Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-08-06

Ii DOfcrS. ANY TAX Oh AdooAs " So
product of labor, thus adds to the cost
ct that which such labor produces,
while the tax on the value of land adds
nothing to the land, nor takes aught
from it. There will be precisely as
much land as now, whether it is taxed
on its value one or one hundred per
cent.
The fairness of taxing the value OF
land appears plain. Land, remote from
population, has little, if any, value.
The dense forest may contain that
which will, when population has in
creased, become of value, but if so, it
becomes valuable solely because of pop
ulation, and in no sense as the result
of individual effort. The corner OF
Summit and Madison would be worth no
more than the intersection of two
roads or streets in the remote suburbs,
except for the population centered in
Toledo. Every added family, every
new house constructed, every building
erected or street paved. adds to the
general value of land within the city's
borders. When there were five thou
sand people in Toledo. land here was
worth proportionately less than when
there We're fifty thousand. Similarly,
when we reached a hundred thousand
population, the value of the land in
creased proportionately, and will again
increase when we shall have reached
quarter or half million of souls.
Admitting this simple proposition, and
it appears idle to deny it, it follows
that it is the people who give whatever
value land may attain When Toledo
| was a smaller city than now, say when
she had but tenth of her present pop
| ulation, suppose two men purchased
adjacent lots of equal size and equally
well situated. One owner builds
on his lot a home. He proceeds to
| beautify it, to adorn it with trees and
| shrubs, to lay out a flower garden, to
drain it, and in all manner to add to its
value as home. During all the years,
as they pass, he is taxed on the inn
provements and compelled to pay a
tax or, more properly, fine, for his
| energy. His neighbor permits his lot
| to lie fallow, the prey of thistles and
| weeds; the snow covering the walk in
| front in winter and the entire plat an
eyesore and a public nuisance. But
| the fact that the other has builded on
| his lot attracts others again, and pres
emily the entire surroundings are oc.
cupied with homes and adjacent land
has become more valuable. In this
rise in value the owner who fails TO inn
prove his property shares equally with
his more enterprising neighbor, and if
one were to-day to undertake to pur-
chase this vacant lot it would speedily
be ascertained that the original price
had largely increased. Not that the
owner had bestowed moments labor
OR developed a single line of beauty,
but solely because others have worked.
The value of land is solely dependent
on the concentration Of population.
Drive all the present population out OF
Toledo, of Ohio, and one acre is substan-
TALLY as valuable as another. Aside from
arabic land, all land is actually of the
same value without population.
Granting thus that it is ths people
who give the value to land, it follows
that the people should participate in
such value. Is it not clear that did not
the present system obtain, there are
thousands who are now compelled to
live in the suburbs of the city, CONSUME
ing much valuable time in passing to
and from their work to their homes,
who would find a habitation on the va
cant lots that line our streets? That
many would own homes who now suf.
fer unjust taxation in behalf of their
landlords? That every man who holds
land for rise in value is dependent
on the efforts of others for such value,
and that he obtains that which belongs
to the public who brought about such
condition of affairs as produced the
good for the farmer as for the rich land
holder of a populous city 1t is the val
ue, not the acreage, that is to be taxed,
and the man who has farm which il
poorly productive will pay less proper.
tionately than the one whose farm
teens with vigorous crops.
Government is producing. Gov.
eminent is always a consumer Gov
eminent must be sustained, and ia or.
der to sustain government we must all
contribute our share. But this sontri.
button should rest on all alike. Our
present system of taxation is unfair
and unjust. To tax effort is wrong
To levy personal tax is to impe.ee
effort. What we make, produce. is the
result of effort. Taxing effort is like
applying the brake to a loaded wagon,
being drawn up hill. We thus impede
effort, already supporting the burden
of production. To levy tax on the
value of land would prevent non-resi-
dent holding of land in the centers OF
population. But others would improve
for themselves where present owners
simply hold for gain. The land would
all be occupied to the best advantage.
That is, the best farms, the most de-
sirable residence lots, the most advan-
tageously situated business lots, would
be occupied. Where now are vacant
lots on Madison on Jefferson, on Adj
ans Streets throughout the heart of
the city would spring up business blocks
and homes. The sum of money neces-
sary to conduct the affairs of the gov
eminent would be forthcoming; there
would be period put to She holding of
land for pure gain at others expense,
and effort would be relieved from an
unfair burden.
CONSIDER for a moment the utter ali,
surdity of the titles by which we per.
NIT to be gravely passed from John
sively possess the earth, giving abso-
lutte dominion as against all others. In
California our land titles go back to the
supreme government of Mexico, who
took from the Spanish king, who took
from the pope, when he by stroke OF
the pen divided lands yet 10 be discov-
cred between the Spanish or Portu-