The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-04-11
No. 9

substance that are taxed under the
present system of direct taxation, nor
will it be under the proposed graduated
system, but it is the UGlate in every
thing that Is assessed and that pays a.
tax. For this reason it becomes unjust
to assess the value in any one kind of
property to the exclusion Of value in
any other kind or all other kinds Of
property. This is why the Henry
George theory Of a single tax on land
values is fallacy. The value in land
is the result of industry just as much
and nc. more than is the value in
house or a 5ushel of corn or a pound
of cotton
A taxsystem that will rest the greater
part Of burdens upon aggregations of
wealth and lighter burden upon dis
tributed wealth; that viii rest it most
heavily upon the strong and more
lightly upon the weak is what the in
dustrial people want, This principle
is in accordance with the charitable
spirit OF all christianity and in harmony
with tha5 unchanging mandate Glove
thy neighbor as thyself." The strong
and successful everywhere should have
a disposition to assist the weak and un-
successful, and an application of the
principle in this matter Of taxation for
government support would cover a
multitude Of political sins with which
the rich are blamed in our Republic.
1t would go far toward restoring that
lost confidence and harmony that
should exist between the industrial and
wealthy people, between the rich and
the poor, and this should be done be-
cause We are brethren in this Republic,
The increasing ratio Of this plan of
taxation will exert i mighty influence
upon rapidly increasing fortunes. 1t
viii drive them into use, 30 maintain
themselves, be >ause il they are unused
they will annually melt away into the
peoples treasury. One may say as we
often hear it that the wealthy will
deceive and hide their wealth and it
will not be taxed then more than now"
Let us see, now the tax on all values
are claimed 30 be equally assessed and
one half the wealth in the United
States-about $25, 900 coo 600 that is
owned by some $4,000 people is taxed
equally with the other $25 900, 600, 600
owned by the other 65, 000 600 of peO-
pie. Under our proposed graduated
system about nine tenths of the entire
taxation for government support, as
the wealth is now possessed, would be
paid by the 80, 900 persons, while the
"a, O0O, 900 would only pay about one
tenth of it. If some Of the property
of the wealthy did escape still it would
have to be made up by the others of
them, and it couldnot fall heavily upon
the poorer classes as it does now. Then
when the rich would discover that
some of their wealthy neighbors were
hiding their property, their self inter
est would compel them to 6 ferret cut
the guilty, while now they do no. dis
tur3 themselves much about it because
they know that distributed wealth
pays over four fifths of the taxes" The
newly proposed system will "set a
thief to catch thief" and then the
thieves will be caught without the help
of the Pinkertons. This principle Of
graduated taxation should be thorough
ly understood and fixed in the minds
of the people now so they may give
force to it at the next political contest.
SAMUEL ARCHER.