Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-02-21
La
THE INDIANAPOLIS SENTINEL
fFron, the standard.]

ubV0bSNbN~V O@sO
from the Staudard.l
The Indianapolis Sentinel would be
better called the American Sentinel
From our first knowledge of it, it has
been vigilant in correcting and cour-
ageous in proclaiming the dangers that
threaten the liberties of the people OF
this country. 1t was an unwayerlng
champion of the Australian ballot, to
secure secrecy and independence from
spoils brokerage associations in voting;
and now it makes q declaration about
the single tax, which falls but little, It
any, short of Q declaration OF princi-
pies.
On the 18th of September last the
Sentinel declared that ''the tax on per-
sonal property ought TO be wholly re-
pealed," and went on to say:
The prospect is that the system OF
private property in land will remain as
it is, for some generations 1t least, Dus
that all taxes, at least for State and To-
cal purposes Except such as may be de-
rived from the sale of franchises), will
in the future be laid upon land.
This has been taken up by the Repub-
lican papers of Indiana, and the Senti-
mel and the Democratic party, to which
it is attached, are assailed for having
come out for ''the theories of Henry
George
The Indianapolis Journal, a Republi-
can paper placed the quotation from
the Sentinel at the head of its editorial
columns, and suggested that the Demo-
cratic party managers should invite
Henry George to take a hand int their
campaign;' and all over the State tho
Repu ublican press bristles with indigna-
ton at the predicted coming Of the sim
gle tax.
Some of the quotations are at least
amusing. The Evansville Journal dis
covered that ''thc single tax cranks are
| Democrats and free traders in disgnise;"
while the Lafayette Courier advised
| farmers who are favorable to the the
ory that land should be exclusively
taxed for means to provide for public
expenses to vote the Democratic tick
ct. The Kokomo Gazette-Tribunew want
ed rather to extend the taxable things
and so ssreduce to minimum the taxes
that must be paid by farm owners and
home owners" The Upton Advocate,
more just if not SO so shrewd as its adj
versaries, told its readers before voting
| the Democratic ticket to be sure they un-
derstood 1.-The single tax theory" The
| Middleton News thought ''the single
tax theory advocated by Henry
| George and indorsed by the Indiana
apolis Sentinel was Every pretty in
outline but wholly impracticable," and
sagely observed that sit would bear
heavily indeed upon land owners If
| taxes for all public expenses were lev
led only upon land" The Newport
! Hoosier State, with new idea as to the
destructability of matter, was in great
alarm lest under tho single tax land
should be taxed out of existence, and
proposed that men who favor 4 policy
so destructive of the very ground upon
which we stand. and the air we breathe
be sent to the insane asylum for treat
ment" 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 be 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
tax would fall upon the fal mer, because
he is land owner. and that the rich
who do not own land would be untaNcd.
For little while the farmer may be de-
cieved by this kind of triclSery. For a
little while the farmer may suppose
that a tax on land values would be a
tax upon him. For a little while he
may think that laws for the taxing of
personal property are enacted in his in
terest and operate so as to fall upon
the wealth of the rich. But he
can not be long deceived. AS MIR.
Lincoln said. ''You may fool all the peo-
pie some o2 the time, and some of the
people all the time, but you can not fool
all the people oil the time" This is as
true 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
the value of land can not be burdenscme
to a class like farmers, who. when they
own land at all own land of very low
value. The Indianapolis Sentinel is
first in the field among all the estab
lishcd papers of Indiana, to call the
) truths Of the single tax to the attention
of farmers. The near future will prove
its wisdom and bring it its reward.
What is necessary for the use of lano
is not its private ownership. but the Sc
curity of improvements. 1t Is not nee
essary to say to a man, this land /: