Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-10-10
SINGLE TAX DEPARTNENT,
CHICAGO HERALD LOOKING TO.
WARD THE SINGLE TAX.

CHICAGO HERALD LOOKING TO.
WARD THE SINGLE TAX.
That we are making progress in Chi
cago 10 shown, think, by the tone Of
the daily press, which was only a year
or two ago SO hostile that no good word
ever found its way into the editorial
columns of any of the papers. To-day
it is strikingly different We are not
only treated with consideration, but in
some notable instances with positive
favor-the Herald and the Times, the
great democratic journals Of the north
west, being particularly and almost
form movement The columns of the
mental arguments, and those of the
Herald nre a delight to every single
taxer although that paper has yet to
declare its adhesion to our doctrine.
But it has repeatedly avowed its belief
in absolute free trade; and on Sunday
last, in an editorial on Herbert
SPencer's cowardly retraction of his
famous chapter on 1.-THE Right to the
Use of the Earth" it very plainly indi-
Gates it's position on the land question.
1t sharply joins issue with the English
philosopher on his most recent deliver
ance touching land ownership, and ut
terly repudiates his doctrine that to
change the present inequitable system
of land ownership for one more in ac-
cordancc with the principles of justice,
would work more harm than now re-
suits from the monopoly Of the soil.
While rejecting his notion that u hoary
injustice can ever be right, it expresses
the hope that Mr.. Spencer may yet
come TO devote his brilliant powers as
a social analyst to the real difficulties
and diseases of the body polite What
these are it rather broadly indicates in
the following:
THAT the land belongs temporarily
to the people of the world now living
on it is fact that it does not take a
philosopher to discover. Mankind is
rich in land in the aggregate. The
question is as to the particular man,
what rights if any, has he to suf-
ticient portion Of the soil to support
himself ind those dependent upon him?
The people of Great Britain in the ag-
gregate may be said to own the land in
England, Scotland and Ireland, but it
is also fact that a minority of that
aggregate claim to own it, and in real
ity have titles to it Philosophy bears
most fruit when directed toward the
principles of justice by which the ir-
regularities and inequalities of human
action and conduct may be corrected,
and is least valuable when employed
in apologizing for the incquitable do
ings which have gone on during past
thousands of years, That man has a
right to the products of his legitimate
toll to the extent OF providing for him
self and family may be accepted as
true without carrying with it the right
to the enormous unearned increment,
which is the product of highly organ.
lied state of society. Yet how to draw
the line, and where to draw it, in these
cases is 4 problem society has not yet
attempted to solve, except in the crud-
est way. The correction of these in.
capabilities and injusticcs is a proper
subject of thought for the philosopher
and statesman. In the United States
the government disposes Of its own land
on equitable principles, contemplating
actual ownership and cultivation of the
soil. yet. the title once vested in the in
dividual. there is nothing to prevent the
man Of millions from becoming the own
er of as many square miles of land as he
can pay for. Thus, for instance, Mr.
ionaire, owns a tract of 60. 900 acres of
land in Nebraska A syndicate of
northern capitalists owns tract of
land in Louisiana, 100 miles in length
and twenty-five miles in breadth. or L.
500. 600 acres of landau empire in it.
self. The Herald pointed out some
months ago this tendency in America
to follow old world customs in monop-
olizing the land. When as John Nor
ley has asserted. 45 per cent of the in
ha bitants of England who reach the
age of so years become paupers it is not
very encouraging to be told by MIR.
Spencer that on the whole the present
state of things in regard to landowner
ship is the most satisfactory. In Ire
land matters are still worse. Lord
Sligo. in Connemara, and Mr.. Mitchell
Henry, at kylemore. have vast estates,
one of 40, 900 acres in extent, the other
Il, 900 acres In Scotland the same
state of things prevails. In view OF
these facts it is small wonder that the
advocates for the naturalization of
land have found hearers and advocates.
Yet this is the extreme remedy and
ovcrlaps itself. Individual ownership
of land has been found to be mos. eauit-
able and satisfactory. What is needed
is legislation that will make it, if not
impossible, at least highly unprotita bic
for any one man or corporation TO own
vast tracts of land. To further public
sentiment in this direction by influence
ing thinkers is work far more worthy
of Mr.. Spencers powers than counsel
ing the hopeless acceptation of our pres
ent system with all its inequalities and
injustices."
AS sign of the times it seems to me
that such a deliverance is in the high
est degree encouraging. No single tax
man will mistake the Heralds meaning.
Warren Worth Bailey, in n. Y. Stand
ard
A Single Tax Man Of ,948.