Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-04-03


erty are concerned, the concentration OF
taxes upon land would be a relief to
them, because it would abolish a larger
amount of taxation upon their improve
ments.
INCREASED BURDENS ONLY On SPECULA-
We have. then. to deal only with the
case of landlords, who own property,
either wholly unimproved or which is
not improved to the full extent of it's
natural capacity. This class only would
be prejudiced by the proposed change;
that is, assuming that values are prop
erly assessed and taxes fully collected.
On any other assumption the tax
dodgers must be added to the owners of
unlmproved or unoccupied land. Is
there any injustice in system of tax
alton which would undoubtedly take
from owners of land, who will neither
use 1t themselves nor allow any one else
TO use 1t, the profits of their present
speculations? 1t is submitted that there
Is not. Land speculation is the most
injurious OF all forms of speculation. 1t
IS the direct cause of panics and dis
asters. Every great panic in this coun-
try can be traced directly back to
fever of speculation in unimproved
lands. This was most emphatically the
case in 1897, 1857 and 1873 Speculation
in land leads to it's withdrawal from
market as the usual phrase is; this
means the refusal of the owners to sell
TO \ rlo doc
make it productive for the common
benefit. BY their persistence in their
''dog in the manger'' policy, the land
is kept utterly unproductive, population
crowded within close limits, the worlds
supply of food reduced, the demand for
manufactures consequently restricted,
human energy diverted from useful pro-
duction to the useless task of putting
lands, scheming to capture purchasers,
and all the demoralizing influences of
gambling, in its worse form, let loose
upon the community.
But apart from these considerations,
the concentrat ton of all taxes upon the
rent of land, as distinguished from i'm
provements, is plainly just and right.
This rent is, in reality, the price which
the owner of personal property pays for
the advantages of human society. This
is only another form of saying that it is
the price which he pays for the benefit
of government, because human society
is impossible without government. The
existence of society implies the exist
ence of government The destruction
of all government is necessarily the
destruction of all social organization.
Consequently good government every
where increases the rent of land. be-
cause people crowd into those regions
where they are thoroughly protected
from violence and injustice. or, in other
words, where they are sure to enjoy all
the advantages of close contact with
their fellow men, without any of its
disadvantages. The rent of bare land
is, therefore, we repeat, the price which,
by force of natural law, men pay for
good government. Having paid for this
once, there is no justice in requiring
them to pay for it a second time.
THOSE WHO FURNISH THE PRICE OUGHT
To FURNISH THE GOODS.
Those who own land upon which they
live ought to pay this price to the gov
eminent, and in fact do, under the pres
ent SYSTEM; because, if they refuse to
pay it, the government would i'm
mediately sell their lands to some one
else who would. Those who do not
thus occupy the land which they own,
and who. by the natural law of rent.
collect from tenants the price of good
government. have no right to keep that
price in their own pockets, but ought to
pay it over to the government, which
furnishes the quid pro quo.
1t is not necessary for the purpose of the
present question, to decide whe ther land
lords ought to pay over to the government
the whole rent which they collect, or
even all except reasonable commission
for It's collection. All which it is now
necessary to consider is whether, after
having received from their tenants full
payment for the cost of good govern
ment, they ought not to furnish that
good government at their own expense
Clearly they ought to do so.
o
indirect benefits to result from the
abolition of taxes upon personal prop
erty and improvements. These indirect
benefits are in reality greater than the
direct ones. The abolition of perjury.
falsehood and fraud, so far as they are
encouraged and made inevitable bv the
present system, would alone be an i'm
mense blessing. The removal of all
state encouragement to production
would bring about an enormous increase
Of prosperity. But the greater boon of
all would consist in the more equal dis
tribution of wealth.
Under every system of indirect tax
alton, the mass of the people, whose in
come averages less than $500 per annum |
sor family, pay nine-tenths of the |
axes. The man who supports a family |
IN $500 year could not, even if there
we're no taxes. save more than about
800. Out of this he must pay all taxes,
his total share of indirect
axes. national and local, at II per cent
If his expenses (which is the figure
famed by Governor Gear, of iowa. and
lbout correctly This takes sos out
If his 500 saved: for taxes can only be
oaid out of savings. But man having
N income of 100000 land there are
many SUCH can support his family in
luxury, on $4,000; and if he does, he
will pay tax of only 50. 400 out of saw
ppc Of SEQ 600 Tho rich man tbuy