The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-09-26
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
'srHE ONLY SOLUTION"

1.-THE ONLY SOLUTION"
The Detroit Evening News is probs
Diy the most outspoken advocate of tn
single tax to be found among daily pa
/ pers- 1t understands the theory pei
fectly, and advocates it without apolog
or qualification Under the head. 9Th
Only Solution" the following editoria
appeared in its issue of May Z:
A Tree agent can always make q bet
yer bargain than cen one under con
stralnt Tia wag--worlxer, who ha
only one occupation in which he is pro
ncients Is less independent than he WHIT
can turn his hand to variety of trades
The artisan owning his own homestead
free from debt, especially when the
area is sufficient to give him employ
ment during the gardening season,
need submit to 70 such rate of wages
as ne who must provide for the periodic
call OF tho landlord. In q word, the
laborer who is so situated that he can
employ himself, and from his toll reap
the full benefits, is on such an equality
with the employing class that he is en-
abled to make satisfactory bargain.
both as to wages and hours
The power to employ ones self rests
In the power to get ON the land The
occupation of the farmer is the only
one In the world that can occupy all
the people at one time and provide suf-
hcient to sustain life. Given a piece of
fertile land, no one need starve. From
Its bosom can be obtained every ele-
ment that coEscrves the happiness and
prosperity of the human family.
The very first element, then. neces.
sary to the complete emancipation of
the wage-receiving classes from their
economic bondage, is freedom to en-
pioy themselves The opportunity
must always be open to exert them
selves for their individual benefit, free
from rules or regulations made by 9TH |
era Without this they can never be
free. They must submit to such terms
as the owners of land and the owners |
OF wealth employed productivity choose
to make
AS taxation as enforced to-day, COM
bined with the legal monopoly of nat
ural opportunities to labor, cause the
exploitation OF labor, SO changes in the
system OF taxation may be made the
channel for labor's redemption. Social
lists and nationalists have created elab-
orate schemes of governmentalism
the state will be the parent
md the wealth producer the child. TO
be dealt with as the parent conceives
best; whereas all that is necessary to
make laborer independent is to leave
nm alone, free to employ himself. free 1
o exchange his products, free from the
'xactions OF the tax gatherer.
whenever successful labor-savipR I
machine Is first invented one must be
repaired to see complicated mechan-
$40. There are wheels, and cogs, and I
ans and springs, all seemingly inextri- i
ably mixed But apply the power, '
nd 10! the result is surprising. The 4
Machine almost seems to think. It is @
uccesa 60 back and look at that ma c
nine in decade. It's capacity has
cen doubled, but instead of a multi il
nde OF frightfully complicated arms. r
otis, cogs, belts, wheels and cams. q
here are seen few pieces of steel. l,
rass and iron with direct and positive e
lotions. 1t is not SO pretty machine, e
ut 1t Is much better one. Simplicity a
IS brought greater efficiency. d
The labor world has for years been q
complicated mschinerv ',
r its industrial ills. Sometimes the Ia
achlnes have seemingly worked well in
time; again they have been bur La
n instead of a benefit And these ev
anchines for the emancipation of In. ci
n, unlike the successful ones are he re
g all the time more complicated, un- BIZ
now, when they get out of order. of
en- distress follows as to put the pr
hole commercial world into convul- ru
ms. The tendency has been away i'm
I'm simplicity in dealing with the dis- of
'sses engendered by the conceutra- in,
a OF great masses of humanity into an
commercial centers whore. hu,idled ha
'ether IN i'll ventilated and disease ma
seding tenements, they evolve a mi a 8
ma and gangrene perilous alike to tn,
classes. mr.
10 enable lator to come BY its own. as
enable the wealth producer 70 en-. vel
the fruits of his labor, TO enable :
erprise to reap its full reward, it is Ia,
= necessary to relieve the people of ten
II burdens by freeing trade, and by liti
ewing every species of property the q
ult OF human exertion from the Wis opf
OF the assessor and tax gatherer. tio1
Getting all the revenue necessary for mu
se functions that should properly be wit
rciseo oy that social organism call fast
government BY . tax ON land values the
:. wo'
tax on land values is the chief curA
low wages and long hours. put IL Sec
sspised BY the masses because of its
piicity. They cling to their COM
ated schemes for social regulation 1t