The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-11-05
Dor. Il these two propositions are not

Dor. 1t these two propOsltlohs dfe NV
sound to the core, then there is neither
truth nor justice to be found on earth.
They are the basic principles that un-
derle the single tax system. Every
well-posted single taxer can success
fully defend these principles against
s'the world, the flesh and the devil"
To deny them is equivalent to saying
that the laborer is not entitled to what
he earns; that the state acts wisely IN
doing all it can to discourage industry
and offer premiums to idleness; that the
speculator is entitled to greater consid-
Grafton than the home builder; that
land monopoly. which robs uncounted
millions of their natural inheritance, Is
sacred system, ordained OF God; that
freedom of commerce is crime, to be
either restricted or entirely suppressed
by law; that poverty and charity are
twin necessities, inseparable from our
social system.
Whoever denies the single tax princi-
pies must of necessity be driven to adj
NIT each and all of these monstrous
propositions. There is no escape for
him, though he may wrigglc and twist
like fish out of water.
Single takers do not want charity,
either for ourselves or for anybody else.
We simply ask for justice. Not justice
for few, but absolute, even-handed
Justice for all And we are not begging
for it, we demand it We demand that
access to land and the use thereof shall
be as free as is the use of air, sunshine,
or any of the other natural elements
belonging to the people, because given
to them by wise creator, and without
the use of which mankind can not ex-
ist We demand also that every bur-
den, every restriction, placed by our
laws upon industry shall be removed,
and all necessary revenue be raised
from land values These things the
single tax, il given opportunity, will
accomplish. No other reform move
ment can effect one-quarter as much
for humanity. II fact all others, SO
far as adopted, must rebound for the
benefit of the landowner. From the
very nature of the case this can not be
otherwise. The single tax must come
first After that, various otksS reforms
can be instituted, withc--. becoming
aids to land monopoly; because In6er
the single tax system land monopoly
will be impossible. Other reforms can
then be beneficial to the people, just III
proportion to the intrinsic merit of each
reform.
Land monopoly is the overshadowing
curse of the ages. Why, if you could
take money monopoly. transportation
monopoly, monopoly of personal prop
erty and all other monopolies known
to modern times except this one, and
place them in one side of the scales;
then put land monopoly in the other
side; so sure as Gods laws are higher
than mans laws-so sure as the birth
right of every human being is more sa-
cred than are any laws or customs that
rob humanity of that birthright-just
so sure would land monopoly turn the
scales and outweigh all its rivals.
I sympathize with every honest
movement for the betterment of our so
cial conditions. respect the men who
from motives of philanthropy are earn
estly endeavoring to push those reforms
to the front But believing as do that
land monopoly is the greatest monopo-
ly of the age, and a more prolific cause
of poverty and misery than all other
monopolies combined, shall continue
to fight against it, by advocating the
single tax, with what little ability God
gave me, regardless of all other issues.
Ralph E. Hoyt, in the Standard