The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-10-14


case of Strengthening up a condition Of
affairs that have been round-shruldered
for ages
But the illustration is chiefly valua
Bile as showing how utterly the doctor
,nisconceives both the disease and the
remedy he so'flippantly discusses. He
would not put a round-shouldered man
into a wise and straighten him in that
way; neither should we. But if the
man were bent double. with gives
twisted about his hands and feet, what
would Dr. Buckley do? Would he re-
frain from cutting the gives, lest that
would result.in the absolute injury OF
the hcnrt and lungs2" Would he post.
ponc cutting them until compromise
might be made with somebody else,
whose sacred privileges Of picking the
helpless man's pockets would be there
by divcsted of its value? Or would he
give his ronnd-shouldered brother liber.
ty. leaving nature to do the rest2
We find men bound down by artificial
restrictions which DR.. buckley must
have seen when he denounced the pres;
ent system of land tenure Us out of
harmony with both philosophy and
religion, and spoke of himself rs COM
ing into the world handicapped" be.
cause ''the land was all held in private
ownership by some one .else.p These
are the gives With which the masses OF
men are fettered Some, like DR.. Buck
ley, may release themselves, as some
slaves, by extraordinary effort and un'
common luck, were able to buy their
freedom. but the great majority arc
helpless; and SO. with dccp poverty in
the midst Of abundant wealth and still
more abundant opportunities for pro.
ducing wealth. society seems to be
round shouldered, Single tax men do
not propose putting it in a,sise. 1t is
socialism that proposes this. Single
tax men would simply cut the gives.
The Doctrine of the Single Tax.
HoUsToN, Tex, June 10--EDIroR Ex
PRESS: AS Aye Bee has made an hon
est inquiry concerning the doctrine OF
the single tax on land values, will at
tempt to inform him rs briefly rs posi-.
BILE, on the points he has mentioned.
The doctrine in question does not pro.
pose distribution of, land. as some
nisinformed persons suppose, nor does
it mean confiscation of land titles
But the intention is to put m end to the
injustice Of the present system Of land
ownership by recognizing and guaran-
teeing the equal right of all citizensto
the value and use of land The earth
belongs to the people If any have q
legal right to exclude all others from
portion of it for the purpose OF resi-.
dencc or cultivation, or to appropriate
its products to his own use and benefit,
he should ray the rental value Of the
unimproved site for the common bene-
Fit of the community The fund SO dc.
rived may be termed tax or rent, and
would constitute revenue for public
purposes. All values to land springing
from human exertion and labor to make
it productive, to improve and teautify
it, would be products OF labor aud NOM
taxable Your correspondent is con-
fused by the terms land and land val.
ues. BY the term land value is to be
understood the natural value OF and
arising from fertility or location. or
both, computed apart from all Improve
ment bestowed on it, or buildings built
upon it. This value may arise from
natural advantages, such as fertility OF
soil, mineral deposits. water power.
etc; and such as arise from the devel'
'opment of society y-such as the growth
Of towns and cities, the expansion OF
commerce aud all internal improve
ments.
The two fundamental principles On
which the single tax is urged are: l.
The natural value of land is the bounty
OF nature and not the product Of any
mans labor, and therefore belongs not
to any individual, but to population
generally. 2. The value which accruee
to land from the general development
of the community is the result Of the
labor of all and should therefore be.
long to all These two values should
therefore be taxed for the public good
The converse of these two propositions
are wholly untenable.
Aye Bee can readily distinguish be-
tween the terms land and land values
as above explained. He should see that
the effect of this tax would be to take
land cut of speculation, for no one
would hold uni,nproved land out OF use
when all or nearly all OF its rental value
would be taken for the public use. The
site would be improved in order to pro.
duce income, or sold to another who de.
sired to improve. This would bring
much land on the market TO escape tax
alton, with a view to put money into
non-taxable improvements which would
pay. Much land on the market would
mean cheaper land. cheaper farms and
building sites. When little or no capi-
tai could buy = sise; more capital would
be left to put = & houses and all sorts
of improvements This would Cause
much building lid consequently
a demand for laso, for mater
ial, and for all that is the
outcome of the industries. With the
speculative value OF land gone, the
poorer land and those far from markets
and otherwise isolated would not be in
demand, and therefore have no taxable
value. Population would become more
concentrated, schools and churches and
places of amusement would be moro
accessible and life more attractive. Tho
landlord would reap all the benefits Of
invested capital, but would be shorn Of
the profits which he does not earn and
which he exacts from the people by
reason of their necessities as land ami.