The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-02-28

fine the production Of wealth?
Some of the Southern States have re-
Gently passed laws exempting, cotton
manufactures from taxation for term
OF years, and the result has been the
erection of number of cotton factories,
for the capitalists who thus invest their
money can calculate on dividing as
profits what otherwise they would have
had to pay as taxes. Are NIT these
States wise in this? Do not these cotton
factories create nek industries, add to
the wealth of the neighborhoods in
which they are erected, and enrich the
whole State? But IL this be wise, would
it not be still wiser to make the cxcmp-
tion permanent instead of for term of
years? And, If it be wise to exempt
cotton factories, would it not be wiser
still to exempt all sorts of factories, all
forms Of capital, all kinds of wealth
houses and goods, horses and cattle, rail-
roads and telegraphs? Is not the State the
richest that has the most Ct these things?
Why, then, should the State tax themi
Is not the stupid system that does tax
them too absurd for any rational de-
tense? The people of New York want
cheaper house rents. Is 1t not stupid,
then. to put taxes on buildings, which
necessarily will diminish the erection
of buildings. and, unlike the tax on
land values, must inevitably DO collect
ed from tenants in higher rents?
But the direct obstacles to production.
which this system imposes, are not the
worst. All the indirect taxes which
pass from hand to hand, increasing the
cost OF commodities. are taxes against
production. which increase as they 60.
This barbarous tariff of ours. that raises
an artificial barrier around our coasts
is more difficult for commerce to sur.
mount than would be the Andes or the
Himalayas, takes from the people much
moro than is received by the Govern
ment, and, by its action and reaction on
prices, hampers every cxertion OF indus
try, from the building of a railroad to
the shingling of woodshed or tas maxi
ing of shirt
Now. it is clear that to abolish al the
taxes that thus hamper industry, would
be to vastly stimulate production and
increase the general wealth. But this
is only one side OF it. TO put taxation
on tho value of land would also be to re-
movo obstacles to production. For the
speculative value, which now attaches
to land as soon as it becomes probable
that 1t will be needed for use is direct
check to production. To get the vacant
lot on which to put up house, even on
the outskirts Of any one of our large cities
costs as much as or more than ordinarily
does the house. Before he can strike a
plowshare into virgin soil, tho farmer,
unless he will 60 far beyond where his
labor can be cxerted to most advantage,
is obliged to pay down large part Of
his capital, to embarrass himself with a
mortgage, or to agree to give up large
share OF his produce as rent. The re-
suit is to fill the land with tramps; to
crowd our centers even In the best OF
times with men who are willing to
work, anxious to work, but unable to
find opportunity to work-and thus to
produce an unnatural competition,
which in all occupations tends to force
wages down 10 the minimum on which
men can live. and which workingmen
are driven to resist by what President
Glackin. in his address to tho Anti-Pov-
erty Society on last Sunday night
styled the resort to brute force. Tho
result is to crowd people together too
closely in the cities, to scatter them too
far apart in the country. 10 say moth
ing of the moral. social and intellectual
disad vantages which result from this
unnatural distribution of population.
there is great obstacle put in the way
of Improvement, manifest waste OF
productive forces
The measure We propose, which would
utterly destroy the speculative value of
land, and would reduce the selling value
of land to but nominal figure, would
remove this obstacle and prevent this
waste. Nc one would caro- to take up
land that he could not use, or to hold
land unless it was put to its most valu-
liable use. The homes of our farmers
would DO closer together, the poorer
classes of our cities would no longer be
compelled to herd in tenement houses,
and the capitalist who proposed to erect
factory would no longer have to pay
out so much of ais capital for site. IN
stead OF that, he would pay the annual
rental value of the land in taxes, but
this would be in lien of all other taxa
ton. Thus the effect OF this measure
would be to throw open to labor and Cap
ital the means of production while re.
lieving production from taxation. And
the result of thus opening to labor the
natural opportunities for the employ
ment of labor would be to set to work
every man willing to work; to do away
with that unnatural competition which
comes from glutted labor market II
would be to create demand for COM
modities that would set every wheel Of
industry in motion, and stimulate the
forces OF production to their utmost
Clearly this would be greatly to pro.
mote the general prosperity and greatly
A. al - xl.c no-o~ol u.o,1xy,