The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-07-30
THE SINGLE TAX.
Its Justice, Economy, Benefits and Gem
eraI Effects.

Its Justice, Economy, Benefits and Gem
era1 Effects.
A writer in the knights of Labor Jour-
nal suggests plan by which the coal
barons could be deprived of their power
to extort monopoly price for their coal
He points to the fact that coal is the key
to modern civilization-that it supplies
the motive power for most of the indus
tries of the world. Metaphorically speak
ing, coal is light and heat, food, clothing
and shelter Therefore those who own
the coal fields virtually control life and
all the forces OF industry. The owners of
the coal fields did not create these vast
reservoirs OF fuel, nor add one dollar to
their value. Their value is given by the
community and the growing demand for
coal, which increase of population and an
advance in the arts gives. Why should
not the whole people, then, have some of
the benefit of the values they create, in
stead of allowing the coal barons TO reap
the entire benefit.
This can be secured, the correspondent
shows, by placing a tax upon all coal
lands equal to their rental value. The
effect of this will be that the owners will
not be able to control either the output
or the price. Instead of holding their
coal lands in idleness and paying heavy
yearly tax they will open them or dispose
of them to those who will make them
profitable by production. If in addition
to this the tax upon all mine improve
ments were lessened or abolished how it
would stimulate the production of coal,
lessen it in price, increase Its use, create
greater demand for labor and increase
the purchasing power of the laborer. The
beneficial effect OF such a plan would be
felt in every branch of industry to a
greater or less degree.
But why not carry this plan still fur
ther? Coal is but one of the raw mater
ials used in production. Why not tax
the monopolized iron beds, oil fields and
other reservoirs of raw material or OBJ
portunities for labor? When we come to
think of it land holds all the raw mater
ials of wealth. It is the one common res
ervoir to which capital and labor must
resort for the materials out of which is
made everything necessary for man g ex-
istence and comfort. Is it not clear that
everything which prevents the easy ac-
cess of capital and labor of these raw ma
terials is check upon production? 1t
makes no difference whether the raw ma
terial is represented by city lot upon
which could be erected cottage, q man
sion, a store or q mandatory, or wheth-
| er il is represented by coal bed, tract
OF agricultural lana, q IoIesI, WAFER
| front or water right, gas belt or an oil
field. All hold the opportunities for la
| Dor, without which labor must stand idle
and capitol uninvested.
! Violation tends to encourage the
monopolization of these opportunities
the holding of them in INCONSISTENCIES
production, Keeps men out of work
locks up capital and enables the owners
of these natural opportunities to secure
nearly all the advantages which come
from increase of population and advance
in the arts. Who ever heard of wages
being raised by improvements in ma
chinery, progress in the arts or increase
of population? Is it not fact that where
population is most dense and production
most highly developed there wages are
lowest and the profit of capital
smallest? Is it not equally true that
land-no matter what opportunities fol