Iron County register., 1891-01-15

in the value of his land, which they
themselves have caused? Will he give
| them any portion of this unearned incre-
ment which they themselves have pro-
duced? On the contrary, should one OF
/ these farmers desire to increase the size
of his farm. or TO settle one of his chill
dren on adjoining land, he will have to
pay the speculator for the very enhance
ment in the value of the land which has
resulted from the application Of his own
/ labor upon his own land.
The first step in carrying out the
/ George doctrine in Texas is simply ex-
empting by law all personal proT erty
+ and improvement on land from taxation,
/ and requiring taxes to be levied on
I land values alone. Such law would
/ be direct benefit to every farmer in the
/ State
| Here in Harris County, at least six
scvenths of the land is wholly unim-
proved, and probably one-third of the
! lots within the corporate limits of the
city of Houston are vacant. On an aver
age all over the United States about one
| half of the axable values Of acommuni-
ty are in pet-"nal property and improve
ments on land. While the other half is in
| the land itself
In Harris County we must raise say
/ 5000, 600 a year to cover State, county
and municipal taxation. Now, in order
| to raise the sum on one-Nalf the taxa
| bic values in the county. as would prob
| ably be necessary were we 10 exempt
| personal property and Improvements on
| the land from taxation, we should of
course be compelled to double the AK
! on land values. This would double the
/ tax now paid on any tract of vacant
/ land. II would, however,. reduce the
/ taxes on farms and residences from fifty
/ to five hundred per cent. A hundred
acre farm IN Harris County, the assessed
/ valuation of which is 81, 900, pays d tax
| of SO a year. Now, what is the assessed
/ valuation of wild land In the neigh bor-
| hood similar in quality to such a tract,
and which is likely enough owned by
nonresident Speculauor? Is it more
| than dollar an acre? Is it more than
one-tenth the assessed valuation of the
! improved farm? To the owner of such
an improved farm | say, if the first step
even in carrying out the George doctrine
were adopted the assessment of the
/ spectators land would be doubled. but
| your farm would be assessed at precisely
/ the same valuation as his land ad Joining
| of equal value with yoUr own, regard
! less of the improvements. You would
/ thus be assessed a 5000 instead of 81 600,
and your taxes would be s. a year in
stead of So a reduction of taxation in
your case of five hundred per cent Yet
people say that the farmers will never
be such fools as 70 adopt the George
| theory. Time alone will show.
, 10
farms that arc opened up and improved
the more machinery, buildings and fac
tories are erected, the more coal beds
and mineral deposits are developed. the
| more residences are buill, the more will
labor be in demand and the better wages
Will the laborer get. The mere wages
the laborers get the more Will they have
to spend, the more will they bar and
the better will times be all aro:,ud,
Whv, then, should the man who improves
land, who builds 4 residence, store
house, a factory or tenement on land
be fined by a tax gatherer on account of
his enterprise and his willingness to do
some thing with his money which gives
employment to labor? If any one is to
be fined, why should it not be the man
who. instead of putting his money into
productive enterprises, attempts to fore
stall labor by buying up the vacant
lands. the undeveloped coal bed and
mineral deposit, with the purpose of ex-
torting blackmail from labor a bounty
for the bare privilege Of making nature
useful to mankind?
BY taxing improvements, buildings,
tenement houses and factories. we dis
courage the investment of capital in
productive enterprises which give en-
ployment to labor. BY taxing land
values alone. by increasing the burden
of taxation on land values, we do not
lessen the amount of land, but we cheap,
en- its price, we mako the speculator
who is holding it in idleness little
more anxious to sell, we make the land
owner little more anxious to improve.
y tax on land values alone, therefore.
instead of retarding enterprise sti:au.
lates enterprise
Now, suppose this first step had been
taken when our young farmer went
forth seeking land for his own farm. Ii
il had cost spectators twice as much in
taxes to hold vacant land around that
town would they have been as eager to
buy it up in the first place? Would they
not have been little more shy about
investing III II, anu nenct would not It's
price have been considerably less? and
hence could not our farmer have got Just
as good piece of land for the same price
a good deal nearer town? and hence
would not his family have had more So
cial advantages and better church and
school privileges? and would he not have
saved a good deal of time in going to
mill and market, and would he not have
worked to better advantage in a great
many ways, and therefore have pro-
duced more and hence have been able to
buy more? and if his merchant were re-
lieved from the payment Of taxes on his
store house and stock of goods, would
not this lessen the cost of his doing
business and hence lessen the selling
price Of his goods. also to the farmers
advantage. Ii. T. RING. Houston, Tex !
IT is not that lahorers have increased
faster than capital; it is not that popu-
lation is pressing against subsistence:
1T is not that machinery has made work
scarce;" it is not that there is anv real
antagonism between labor and capital
it is simply that land is becoming moro
valuable: that the terms on which labor
can obtain access to the natural op0or- !
duce. are becoming harder and harder
i he public domain i rcceding and mar
rowing. Property II, land IS concentrate