The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-13
The Most Stupendous Robbery.
Continued from page 2

Inc Most StupendOuS Robbery.
Continued from page 2.
industrial activity he completes a
deal of some Importance and chuck
les to himself as he goes home to tell
his wife. "My dear, you know those
blocks, taxes and all, never cost me
but $500, and I've sold 'em for
clean SIS, 900; looks as il I could false
my subscription toward the minis
ter's salary, don't it? But those
blocks on Main street are better as
they are; can take advantage ev-
cry few years of the increase in value
to raise the rent, and it will be good
property to keep for the children"
He wears comfortable smile next
day at church, and feels that the
Lord has justly prospered deserv-
ing man.
How came he by that money, for
which he has not so much as lifted
finger? If he did not earn it, and
nobody willingly gave it to him, by
what right is it his? He stands in
dicted by moral law as robber. If
he is a robber, albeit legal and I'M
knowing one, who are his victims?
No man can get something for moth
ing unless another has gotten moth
ing for something Who is thus
robbed? He did not create those
increased values on his unimprOved
land?
Who did?
Was it not the owners and the
builders of the dwellings and stores,
the shops and factories and school
houses around his land? Was it not
in fact the whole community?
Right here is the key to the whole
question. Every man who works
productivity, creates
TWO KINDS OF VALUE:
one a direct value, measured by
the thing built or produced, or the
another or indirect value which
attaches, not only to the land upon
which the work is applied but upon
all other land in the vicinity: indeed
to the land of the whole community.
These direct values are created by
man as an individual, the indirect
values are created by him as men,
Der of the whole community. The
direct values belong solely to the pro-
ducer; the indirect values belong
solely to the producers of them, the
community.
The direct values are visible, tan
fgible, and are legally placed to the
credit of the producer or pocketed
in the form of wages.
The indirect values are invisible,
intangible, and unrecOgnized by law
till-Presto Change! they straight
way become very real indeed as they
flow into the pockets of the land
lord.
A resident of Baltimore gives the
rental value of the land of that city
as ST. 900, 600; in that proportion the
rental value of ST. Paul would be
something over $5,6OO,OOO annually.
Now this enormous value, created by
the combined industry and capital of
the whole community and therefore
belonging to the public, the land
lords appropriate to their own use,
and return to the public one per cent
or whereabouts, in the form of taxes.
Public expenses must go on, and if
this naturally accruing fund is TAX
en- for private uses the state must re-
sort to some expedient to meet these
demands; and so the deficit is made
up by the extortion of taxes in vari-
ously unjust modes, from the private
earnings of individuals.
Taxes are levied which punish in
dustry and offer premium to fraud
and hypocricy; which are evaded by
the INSCRIPTIONS and paid by the
helpless and honest.
1t would seem indeed that some
Little Buttercup had "mixed those
children up" and that ever SINCE
public values had gone to private
uses, and private values have been
demanded for public uses.
Do these two wrongs make one
right?
This double robbery is not all the
wrong resulting from the violation of
this much misunderstood principle !;
with permission l may sometime pre-
sent something further.
Iona I. ROBINSON.