Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-02-07

fUlass and the value Of h1s baxe land IN
another, he win find that the totals are
about n four to one. The total OF tho
Arst class it is proposed 70 exempt: but
under the present system the total OF
both classes is taxed.
And this is not all. When taxes are
imposed solely on land values, SO much
land that is now held ont of use for spec.
ulation will seek market that the value
of all land will fall; and rs it falls tho
farmers tax will recede. It's probable,
II the speculative value OF land were
eliminated, ~ Il would be under the
land value tax, that the value of tho
average working farmers improve
ments, stock and produce, compared to
the value OF his bare land, would be ~
ten to one. In many cases 1t would be
as the whole is to nothing.
Home owners and farmers now beat
the burden Of taxes, and the land value
tax would emancipate them. When we
consider the special privileges that tho
wealthy classes enjoy, their taxes are
exceedingly light compared to those OF
the house owner and the farmer, whose
special privileges are meager. The only
special privilege that the average hG.n3
owner and working farmer enjoys IL
the exclusive right to piece OF land,
the value OF which relatively to the val-
ne Of the wealth he produces is trifie;
but there are mine owners, city lot
owners, railroad owners, telegraph
owners and currency makers whose
special privileges relatively to the
wealth they produce are in value Close
| on to hundred times. Owners OF coal
mines, for example. get thirty-fi cents
a ton for all coal mined; how much
wealth do they produce: None. Under
| the land value tax, which bears only
upon special privileges, they, and such
as they. and not the home owner or the
farmer, would bear the burden OF TAX
alton: and 1t is IN the interest OF oene-
ficiaries OF these special privileges that
! the farmer Is appealed TO 70 defeat the
land value tax.
Thus far of the farmer who owns hIs
farm and the head OF a family who
| owns his home. But what OF the ten
ant farmer and the tenant house holder,
two constantly growing classes? They
must now pay annually to land
lord all that their land is worth and
| an indirect tax on what they con-
| sumo, as we'll as direct taxes Under
the land value tax they would pay no
more for the land than they do now; in
deed, they would pay less, Tor land val
| ues would fall with the increase OF the
market supply of land. They would
pay no more for the improvements than
| they do now, but less; for with the III
crease of production and reduction OF
| land values both parties to an exchange
| would get more with less work. And
| they would pay no taxes on what they
consumed, nor any other tax except
what they paid to the landlord IN the
form OF ground rent
But the sum total OF BENEFITS to the
farmer and tho home owner Is not yet
reached The average farmer and the
average home owner are worklngmen.
have considered, so far, only the ben
efits they will enjoy as consumers; their
benefits as producers are yet to be seen.
We have already observed that their IN
terests as capital owners and laborers
are greater than their interests as land
owners; therefore a tax that eXcmpts
their interests as capital owners and
aborers, even though II wholly absoros
their interests as land owners, must be
beneficial to them. And so 1t Is. Ihe
wages Of their labor will rise with wages
generally.
Stating the proposition In the terms OF
political economy, the land value TAX
will raise the margin OF production
and as wages rise with the rise OF the
with the imposition OF the lana Value