Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-02-06
THE INDIANAPOLIS SENTINEL.
iErom the s,tananra /

From the Standard
! The Indianapolis Sentinel would he
| better called the American Sentinel.
/ been vigilant in correcting and coui-
ageous in proc!iiming the dangers that
| threaten the liberties of the people cf
this country. Vt was an nnwaverina
champion of Che Australian ballot. 10
secure secrecy and independence from
spoils brokerage associations III voting;
and now it makes a declaration about
the single tan. which falls hut little. if
amy, short of u declaration o5 princi-
pies.
On tho 14th of September last the
Sentinel declared that ''thc tax on per-
sonal property ought to be wholly re-
pealcd. and went on to say:
The prospect is that the system of
private property III land will remain as
that all taxes. at least for State and To-
cal purposes except such as may be lie
rived from the sale of tranchisesl. will
in the future be laid upon land.
This has been taken up by the Rcprb-
lican papers of Indiana. and the Scnti-
mel and the Democratic party. to which
ii is attached. are assailed for having
come out for 1.-The theories OF Henry
George"
The indianapolis journal. 2 Rcpubli-
can paper, placed the quotation from
the Sentinel ut the head OF it's editorial
columns. and suggested that the Demo-
cratic party 'managcis should invite
Henry George to take n hand in their
campaigns" and all over the State the
Republican press hrist!cs with indign;L-
ton al the predicted coming of the sim
gle tan.
some OF the quotations arc n least
amusing. The Evansville Journal dis
covered that ''the single tax cranlls are
Democrats and free traders in ,iisguise:"
while the Lafayette Courier advised
farmers who ;nr fav,ra bic to the the
DRY that Lane! should be exclusively
taxed for means to provide Tor public
expenses to vote the Democratic tick
ct. The kolsomo Gazette Tribune want
ed rather 10 extend tne taxable things
and SO ''rcducc To q minimum the taxes
that must ie paid by farm owners and
home owners.'' The Upton Advocate.
more just il not So so shrcwtl as its adj
told it's readers before voting
the Democratic ticket to be sure they ,ln-
derstood ''the single tax theory" The
Middleton News thought 1.-The single
tan theory advocated by Henry
George and Endorsed By the Indiana
aroiis Sentinel was very pretty in
outline but wholly impracticablc. and
sagely observed that lit would bear
heavily indeed upon land owners if
taxes for all public expenses were lev
led only upon land" The Newport
Hoosier State. with Il new idea as to the
destructability of matter, was in great
alarm lest under the single tax land
should be taxed out of existence and
that men who favor a policy
so destructive of the very ground upon
which we stand, a11pthe air we breathe
"be sent to the insane asylum for treat
lneat. And SO on, through column
after column of paragraphs. culled and
reprinted by the indianapolis Journal,
the rural press of Indiana displayed
itself for the benefit OF the dear farmer,
who is supposed to he an object of bit
ter hatred to single tax men.
The burden of these songs of the In.
diana country papers is that the single
tau would fall upon the farmer. because
he is land owner, and that the rich
who do not own land would be untaXed
For little while the farmer may be de-
cieved by this kind Of triclSery. For
little while the farmer may suppose
that a tax on land values would be
tax upon him. For little while he
may think that laws for the taxing of
property are enacted in his in
Iercst and operate so as to fall upon
The wealth of the rich But he
:an not be long deceived. AS Mr..
Lincoln said. "You may fool all the peo-
pie some of the time, and some of the
people all the time, but you can not fool
Ill the people all the time This is as
rue OF farmers as Of other people.
They will soon understand that taxes
upon personal property are shifted or
evaded by the rich, while farmers are
forced to pay them, and that tax upon
he value of land can not be burdensome
70 class like farmers. who. when they
'wn land at all own land Of very low
'alue. The Indianapolis Sentinel is
inst in the field among all the estab.
lshed papers of Indiana. to call the
truths of the single tax to the attention
II farmers. The near future will prove
It's wisdom and bring it its reward.
What is necessary for the use of land
S not it's private ownership, but the Sc
'urity of improvements 1t is not nee
'ssary to say to a man, this land is
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