The Opelousas courier., 1893-02-04
Some Object lessons in Favor OF
Single Tax.

The following experiences are pam
illustrations of the rewards of land
speculation, and of the prevailing ideas
of assessment, and | therefore offer
them 10 the readers of the Standard.
1t will he seen that the evils here
typifed might have been considerably
a]meliorated by II just and strict appli-
cation of present laws, and l am quite
sure that workers for the single tax
cause can hardly put forth their efforts
to better effect than by trying to get
the present laws rightly executed.
Nine y-nine per cent Of the assessors
of town property, some in ignorance
and some in lack of conscience. sport
with the laws of taxation, virtually
changing them from lot to lot, from
street to street. There is no law for
assessing unimproved lots, and yet
this practice is we'll nigh universal.
shonld be happy to join a club which
should make its object that of trying to
beat into the heads of assessors the
fact hat vacant lots are "used' just as
much as lots that are occupied, and
that speculation is Il use that does nott
| deserve special favoring.
In 1881, in Norfolk, Va, where |
was at that time working as principal
of a private school, | attended an
auction of lots in Bramieton, Il sub"rb
not then made u part of the city. l
bought for $55 one of the last two lots
that were sold. Thifty-six lots had
been Knocked down to a wealthy gen
tlenan at an average price OF about
1856. The rest were bought r. intend
ing builders, who, like myself, were
leaking for lots wherein to make
homes for themselves
In the conise of IL few years, houses
eprang up as by magic. The streets
were graded, sidewalks laid, and Bran
Teton became Ithe growing quarter:
NV LOT being a0pt thirty feet front, l
concluded that | wanted more land. l
Therefore bought 1876 feet, farther out,
nj IS IA foot. and sold the former lot:
This thirty itefx. for which | had paid
$55. brought readily $725 cash.
y Meantime, the thirty six lots bought
by the rich man for speculation were
growing in weeds and value, aud
daily becoming more and more an
egesnlc to the community, L knew OF
him refusing $500 for II lot hat had
cost him abnnt forty; and yet he was
making 10 contribution to sncli I'M
movement, lis grading and sidewalks,
winch were carried on largely 10y the
,ato,ta.v contributions of those VIII"
w,.., Building houses arnaud his va
can; tnts WHEN ~aprroached oy,
wo..la -tm purchaser his reply was thai
E kllr was saving his property for his SOL
Ia iny in knee pants. He could vel
, afford to hold the land, since as being
csssside,e ed unproductive, it was as
i, seesed at an insignificant amount.
That struck me as qneer. Here wa
; :. man who was II positive drawback
! T., The progress of the place, and ye
> making nut of it some thousands pc
3 cent. As to myself, while | had con
: t,ibnted NY due share 10 the grading
- of the street on which my lot was 10
l Gated. | thought it remarkable that
sI,ou}d somehow get more for nothinj
= than I ro,,id make by three month
: work in the Schoolroom.
: On tn. new lot which had bought
commenced to make some lmproVe
q monts. Having nut around IL a iene
). at IA cost of $50, leVeled the IAN
h sowed it with grass, planted two aoze
trers Of rare variety, n thus at
: cost of about 5000 I ma de It LOOK III
. an attractive building 10 ., instead OF
i rigid field. How unwise ,fhss was so'
!, shown by the arrival Of the assess
Because of these improvem. ants the :
q was assessed at $2,250. | might nj
have given a second thought to thI
valuation but for a contrast. OppG
site my lot IA SPECTATOR had bougl
4 five acres. The land was still in Gu
e tiyadion, so that it looked like fart
lani Although it lay between M
lot and the city, and, therefore, nears
to population, and more desirable, il
q assessment was at a rate just n tent
as high rs mine. This again struc
: me- as queer. / felt that / had BEE
9 punished for building u fence an
Planting trees.
4 Subsequently / built II house, whic
n was welcomed as "a great improvement
\ to that locality. The vacant lots I'D
Joining my property were owned by
gentleman in New York City. Hi
q agent told me, in delightful innocence
that | had doubled their price. Thi
: again struck me AS queer; that u poo
school teacher in Virginia should ad
|, hundreds to the wealth of a man in Nes
: York, whom he had never so much n
ii Seen.
n The gueerness of these object lesson
was fresh in my mind while / was read
4 ing and re, reading" Progress and Pow
. erty.' and they helped NE to appreei
ate SOME of its revelations. AS
read on. / could not bat see hoy
the homely events that had bee
o going on before my eyes in that corns
:. Of old Virginia were interviewer wit
!. The greatest social problem of tho day
. Since that time. whether in Virginia, o
q Missouri, or Louisiana, or New Hamp
4 shire, | have found no lack of sinlila
instances. The consolation is thai
n wherever | have been, | have found a
= increasing number of those who ap
p~reeiate the exposition of the maste
= who lias thrown his light upon the IN
- Justice of a system which fosters sue
- transactions.-Prof. James H. billiard
The ice gorge in the Ohio river a
Cincinnati, yesterday broke and the Il
suit was the destruction of a large nun
" Der of coal barges owned by Pittsbnr
IF parties and the loss of $685. 900 wort
e of property. This disaster is likely
.us. tho nriea If c0at tn he advance