than drones in society.
Land value is mostly an unearned in
crement which is created by the industry Of
the community and is greatest in the centres
of trade and population. There rents are
continually rising and land values increas-
ing by geometrical progression. The lawful
owners of such property usually do nothing
but sit round and gather in the rent, or go
off to foreign lands with their families,
spending lives of dissipation and luxury
leaving The renting of, and collection of
rents from their property in the hands of
an agent These fabulous sums which are
drawn from the industry of the people and
ale the direct creation of that industry
should in some way be divided among the
people who create them, and not be taken
and used by individuals who do nothing
whatever TO earn or create them. To effect
this purpose the single tax party propose
to assess all landed property with the build
ings and other improvements thereon at its
full cash value-the ordinary selling value
provements and levy the tax necessary 10
pay all government expenses on the land
value alone. This system they believe
would divide the expenses of government
equally among all the people, and no man
or woman would be fined, as ii We're, for
building good house and improving the
grounds about it.
This land value, or unearnel increment,
does not appear in the country so imposing
and mount up to fabulous sums till we ap-
proach the dense centres of population
There the ground rents, and selling value
of lots rise to millions and hundreds of
millions. These amazing land values are
not created by the people who pocket them,
but are the product of the industry and
Thrift OF the city and State. The produce
of farms, factories and mines pour into the
cities from which points they are distrib-
uted to other localities and the value of
locations on which to transact business rises
in proportion to the volume of business to
be transacted, and the per centage on that
business which is received by the merchants
or agents who handle the business. AS the
volume of business increases the rents are
put up by the lucky owners of the ground
on which business is transacted, although
the fee simple owners perhaps never labor
with either hand or brain. These value S
are clearly made or earned by the people at
large ard in place OF their being paid by
the active business renter into the private
poke, of the landlord they should be paid
Into the stale treasury to defray the expen.
ses Of government Thus if this system was
carried out all over the state the rate of
taxation would be exactly uniform. The
land of the farmer would he taxed on its
bare value after the Improvements had been
deducted. The rent of the houses in cities
would 60 to the owner and builder of the
house and no tax would be levied on it,
while the value of the land alone woul be
estimated and assessed for purposes OF taxa
ton.
This system would break up land ST ecu.
lation. Men would not hold idle lots in
towns and improving neighborhoods waiting
for the industry of the community to make
them more valuable, but their value would
be estimated by the increase in the value of
improved farms and lots adjoining and
taxed the same as the improved property
Owners of idle property would soon place it
on the market fol- sa lie or build on and i'm
prove it. Capital would be put into i'm
provements and not he locked up as now.
The cities which are the accumulation Of
capital from the industry of the whole state
would be compelled to pay back to the
rural communities in tax a portion of the
wealth derived from the count. y,-and
pretty nearly all The wealth of cities is ere.
ated by the country, and represent the toll
they take from wealth producers for hand
ling and distributing the products of the
country.
No species Of business can be transacted
without land to transact it on, and in pro-
portion to the profit of that business is the
rent or value Of the land on which it is
transacted.
Land is the mother and Labor the father
of all wealth."
4.