Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-07-30

z
acre, which Is a high valuation for
ordinary unbroken farming land
! at that distance from any sea port.
At these or any other natural prices
based ON fertility, situstion, and
demand, these lands, and a. much
more as possible would have been
taken up by men eager 10 use them
for making living. They are all
held by spectators, however. who
demand, say So an acre. The
men who desire to use tserH must
pay That price or move on. The
poorest d. move on, bus those who
can. stay. They pay the specula-
tor 81 or IS an acre in cash-ali
that the land is worth-and give
him in addition, purchase money
mortgage for more than 81 an
acre, OH which they agree to pay
interest at from 6 to s per cent.
They live in "dug-outs' or mere
shanties, though few, and very
few, it seems, borrow some more
money on mortgage for improve
ments.
Ii the weather is propitious, ii
grasshoppers do not come, and IT
the foreign demand for our surplus
grain crop is sufficient to keep up
the price, the farmers in Blank
County can manage to bay enough
tariff-taxed clothing to keep them
warm, and now and then one may
even risk buying enough tarifi-tax-
ed lum Der 30 build shed for his
cattle. Let there be drouth, or
let the price of grain fall, however,
and he will have difficulty in meet
ing his interest and taxes, and tax
ing one year with another, con-
siderable percentage of the whole
number are sure to fail to meet in
terest and thenceforth they are
mere serfs working for landlord,
who takes from them every cent be-
yond what is necessary 10 enable
them to keep body and soul togeth-
er. Meanwhile there are in the
same county over 100000 acres Of
equally good land lying idle. on
which they could earn more than 2
living, but for the fact that they
cannot go upon it without putting
upon their necks just such as yoke
as that they are now wearing.
Docs any one imagine that it viii
make these men content TO show
them that the load that is crushing
them to the earth is purchase
money mortgage: The notion that
a purchase money mortgage is &
light burden, easily to be borne, is
preposterous. 1t is generally the
chief burden.
Let us suppose that the Ameri-
can people, before Blank County
was settled, had been educated into
comprehension of the value OF a
Single Tax. Knowing full vel!
that the annual increase in rsntal
values OF land would inevitably be
taken by taxation, the spectators
would never have invested in these
lands. II the original holders had
not cared to remain they would
have sold their improvements to
new corners and moved away. The
purchase price of the land, irres-
pective of improvements, would
have been mere bagatelle, since
the tax gatherer would take annu-
ally a sum equal to or per cent.
of their actual non-speculatiye val
ne. reckoning values as We do now.
This is equivalent to saying that the
taxes would be from 25 to 40 cents
an acre. This would take the place
OF all other taxes. county, State
and Federal. now paid by the farm
ers of every county which proba-
bly, nearly amount to that, and the
farmer would be relieved Of the in
terest tax of from GO to IS cents
per acre Re is now paying to pri-
vate individual, probably living in
Boston, New York, Chicago or
some other large city.
"Oh, yes" says man now and
then. in response to this argument,
THAT would have been the right
way TO start things, but unfcrtu-
nately they they were not started
chat way and now it is too late.
1t is never too late to rectify mis-
takes or undo wrongs that affect
communities. Death often renders
impossible reparation to an injured
individual. but the life Of a COM
mrnity is continuous. AT the most
it may now and then appear incon-