The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-10-19
production and conversion.

week. We have almost forgotten the
of the single tax on principle, however,
but if we remember Alright, the difference
i'll the use of city land and country land.
The former is used as basis or conven-
lent location for converting and distrib-
uting, the latter almost wholly for pro-
ductive purposes, hence barren spot
answers equally we'll for the city mans
purpose as the most fertile, but only the
latter is of value to the farmer who pro-
duces crops. There is certainly nothing
else produced in the most radical sense of
the word but that which is grown, the
living annual products of the land, includ-
ing live stock-all that claims the farms
attention. When these products are
harvested, every afterward manipulation
is mere mechanical change. Nothing
of matter is added to them. Important
changes are wrought in fitting those
products for mans use, requiring great
deal of labor. This labor is all worthily
expended in effecting the necessary
changes and conversions, and must be
paid for with part of those products.
Our author repeatedly cites Henry
George, but what of Henry George? The
fundamental truths we are pursuing
existed long before Mr.. George and will
remain after him. He went to them for
information. Let us inquire of them also.
The metals were all laid down in the
earth before man for his use. He is
without the power to create any of them.
By applying his labor he brings them
forth, separates their parts, converts them
into various forms to enable him to apply
them to his use. Mans creative power is
confined to producing his bread. He
applies his labor to the land and a new
creation appears. 1t is his bread. The
miller converts it into flour, the baker
combines few ingredients and his bread
is prepared for use.
Addison demonstrates the difference in
one of his essays. "The statue is in the
marble and the sculptor only finds it"
He chips portions of the block of marble
away and leaves a portion untouched.
The clippings from the block lie at the
sculptor's feet. The untouched portion
of the block stands in human form. The
artist has not created the marble. He has
expended labor in changing the form and
is worthy of his hire. These illustrations
meet and reply to all the points our name
less friend makes. But this part of the
contention is really of no importance in
demonstrating the practicability of the
| land rent tax.
City land is valuable only for the rea-
son that very small portion of it will
suffice to effect a vast amount of CONVEX
sions, changes and distributions, of ma
terials brought from somewhere else to
receive these various manipulations.
| Economists choose to call some of these
changes products in certain sense for
convenience of demonstrating their phi
losophy. That does not change facts. The
changing converting and distributing
require large amount of labor, hence
the increase in value but not in matter.
The question out of which sprang ali OF
this nonessential controversy was the
necessity of a larger supply of money and
for the want of that supply the price OF
farm lands had fallen so low that people
refused to buy, not because the land was
not as productive as ever, but the fallen
value of its products had made the land
cheap and farmers did not want this kind
of cheapened land for that reason, and
were always ready to pay handsome
price for land when the crops sold for a
re1nunerative sum, hence the single tax
as a specific for hard times would be
powerless without considerable increase
IN the volume of our circulating medium.
While we credit the single tax with all
| the merit it possesses or will demonstrate
when put into practice, we deny its power
in any degree, even the smallest, to sup
ply the function of money. That is the
only point of value in discussion of this
kind. The monopoly of land is but
secondary to the monopoly of money as
an influence on civilization. To go back
to the brute period of man, and dwell on
the point that he is land animal and
can't live if put off of the land, is a mere
ignoring of his present condition. He
can't exist i'll his high state of civilization
without money, and would speedily
descend to his brute or savage state, when
land would lose all rental value So surely
as the water of the ocean makes it pos
sible for the ship to float, so surely has
money made civilization possible, andwitt-
out civilized man there would be no rental
value of land. In the exact ratio that
money is contracted below the necessary
amount to float business with cash pay
ments, poverty appears. Continue the
contraction to the point of total abolish,
ment and man will speedily descend to
the savage condition. Money is the breath
of civilization as air is the breath of man.
1t is not good for man to be alone.
The requirements of his nature call for
help and cooperation stands waiting on
the threshold of society. To distribute
the results of the labor of all for the ben
eft of all is an imperative demand, and
to retain the evidence of value of each