Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-01-28
Single Tax Postuiates.
We hold: That
This world is the creation of God.


We hold: That
This world is the creation of God.
The men brought into it for the brief
period of their earthly lives are the
equal creatures of His bounty. the
equal subjects of His provident care.
By His constitution man is beset by
physical wants, on the satisfaction Of
which depend not only the maintenance
of his physical life but also the develop
ment of his intellectual and spiritual
life.
God has made the satisfaction of
these wants dependent on mans own
exertions, giving him the power and
laying on him the injunction to labor
a power that of itself raises him far
above the brute, since we may rever-
emily say that it enables him to become
as it were a helper in the creative work.
God has not put on man the task OF
making bricks without straw. With
the need for labor and the power to Ia
Dor He has also given to man the ma
terial for labor This material is land
man physically being land animal,
who can live only on and from land,
and can use other elements, such as air.
sunshine and water, only by the use Of
land
Being the equal creatures of the Gre,
ator, equally entitled under His provi-
dence to live their lives and satisfy
their needs, men are equally entitled
to the use of land, and any adjustment
that denies this equal use of land is
| morally wrong.
AS to the right of ownership, wa
| hold: That
Being created individuals, with in
individually entitled Subject of course
from such relations as that of the fam
ily) to the use of their own po wers and
the enjoyment of the result
There thus arises, anterior to human
law, and deriving it's validity from the
law of God, a right of private owner
ship in things produced by labor-a
right that the possessor may transfer,
but of which to deprive him without
his will is theft.
This right of property, originating in
the right of the individual to himself.
is the only full and complete right Of
property. 1t attaches to things pro-
duced by labor, but can not attach to
things created by God.
Thus, if man take fish from the
ocean he acquires right of property in
that fish, which exclusive right he may
transfer by sale or gift But he can
not obtain similar right of property
in the oceans, so that he may sell it or
give it or forbid others to use it.
Or, if he sets up windmill he ac-
quires right of property in the things
such use of wind enables him to pro-
duce. But he can not claim a right of
property in the wind itself, so that he
may sell it or forbid others to use it
Or, if he cultivates grain he scquires
a right of property in the grain his Ia
Dor brings forth. But he can not OBJ
tain similar right of property in the
sun which ripened it or the soil on
which it grew. For these things are of
the continuing gifts of God to all gen.
erations of men, which all may use, but
none may claim as his alone.
TO attach to things created by God
the same right of private ownership
that justly attaches to things produced
| by labor is to impair and deny the true
| rights of property. For a man who out
of the proceeds of his labor is obliged
| to pay another man for the use of oceaF
or air or sunshine or soil, oil of which
are to men involved in the single term
land, is in this deprived Of his rightfu,
property and tnAs robbed.-Henr,
Georges Open Letter to the Pope
Mayor Pingree for Governor.
Howard M Holmes, of Detroit re-
| ports that Mayor Hazen s. Pingree is q
candidate for the republican nomination
for governor of Michigan. He says:
There are obstacles in the way of
| his nomination, but it is to be hoped
that they are not insurmountable. He
| is an available candidate for the repnb-
| lican party, because of his wealth and
his popularity in Detroit, a democratic
CITY. If elected governor, he would use
his great influence towards the enact
ment of a single tax law. / have no
doubt that Michigan would be the first
in the Union to make trial of single
tax principles The people are we'll
educated in those principles, and are
ready for change. All we need for
success is a motive power, such as q
friendly governor could give. That
would lead to organization and the con-
centration of our strength.
although as ardent a free trader as
any of The Standards readers. / could
conscientiously work for Pingree's
election, even on the republican ticket:
and believe that all of the single tax
men of Michigan would rally to his
support"
THE Bee does not say that it will new
or be full-fedged single tax advocate.
1t believes in it in theory now; it pauses
only on the threshold of doubt as to the
the expediency under existing circum-
stances. -Sacramento (Cal Bee.
WE have no hesitation in declaring
our belief that the ideal taxation lies in
| the single land tax, laid exclusively on
the rental value of land, independent
of improvements IN. Y. Times Jan 10
| 1891