Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-07-18
TAX DEPARTMENT.
Il ooss u. DICKINSON AsiMoLE
TAXER7 81
.Uha stsndard)


l jntive committee Of tho lower house of
che Michigan Legislature. ex-Postmaster
0cn. Don M. Dickinson laid down GER
tiin principles which will be pleasant
reading to single takers generally, and
which show that the gentlemanis very
close to our ideas In his address Mr..
Dickinson endeavored to show that the
failure to tax land values resulted det-
rimentally to the interests of the city
Of Detroit, for which city he was speak
ing. Said he:
As our population increases, rs the
commercial Importance of a city grows,
a. all influences, including, as great
factor, economical, just and fair local
government, add to the desirability of
city for the objects of business and
homes, so real estate values increase,
and SO taxation increases, going hand
In hand with the needs of progress
Like Henry George, Mr.. Dickinson
calls it natural law" by which tax
alton increases as land values increase.
1t '.makes area important" and ''un-
necessary land holdings are sold to
those who will utilize the space for new
and competing business purposes, and
thus holdings become smaller, popula-
ton becomes denser and diversity of
trades, manufactures and occupations
widen, all tending to, and evidence of,
prosperity and greater wealth" Hen
ry George himself" says the Detroit
Journal. doesn't state the principle as
tersely. and it is principle which all
can test by observation"
Then Mr. Dickinson proceeded to
show how a violation of this natural
law operates in Detroit. We quote
from the review of his speech in the
Journal of that city:
When the land isn't taxed at all, as
in the case of the railroad property in
this city, it can be held in large tracts.
In this case holdings" do not become
smallcr;" population does not ''become
denser:" and these is no4 that diversity,
of trades and man ufactufea which, Mr..
Dickinson thinks necessary to wealth
and prosperity.
In proof he presented an elaborate
statcineet shoWin1 that tn IL railroad
companies Of Detfott use ~ acres of
business land for their business pur-
poses, to say nothing OF lar4e holdings
in the suburbs, but within the city linn
its. OF this 1O7 acres, 80 belong to the
Michigan Central; 23 to the Detroit &
Milwaukee and Grand Trunk; 40 to the
Wabash and to the new union depot
That these land holdings are largely
SpeCulsitiYe, anu are posi- Ule only DC.
cause of their exemption from taxation,
Mr.. Dickinson makes very clear, by
comparison with cities in which rail-
road property is taxed for local. pul--
poses. Thus the Dearborn street depot
in Chicago, which has nearly as many
trains per day as all of the Detroit
depots combined. Occupies only =5S4
acres of business land; the Canal street
depot, Only 81 acres. The Grand Cen
trail depot in New Yorl, occupies onfy
ca acres; the Boston s. Albany depot in
Boston, 6. u acres
The reason Of this wonderful contrast
is the one item of taxation. In New
York, Boston and Chicago the railroad
land is taxed and hence the companies
bold as little area of land st for bust
ness sites as possible. Their yards and
freight houses are on chesper hand, FAR
from the centersz So it wouldbe in De-
troit with a wise system Of taxation,
and the city's business would have
more of a chance to expand
Mr. Dickinson said that for years
and years Detroit was accounted SLOW"
He thinks this is true in spite of her geo
graphical position. which invites. an in
fux of population and capital 1t is this
violation of laws of natural growth"
which has retarded Detroits prosperity,
the same violation which has permit
ted low taxation on great tracts of real
estate held in families And with all
due reverence, the speaker added: God
and the more equitable assessments for
taxation have removed some of the
stones upon it's head; help US to remove
this one''-that is the exemption of
railroad property.
The Journal endorses Mr.. Dickinson's
position, and practically places itself in
line with the single tax movement in
the following wersls.s VS. Ss-,I -
The principles which Mr. Dickinson
presented in his mastery argument will
in all probability ultimately govern our
system of taxation. Even the farming
community, which has been esteemed
an opponent is changing its opinions.
At any rate, the Farmers Alliance and
Jerry Simpson are advocating the single
tax. BY placing state, county and
municipal taxes wholly upon land val
ues, the best and most productive use
of land would necessarily follow. Spec
ulative holding of land would be dis
couraged, and the. city would have a
healthy boom. 1t is foolish to tax
houses and furniture, because the city
wants more houses and furniture. Why
discourage the making Of what we all
need? But we don't need land monop-
oily and speculation; we should seek to
discourage the holding Of land out of
use or in inferior use, and hence it
should bear the burden of taxation.
The bill for which Mr.. Dickinson was
addressing the legislative committee
was introduced by Senator Park, and
provides for the repeal of the. special
charters and general railroad laws-tha at
exempt railroad property from local
taxation. The measure originated with
Mayor Pingree, of Detroit. soon after
his election, when he called on the peo-
pie of his city to sustain him in a fight
he was about to begin which would
compel the railway companies to pay a
inst tax ON the lar.rre amount Of Lind