The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-04-18
THE INDIANAPOLIS SENTINEL.
from the Standard

Inc luuldndpOliS ocuuAnCA "SAA>N -
better called the American Sentinel
From our first knowledge OF it, 1T has
been vigilant in correcting and cour-
ageous in proclaiming the dangers that
threaten the liberties of the people OF
this country. 1t was an unssavering
champion of the Australian ballot, to
secure secrecy and independence from
spoils brokerage associations in voting;
and now it makes declaration about
the single tax, which falls hut little, II
any, short of declaration of princi-
pies
On the 18th of September last the
Sentinel declared that 1.-The tax on per-
sonal property ought to be wholly re-
pealed," and went on to say:
The prospect is that the system OF
private property in land will remain as
It is, for some generations at least, but
that all taxes, at least for State and To-
cal purposes Except such as may be de-
rived from the sale of franchises, will
in the future be laid upon land.
This has been taken up by the Repub-
lican papers of Indiana, and the Senti-
mel and the Democratic party, to which
it is attached, are assailed for having
come out for 1.-THE theories of Henry
George"
The Indianapolis Journal, a Republic
can paper, placed the quotation from
the Sentinel at the head of its editorial
columns, and suggested that the Demo-
cratic party managers should invite
Henry George to take a hand in their
campaign" and all over the State the
Republican press bristles with indigna-
ton at the predicted coming Of the sim
gle tax.
Some of the quotations are at least
amusing. The Evansville Journal dis
covered that 1.-THE sApgle tax cranks are
Democrats and free traders in disguise;'
while the Lafayette Courier advised
farmers who are favorable to the the
DRY that land should be exclusively
taxed for means to provide for public
expenses, to vote the Democratic tick
ct. The Kokomo Gazette Tribune want.
ed rather to extend the taxable things
and SO reduce to a minimum the taxes
that must be paid by farm owners and
home owners" The Upton Advocate,
more just if not so SO shrewd as its ad.
versaries, told its readers before voting
the Democratic ticket to be sure they un-
derstood ''the single tax theory" The
Middleton News thought ''the single
tax theory advocated by Henry
George and Endorsed by the Indiana
apolis Sentinel was Every pretty in
outline but wholly impracticable,'' apd
sagely observed that sit would bear
heavily indeed upon land owners Il
taxes for all public expenses were lev
led only upon land" The Newport
Hoosier State, with new idea as to the
destructability of matter, was in great
alarm lest under the single tax land
should be taxed out of existence, and
proposed that men who favor policy
so destructive of the very ground upon
which we stand, and the air we breathe
''be sent to the insane asylum for treat
nent." And SO on, through column
after column of paragraphs, culled and
reprinted by the Indianapolis Journal,
the rural press of Indiana displayed
itself for the benefit of the dear farmer,
who is supposed to be an object of bit
ter hatred to single tax men.
The burden of these songs of the In.
diana country papers is that the single
| tax would fall upon the farmer, because
he is land owner, and that the rich
who do not own land would be untaxed.
For little while the farmer may be de-
cieved by this kind of trickery For a
| little while the farmer may suppose
that tax ON land values would be a
tax upon him. For a little while he
may think that laws for the taxing OF
personal property are enacted in his in
terest and operate SO as to fall upon
the wealth of the rich. But he
can not be long deceived. As Mr..
Lincoln said, you may fool all the peo-
pie some of the time, and some of the
| people all the time, but you can not fool
all thespeople all the time" This is as
true of farmers as of other people.
They will soon understand that taxes
upon personal property are shifted or
evaded by the rich, while farmers are
forced to pay them, and that tax upon
the value of land can not be burdensome
to class like farmers, who, when they
own land at all own land of very low
value. The Indianapolis Sentinel is
first in the field among all the cstab-
lished papers of Indiana, to call the
truths of the single tax to the attention
of farmers The near future will prove
it's wisdom and bring it its reward.
What is necessary for the use of land
is not its private ownership, but the Sc