The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-01-22

or that part OIL wealth. rnaG goes TO |
labor, was based upon a natural law
and required no further Justification,
srnd also that interest," or that por-
ton OF wealth that is given for the use
Of capital, was not an arbitrary or I'M
Just demand made upon labor, but was
the reward derived for a certain force or
power necessary III production. \ power
that owes it's existence to man, presGm-
ably to him who own the capital, and
is therefore justified. There remains
but one other person who is getting a.
part OF wealth, the justice Of whose de-
mands are to be inquired into. This is
the land owner, the share he takes is
called rent.
"Rent" is that portion Of wealth given
by one person to another for the privi-
lege OF using natural opportunities-
land; ana the economic meaning Of the
word is broader in one sense and mar
rover in another than is usually given
it in ordinary usuage. 1t is broader in
that, that it includes the purchase price
Of land as well as the price given the
owner OF land for the privilege OF using
it for u period Of time. If l lease a tract
Of land without improvements for q
stipulated sum, the amount given is
rent Ii | buy q tract OF land the
the price paid is rent" More properly
speaking Capitalized rent" and the an
nual rental value would be the interest
at the current rate on the purchase
price OF land. Then it has a narrower
meaning in this, that it does not include
the amount paid for the use OF improve
ments. If l lease q house and lot the
improvements are OF equal value with
the lot, one-half OF the amount l pay is
"interest." the other "rent," paying for
the use of improvements is capital and
would therefore be INTEREST," paying
for the use OF the lot would be paying
for. the use OF land which would be
"rent'.
"Rent'', then is that sum paid by ono
person to another for the privilege OF
using land, exclusive OF improvements
Reader did you ever stop to inquire
what right one person has to ask an
other for Il part Of the wealth he pro
i duccs for the privilege OF using these
natural opportunitics-land? Does ht
assist labor in creating wealth as CAPT
tai does? Does he by his presence give
any additional power to labor in pro
Guction that does not exist in the lant
Of itself? No, you will find the land vii
produce Just as much without his pres
ence. The creative force in both labor
and capital owes its existence to man
hence the right Of the laborer and tho
owner Of capital to their resecDtive re
wards. The creative force l land does
not owe it's existence to man, but t.
nature or the creator; then what right
has one individual to exact from an
other a portion OF the wealth he pro
duccs and give nothing in return? But
men say they own the land and there,
fore have a right to rent u sell it fOr
whatever it will bring. How did they
get title to 1t? The improvements OF
course belong to them because they owe
their existence to mantle very thing
that gives foundation OF title. Does the
land owe its existence to man? No,
land was provided by the Creator ion
the use and benefit OF men, not some
men, but all men. The fact OF brit
carries with it the right to lie, to sus
tain which he must have access to lane
and without such access lie cannot live
F., II all men are here by the equal pcrmis
sion OF the Creator, they ali have a
:, equal right to those things he has CT.
ateu for them. To Illustrate: Suppos
Il great factory in which all the worl
men are doing piece work, the owner
:. the factory has given all an equal rig!
. to the raw materials, which are j
many warehouses adjoining the factor,
- the more pieces made the greater Il
&c pay. Suppose the workmen who e
~ there iin-r hould lay claim to the war
:, houses "uG charge all the rest q phi,
for entering to get materials to woi
upon, would not the men apprCpriatn
the raw materials have a great adval
-. tage? Would it not be an unjust on,
IN NfS
- Here you have Il true picture OF OF
present system Of land speculation. v
= are all in the world by the equal pc
~ mission of the creator. Then the HE
80 who own land must have appropriate
~ it, d. got it OF some one who did. I
IL appropriate property belonging to
" private individual without giving q
:. equivalent in return would be stealth
Would not appropriating property b
y longing to all mankind be the san
thing? Take Il lot in a city without il
~ provemcnts worth $4,000 we will sa
- did the owner make it worth this sun
u. No, the whole community made IL. II
=, greater the population and improv
~ ment, the greater the value and high
the rent. Then why should this not /
long to the whole community instei
" OF d few men IN it?
49, Remember reader, that labor pays /
all Of this, it ZONES right out OF the ha
-. earned produce OF labor. TO prove IT,
~ you will observe that where land
cheap and has but little Or no rent
~ value, wages and interest are high, al
where land is high and a large rent
~ value is paid for the use OF it, you fiji
" wages and interest low. Because in t
=. first case, labor and capital got t
% whole produce Of the land, while in t
., last the land holder is taking a lal
~. share in trent" and reduces the amou
- to be divided in 'wages" and Interest
= Here then is the robber OF industry,
~ is "rent." We pay rent and get not
- ing in return for it. We have the rig
-, to use land without the land specuI
~ tors permission. He is not a produce
80 neither does he aid in production, tn
why should he share in 1T?
-, Now | hear someone say you want
= divide up the land. No, reader, tt
would do no good. l will explain Il
=. remedy next week.
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