Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-10-08


common luck, were able to buy their
freedom. But the great majority are
helpless; and SO. with deep poverty in
the midst of abundant wealth and still
more abundant opportunities for pro-
ducing wealth, society seems to be
round shouldered Single tax men do
not propose putting it in wise. 1t is
socialism that proposes this. Single
tax men would simply cut the gives.
The Doctrine of the Single Tax.
Houston, Tex, June 19.-EDIToR Elk
PRESS: AS Aye Bee has made an hon
est inquiry concerning the doctrine OF
the single tax on land values, / will at
tempt to inform him as briefly as posi-
BILE, on the points he has mentioned
The doctrine in question does not pro-
pose distribution of land, as some
misinformed persons suppose, nor does
it mean a confiscation OF land titleS
But the intention is to put an end to the
injustice of the present system of land
ownership by recognizing and guaran-
teeing the equal right of all citizens to
the value and use of land The earth
belongs to the people. If any have a
legal right to exclude all others from a
portion of it for the purpose of resi-
dence or cultivation, or to appropriate
it's products to his own use and benefit,
he should pay the rental value of the
unimproved site for the common bene-
fit of the community. The fund SO de-
rived may be termed tax or rent, and
would constitute revenue for public
purposes. All values to land springing
from human exertion and labor to make
it productive, to improve and beautify
it, would be products of labor and non
taxable. Your correspondent is con-
fused by the terms land and land val
ues. By the term land value is to be
understood the natural value of and
arising from fertility or location, or
both, computed apart from all improve
ment bestowed on it, or buildings built
upon it. This value may arise from
natural advantages, such as fertility of
soil, mineral deposits, water power,
etc. and such as arise from the devel
opment of society-such as the growth
of towns and cities, the expansion OF
commerce and all internal improve
ments.
The two fundamental principles Oh
which the single tax is urged are: 1.
The natural value of land is the bounty
of nature and not the product of any
mans labor, and therefore belongs not
to any Individual, but to population
generally. 2. The value which accrues
to land from the general development
of the community is the result of the
labor of all and should therefore be-
long to all These two values should
therefore be taxed for the public good.
The converse of these two propositions
are wholly untenable.
Aye Bee can readily distinguish be-
tween the terms land and land values
as above explained. He should see that
the effect of this tax would be to take
land out of speculation, for no one
would hold unimproved land out of use
when all or nearly all of its rental value
would be taken for the public use. The
site would be improved in order to pro-
duce income, or sold to another who de-
sired to improve. This would bring
much land on the market to escape tax
alton, with view to put money into
non taxable improvements which would
pay Much land on the market would
mean cheaper land, cheaper farms and
building sites. When little or no capt.
tai could buy site, more capital would
be left to put into houses and all sorts
of improvements This would Cause
much building and consequently
demand for labor, for mater
ial, and for all that is the
outcome of the industries. With the
speculative value of land gone, the
poorer land and those far from markets
and otherwise isolated would not be in
demand, and therefore have no taxable
value. Population would become more
concentrated, schools and churches and
places of amusement would be moro
accessible and life more attractive. The
landlord would reap all the benefits of
invested capital, but would be shorn of
the profits which he does not earn and
which he exacts from the people by
reason of their necessities as land ami
mails.
The line to be drawn between lands
exempt and those subject to the tax
would be determined by the existence
or non existence of economic rent
Economic rent, as defined by political
economists, is the margin of production
Vic SUI Piho y iCli III oCppCI
grades of land above that of the poorest
land in use on the application of the
same amount of labor This yield is
based upon pure natural fertility and
in no wise includes surplus arising
from the expenditure of labor and
means to increase productiveness. Not
to consume more of your valuable
space I will leave Aye Bees question
to w. J. M. to be answered by that
correspondent-E. P. Alsbury, in San
Antonio TEX Daily Express.
How to Abolish War.
On Thursday, August 26, at Mystic,
Conn, Mrs. NJ. L. Ormsby. of New
York city, addressed the Universal
Peace convention on the subject of "A
New Way to Abolish War. The audi