Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-08-01
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
..rHE ONLY SOLUTION"

pers. 1t understands the theory per- |
1ectly, and advocates it without apology |
or qualification. Under the head, 1.-The |
Only Solution" the following editorial
appeared in its issue of May Z:
A free agent can always make a bet
ter bargain than can one under con-
straint. The wage-worker, who has
only one occupation in which he is pro-
fcient, is less independent than he who
can turn his hand to Il variety of trades
Tho artisan owning his own homestead,
free from debt especially when the
area is sufficient to give him employ
ment during the gardening season,
n.ed submit to no such rate of wages
as he who must provide for the periodic
call of the landlord. In 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 n 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-
fcient to sustain life. Given piece of
fertile land. no one need starvc. From
| its bosom can be obtained every ele-
| ment that conserves the happiness and
prosperity of the human family.
The very first element, then, neces-
| sary to the complete emancipation of
the vage-receiving classes from their
| economic bondage, is freedom to en-
| ploy themselves. The opportunity
| must always be open to exert them
selves for their individual benefit, free
IA 1,,v h
| erS 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 taxations may be made the
channel forslabor's redemption Social
lists and nationaliAts have created elab-
crate schemes OF recommendation
wherein the state will be the parent
and the wealth producer the child. to
I be dealt with as the parent conccivcs
best; whereas all that is necessary to
make aborer independent is to leave
him alone, free to employ himself. free
to exchange his products. free from the
| exactidas of the tax gatherer. % .T"
Whenever successful labor-saving
machine IS first invented one must be
prepared to see complicated mechan
| ism. There are wheels, and coGs, and
| cams and springs, all seemingly inex,ri-
cably mixed. But apply the power,
| and 10! the result is surprising The
| machine almost seems to think. 1t is q
| success. Go back and look at that ma
chine in a decade. Its capacity has
been doubled, but instead of a multi
| tpde of frightfullv complicated arms,
| bolts, cogS, belts, wheels and cams,
| there are seen few pieces of steel,
brass and iron with direct and positive
motions. 1t is not so pretty machine.
but it is a much better one. Simplicity
has brought greater efficiency.
The labor world has for years been
constructing complicated machinery
for its industrial ills. Sometimes the
| machines have seemingly worked well
| for time: again they have been bur
| den instead OF benefit And these
nanchines for the emancipation of la
| Dor, unlike the successful ones, are be-
| ing all the time more complicated. I'M
til now, when they get out of order,
| such distress follows as to put the
whole commercial world into convul-
| y
from simplicity in dealing with the dis
tresses engendered by the conccntra-
| ton of great masses of humanity into
| our com me rcial centcrs where, huddlcd
| together in ill ventilated and disease
| breeding tenemcnts, they evolve a mi
asma and a gangrcne perilous alike to
all classes.
| To enable labor to come by It's own,
| to enable the wealth producer to en-
| Joy the fruits of his labor, to cna BILE
enterprise to reap its full reward it is
| only necessary to relieve the people of
their burdens by freeing trade. and by
relieving every species, of property the
result of human exertion from the Wis
| its of the assessor and tax gatherer,
collecting all the revenue necessary for
| those functions that should properly be
exercised by that social orga nism call
ed government, by tax on land values
| only.
A tax on land values is the chief cure
for low wages and long hours. But it
| is despised by the masses because of its
simplicity. They cling to their com
plicated schemes for social regulation
and reject that which is the very es-
1 sence of justice and equity. For n tax
on land values will not take one min
ute's worth of la Dor from the laborcr
that is his by right. 1t will only take
for community uses the values the COM
munlty itself as whole has brought
into existence.
| Why is land on the corner of Wood
ward and Michigan avenues valued at
81, 500 foot front? 1t is not because
of anything the present owner has done
to it., Why is land, ali along WOODWARD
avenue from the river front to Grand
Circus park, worth on an average at
least 81, 500 front foot? Not be-
cause of anything the owners have
done to it. This great value is due
wholly aud solely to the fact that the
avenue is more convenient for trade
than any other styet in Detroit 1t is
nearest - the largest number of people,