The Colfax chronicle., 1891-10-24

At public entertainment recently
held under the auspices of the Hub
Amateur Journalists club. in MUIR
docks hall, Boston, Mass, the princi-
pal feature of the programme was q
debate on the subject, s'What Reform
Does Our Civilization Most Need?" The
following reforms were championed by
their respective adherents: prohibition.
nationalism, free coinage, protection,
free trade and single tax. Speeches
were limited to five minutes for each
subject. and the palm was awarded to
Mrs Ella Maud Frye for best presenta-
tion of her subject, which was the sim
gle tax. The following is the five MINI
ute speech made on that occasion:
1t seems to me to get the best reform
we must go to the foundation of tho
structure we call civilization, and find
out where was the first mislaid stone.
Adam Smith tells us that poverty,
injustice and misery began when pri-
vate appropriation of land began Be-
fore that there was no great inequality
of wealth. for all had access to land
and natural opportunities
The having and holding of land by
the strong or rich, soon puts a country
into the hands of few, and whose owns
the land also to a certain extent owns
the people. This was never more con-
clusively proven than in the Spring
Valley affair in this country, with
which outrage all good citizens prob
ably are familiar.
If private appropriation of land was
the first mislaid stone. then the needed
reform must be one which will straight
en- this.
This is my proposition: No man
should be allowed to hold land for
speculative purposes only. To illus
trate: let us su. pose new town start
ed. The ''boomsrs' obtain all the land
cheap and then sell to would-be settlers,
retaining lots hesc and there in best
quarters for themselves.
In a few years the town grows, has
good streets, water and light supplies,
and many public improvements.
All who have built upon and im-
proved their land have helped pay for
these by taxes on the fruit 81 their in
dustry.
Unimproved land has inc cased in
value. and as the town gets mora srowd-
ed will become more valuable.
The question now arises, is tho land
itself more valuable than when the town
started? Certainly not Then why shis
increased price?
C;~,~l <h;~. vVt< .>vv, ~, skr -
up around these lots has made the sites
more valuable. and men are willing to
pay accordingly.
Now suppose that when that town
was started it had been agreed that
taxes were to be levied on site values
of land. irrespective of improvements
Would it not have been more just?
Then the poor man, living in less
desirable part, would not have been
taxed on the improvements he was COM
pclled to make because unable to hold
land idle. while the rich man paid little
or nothing on his vacant land, and
reaped the full benefit from all the im-
provements
Is it just that he should get all this
value from the community and not pay
back to it his fair share of expenses?
If he had paid his share would he
have held his land idle SO long? If not.
would not times have been better?
Work for carpenters and masons means
work for others
Homes would have multiplied and
tenement houses. with their attendant
evils, have been avoided.
Then, too, all other taxes would have
been abolished. for the single tax on
land values is the only just and equit-
able tax that can be imposed.
And what more than justice and
equity can free people desire?
Special privileges and state help arc
for the cowardly and indolent
II great tree overshadowed COM
munity. obscuring the sun and blight
ing life, would we be content with lop-
ping on few branches? Would we
not destroy it root and branch? The
injustice of our social system Il such =
tree.