Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-19
The single Tax-Mr. Jefferson.

publish the suDJOlneu aecodu tettet hSu
a member Of the National Committee of
the Single-Tax League of the United
States, who writes from the headquarters
Cat Danville) of the league. and may, there
Tore. be presumed to speak for his party
HEADQUARTERS PoR vIEGnIh,l
DASyuLE, April 10, 1891. s
To TIE Editor Of the Dfspatoh:
Permit me 70 thank you for your courtesy IN
publishing my communication, and let me ask
you, in justice 10 single takers and their cause, 70
publish this letter.
1. In stating the sngle-tax theory OF taxation
! you did us this injustice: According TO your
statement under the slngle-tax system an acre
Of land In the alkall wastes Of Nevada would be
taxed as much as the most valuable acre In the
city of New York Such taxation would be
grossly unjust and more grossly absurd. But
SUCH II not tho case. We would tax not land, but
ifs value. For instance, suppose that A. owned
10O,OOO-acre tract OF land In Virginia worth
| 100000 and that A. also owned IN. the city
of New York lot 50x100 feet worth
100000. Under this system A's nfty-foot lot
would pay exactly tho same tax as tho 100000
acre tract. II is easy 10 SEQ that under such
system the mercantile marts, the mining, ana
| manufacturing communities and the great cities
would bear the burden OF taxation, and that THIS
burden would thus be lifted from the shoulders OF
tho laboring and producing classes, where II now
| rests. And this is Just and equitable, for those
receiving the greatest benefit should bear the
greatest burden.
2. think your quotation from Mr. Jefferson
| no more refutes my assertion that he was free-
trader than would quotation from one OF Mr..
| Gladstone's speeches delivered In 1889, when he
was the rising hope" Of the Tories, disproye
that he Ia now Liberal
8. One word as 10 that free-trade meeting.
| Tho same meeting that received Governor HIPS
letter Of disapproval received letters OF cordial
commentator and hearty approval from Con-
rressnen Harter and johnson Of Ohio, Stout OF
Michigan, Watson Of Georgia, Warner OF New
York, and Breckenridge Of Arkansas; also from
A. Il. Farouhar of Pennsylvania, Professor Can
neld'of the Kansas State University, and David
A. Wells of Connecticut You appeal to the
name Of "Hin" appeal 70 the name OF
breckenridge"
4. We sngle-tax mon do not antagonize the
Democratic party, but we are going 70 unite With
Il In sn attempt 10 fight to the death that sum oil
all yillainies, that monster Of robbery and ras-
calIty, the Mckinley bill. ] have always been
Democrat and am a Democrat still, and do not
UfopOSb W iouNO tuO PoiNy SN'@N~N
or command. very truly
EUGENE WRITER'S.
1. We stated the creed of the Single-Tax
League with perfect accuracy; and we are
surprised to find Mr.. WITHERs saying that
according 10 our statement an acre of wild
land In the alkali wastes of Nevada would
be taxed as much as the most valuable
acre in the city of New York. We do not
deem it necessary even to reproduce
our language, To prevent the reader from
misunderstanding Mr.. WIrHERss statement
we will repeat that he and his party favor
taxing q lot of land in Richmond worth
SIC, 900 and having upon it house worth
500, 900 no more than an adjoining lot OF
the same value having upon it no house.
Or, to state the proposition differently,
Mr.. wITHERs would levy upon the rich man
owning the house and lot in question
valued at S110.0 O0-only the same tax he
would levy upon the poorer man whose lot
was valued at $4,000. These men give
plausible reasons for advocating such
tax-one so totally violstive of the ad UdIo-
rem system; bat it is not for us to cata-
lopue those reasons Suffice il to say that
the people of Virginia will never consent
to tax one man eleven times as much in
proportion to his ability to pay as they tax
another man.
2. Mr.. WRITER'S is not good contro-
yersialist. He is too careless in his state
ments. He intimates that as Mr.. GLAD
STONE was once Tory, Mr.. Jefferson may
have used the words we quoted from him
whilst he was young or not so well in
formed as he afterwards became when he
declared for free commerce with oil ma
tons. But the facts are that Mr.. JEFFERSON
was sixty-two years old when he boosted
that our Government collected all its reve-
nue. by the aid of tariff, and nearly sixty
when he declared for free commerce with
all nations. In word Mr.. JEFFERSON made
both the boast in question and the free-trade
declaration in question IN his inaugural ad-
dresses as President of the United States !
He WIGS four years older when he boosted
of tariff taxation than when he declared
or free commerce with all nations.
q. We have no more right to speak for
Governor HILL than hr. WIrHEBs has to
sneak for MIR. BREcKINBIDaE-that is, none
at all. We did not speak for him in the
article which called out Mr.. WrTHERs's first
letter to us, but simply justified his course
denouncing party claiming to be Free
Traders and at the same time to be Demo-
Gratis. Governor HILL is just such Demo-
GRAFT as we represented him to be-that is,
Jeffersonian Democrat. Mr.. BEEcxN-
RIDGE is not Free Trader nor member
of the Single Tax party, but is also Jeffer-
sonian Democrat.
4. Mr.. wrrHERs's last paragraph calls for
no dissenting comment.
We close this little controversy by ex-
pressing the hope that the Single-Tax men
in Virginia, whether they be few or many,
viii follow Mr.. WTTHERs's lead, and range
themselves under the standards of the
Democratic party.