Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-11-14
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
THE NEW ABOLITION.

THE NE" A6ot.t ~ SS"s liz
From /. speech Delivered by william Z
ILovd Garrison Before the Chicago NnL)
single Tax Club, September D. 1891.
CONTINUED FROM LAST IssUE.) :
We are the new abolitionists. because =
our object is be attained purely by the :
abolition of vicious taxes, taking on !
one by one, until land values alone sup I
ply government with revenue Whle ,
working for the ideal society where
Justice shall make charity obsolete, we
strike directly at the obstacles which
lie nea, est our land. We do not ques-
ton the result
1--WE may not live to see tho day.
| But earth shall glisteA in the ray
| OF the good time coming.
! have time only to suggest few OF
| the points wherein single tax pazZ,eo
me. hoping that the reasons which ais
sipated my objections may remove SIM
liar ones from some hearers mind
Ihod no hesitation in accepting the
basic proposition Of our creed. that man
has n right to the use OF the earth
so 1ono as all wealth is drawn
from that source by the application OF
labor. and to deny human being ac-
cess to this great storehouse OF nature
is. of course, wrong. The simple state
ment carries with it conviction, and 1or
the bounty of the Creator to be con-
trolled or monopolized by lnolvlouais
!: for aRgrandizement at the expense OF
their fellow creatures, is manlfestly
} unjust and 1ndefenslole' anu ne "
demonstration.
That this is our strong fortress Is mani
fest l,y the disinclination of our oppo-
nents to debate 1t. l never yet met one
who tried to controvert our principle
=: It ia about details and methods and re-
{ suits that the controversy always RACES
j. The failure of all attempts to reach
- personal property is widely recognized
q the rich escaping and the poor and CON
scientious making up the deficit. Inc
tax on incomes leads to false returns
n and Is a premium on deception. SO
h students OF long experience, IKE Davla
a A. Wells and Edward Atkinson. con-
n tend that real estate should bear the
e burden. because il lies open to the sln
q and can not be hidden, and the tax Will
e. distribute itself most fairly: Strange
re- that these men, with whom we are sc
I'd nearly In agreement should range
1e themselves among our opponents
ne Now the single tax would lift ever!
ce burden from the product OF LABOR no
C. taxing the houses and improvement
put upon the land, as the economists
| have mehClOneu PEoPOSS W 49,
va defenders Of property and insist upo
10 the sacredness of mems just earning
w.. and their inaliena BILE right to exchang
;s their products or services TO the be:
in advantage.
Of Our difference arises in our dehnitio
.,~--... i:-i-
in DENY that land properly comes IL
.er. the element from which properly
~ evolved by labor, but in equity is
than the air the Sll
au shine 1t has been treated as such, d
~. ..nse unlike air and sunshine, IL
nossible to monopolize it, but the ge
sis of every title deed rests on 1orc
fraud or cunning'-to oorro" W
Snencers words. We do not deny TN
| the law considers land property. .
ID. thirty years ago it also recognized
I 1t ownership OF human flesh. We >
with regard to land. as the rlghteoI :
'ocs Vermont Judge said to the slaSehoio
lt?' claiming his fugitive: SHOW me
res of sale from the Almighty and
deliver him to you.
,ere Twas puzzled at first about Ia
SEN hearing the sole burden of taXatlon.
st?' cause l thought the farmer would SUI
more most But when l learned 'hat
calves only were to be taxed, not la
orrv I saw that farmers would pay less
n.y. stead or more, pe'i
,.o.r farms. irrespective of all lmprovehs
e my would be small "h'io uil s...;,,s
Ea- ent system the more INDUSTRIOUS
selfdenying farmer is, the more
,.x p,.h.rer takes from him. i
49, farms, side by side, having the s;
" site value. are taxed to-day in pro
Noah ton 10 their ~. ,;1,- beca
s Ba- farmer Is 'iiaue W pES .h;+.iass ne
hor is let off with small contr1pu'
a~t,l", ~ Thrift is punished and neglect Is
. had ~ ri, .i,r1a tax would Il
$ 1t ~ warueo a.. .,,;re earnings The
land values are to be f"und III u
n nc What enormous farms the little io'
der this building would buy!
incl The hardest thing for me 10 "t
e one, s.a,d was the fact that land taxes
Iheo- no. be shifted by the landlord. an
V will - ,;th.r Mr. Wells nor Mr.. A
ay. - son can see it. thereby differing
the recognized authorities on Pol'
nave economy.
ge for +hourtt if leased lot of la
age is could make my tenant pay the tax
She is ,o mo in added rent 1t seems as
n that ,,;oht do so But il takes two to
Boston . bargain, and it is not what L ask
get. but as near that as my cus'
;e the will give ! get all that can, a
ly had gives the least that he can ana .ile
Y that: i 4xed at the line where pelthei
to him, advance or rccede. lhe IaNes l
miles pay. because he has given me
will, and if should insist that tn
Il did" with the rent, he would seek othe
a Lar ge- ! noted also that tne I'CS
trouble heavily taxed conIa4ne> SUI
ID. He the lowest prlced goous a,e
at the convinced me that the Landlord
not recovering his taxes from tn
,,1+rr,, lie, but that the advantage OF SIT
Go In other
- DO more than cHset Ihehn' -
ne hay he SIMPLY paiu ioi