The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-08-12
a Woman Defines the Single Tax.

| At public entertainment recently
held under the auspices of the Hub
Amateur Journalists club, in MUIR
docks hall, Boston, Mass, the princi-
pal feature of the programme was q
debate on the subject, what Reform
Does Our Civilization Most Need?" The
following reforms were championed by
their respective adherents: prohibition,
nanonalism, free coinage, protection,
free trade and single tax. Speeches
were limited to five minutes for each
subject, and the palm was awarded to
Mrs. Ella Maud Frye for best presents
ton of her subject, which was the sim
gle tax The following is the five min.
ute speech made on that occasion:
1t seems to me to get the best reform
we must go to the foundation of tho
structure we call civilization, and find
out where was the first mislaid stone
Adam Smith tells us that poverty,
injustice and misery began when pri-
vate appropriation of land began. Be-
fore that there was no great inequality
of wealth, for all had access to land
and natural opportunities.
The having and holding of land by
the strong or rich, soon puts country
into the hands of n few, and whose owns
the land also to certain extent owns
the people. This was never more con-
clusively proven than in the Spring
Valley affair in this country, with
which outrage all good citizens prob
ably are familiar
If private appropriation of land was
the first mislaid stone, then the needed
reform must be one which will straight
en- this.
This is my proposition: No man
should be allowed to hold land for
speculative pn~posea only. To illus
trate: let us su pose b new town start
cd The boom .rs" obtain all the land
cheap and then sell to would be settlers,
retaining lots here and there in best
quarters for themselves.
In n few years the town grows, has
good streets, water and light supplies,
and many public improvements.
| All who have built upon and i'm.
proved their land have helped pay for
these by taxes on the fruit Of their in
| dustry
Unimproved land has inc rased in
value, and as the town gets morn crowd
ed will become more valuable
The question now arises, is the land
itselfmorc valuable than when tho town
started? Certainly not. Then why shis
increased price?
Simply this: The community growing
up around these lots has made the sites
more valuable, and men are willing to
pay accordingly.
Now suppose that when that town
was started it had been agreed that
taxes were to be levied on site values
of land, irrespective of improvements
Would it not have been more just?
Then the poor man, living in less
desirable part. would not have been
taxed on the improvements he was com.
PEELED to make because unable to hold
land idle. while the rich man paid little
or nothing on his vacant land, and
reapcd the full benefit from all the inn
| provements
Is it just that he should get all this
value from the community and not pay
back to it his fair share of expenses?
If he had paid his share would no
have held his land idle so long? If not.
would not times have been better?
Work for carpenters and masons means
work for others.
Homes would have multiplied and
tenement houses with their attendant
evils have been avoided.
Then, too, all other taxes would have
been abolished, for the single tax on
land values is the only just and equit.
able tax that can be imposed
And what more than justice and
equity can free people desire?
Special privileges and state help arc
for the cowardly and incident
If great tree overshadowed COM
munity obscuring the sun and blight
| ing life would we be content with lop-
ping off few branches? Would we
not destroy it root and branch? The
injustice of our social system Is such
tree