The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-01-11
ADVOCATE RIGHT PRINCIPLE.

EDITOR ADvoCATE:-The Lyon county
convention last August passed the fol
lowing resolution against some very
strong opposition:
First-The land, including all the
natural sources Of wealth, Is the heritage
of the people, and should not be subject
to speculative traffic. Occupancy and
use should be the only title to the pos
session of land. The taxes upon land
should be levied upon it's full value for
use, exclusive Of improvements, and
should be sufficient to take for the COM
munity all unearned increment.
Taking the weight of taxation off Of
the agricultural districts where land has
little value, and placing it on COAL
mineral and city lands, where bare land
regardless of improvements, rises in
value from thousands to millions of dol
lars per acre.
Second-Glve US with all the world as
perfect freedom Of trade as now exists be-
tween the states of our union, thus en-
sbling our people to share, through free
exchanges, in all the advantages which
nature has gwen to other countries, OF
which the peculiar skill Of other peoples
has enabled them to attain.
This would destroy the trusts, monopo,
lies and corporations which now infest
our land.
That our representatives this day
nominated be instructed to work and
vote for revision of our tax laws as fol-
lows: That all personal property, all i'm
provements on land that are the result Of
labor and capital, ard all land values,
irrespective of Improvements, shall be
assessed at their true value and
placed in separate columns, 30 as to
give the true values of each class
separately and distinctly from the other.
That each county, through the board of
county commissioners, may have the op-
tion of raising the necessary taxes for
public purposes by levying the rate Of
tax all on personal property, or improve
ments on land, or on land values ire
spective of improvements, or on any two
or all three classes of property as directed
by a vote of the people of each county.
In our representative district we have
nine townships, with a total vote Of 2, 1863,
excluding seventy-seVen prohibition
votes. Seven of these townships cast a
total vote of 1926, giving our representa-
tive (Moss) a majority of 195 votes. In
the other two townships (Elmendoro
and Jackson }, with total vote Of 937,
we gave Mr.. Moss 253 majority. With
less than half the number of electors we
gave nearly 30 per cent larger majority.
Why? In the seven townships they
made the finance question their main
line OF argument, while in the above
named two townships we discussed those
social questions indicated in the resolu-
tions quoted and which have swept the
country from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
showing what questions are nearest the
thoughts of the whole people. While l
do not think that our 800 electors are
more stupid or brilliant than the 1900, it
indicates plainly what can be done if the
right line of thought and action are
placed before the people. Some Of our
men hold that the land question and in
direct taxation will dumbfound the pee
pie; yet / have never met body of
farmers or other workingmen that could
not discriminate as between the just and
unjust, the right from the wrong Of any
social question, when properly presented.
Farmers and workingmen are not fools.
The trouble is, we are loaded down