The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-28
new ERA OF TAXATION.
Why the Government Should Own
Public Utilities.
The Annual Rental OF Land Should
Be Controlled.

There is great change in the sys-
TEN or taxation in vogue in the
United States near at. hand. The
great changes which science has
wrought within the last half century
have almost entirely rcvolutioniZed the
modes OF industry throughout. This
change has unjointed old sys TENS and
produces such friction as threaten to
smash the whole machinery Of govern
mcnt. The natural propensity of the
majority for holding on to old WAYS
and Oil usages is being wrested and
twisted as ne yer before. Gradually
they are relinquishing their old pre-
conceived ideas and beginning to won
der il they might not have been mis-
taken in their inherited beliefs, and
II 1T may not be possible that their old
things. like former generations. old
things, may not be out of date, and if
1T may not be unwise to try to adjust
TO them the new civilization which
has sprung up around them, and is
lighting for more room and more free
dom to expand.
This thought is steadily breaking
up the crust of conservatism and
Weakening the opposition to the new
era which is to lift the twentieth
century to a lOftier eminence than
ever has been occupied by the human
race.
The reign of rascality under old par
ty discipline has never attained such
proportions as it has in this country
within the last thirty-two years. 1t
commenced in the middle Of the war
or the great shareholders rebellion
and has steadily progressed till now.
Ihe last session of congress did more
TO open the eyes of the common mass
OF people than any one development
or rascallty in all this period of cen
fury The open bribery and corrup-
tlon prac ticed in the framing and pas-
sage eff the last tariff law has acted as
the waters of the pool of Sloan on
Inc bilnd mans eyes. The Republi-
can party has we'll nigh abandoned
their run-tO-seed theory of making a
nation rich and prosperous by high
. tariff The fact that few rich
manufacturers do not constitute the
prosperity of nation is demonstrated
by the widespread we'll nigh ruin
which is witnessed on eveIy hand.
Within the last few months there has
been d greater accession to the parti-
sans OF free trade which aims at the
destruction of the custom house,
than in years before. The free trade
of the politician, which meant 10 l.
ing, is rapidly giving way to the ag.
greSSlvc advance of the cOme-Out free
traders. Other means of raising rev.
enue are being examined and the
more they are looked into the more
simple and equitable they appear. A
statistical examination OF the modern
means OF tranSpOrtat alton. shows that
taken out of the hands of corporations
ana placed under government owner
ship the fare and freightS of the rail
roads could be reduced two third
from present rates and furnished
abundant means to defray every eX
pcnsc Of government.
The telegraph and telephone sys-
TEN, which should be branch of the
post Office department, would yield a
handsome revenue for public use Will
the present charges reduced one-half
And then the almost lmitless re-
sources for public use could be drawn
from the rental value of land is beine
urged by a rapidly increasing phlanX
of advocates.
All these new resources of taxation
present the strongest reasons for {
radical change in creating a fund fol
the public use, while at the same
time wiping entirely out of existence
the Anticipated system of raising reve
nue. by the iEquisitorial and feuda
mode of personal property tax
The advocates Of all these reform!
are steadily coming together and find
ing expression and consideration ir
the Peoples party, while the two ole
parties have nothing but the dry
husks of Anticipated systems to Offer
to the people. who are YEARLY turning
away from them to the living issues
offered by the Peoples party. It will
be bright day for the honest toilins
masses who have been voluntary Sc
long for the benefit of an idle. waste
fui lew. when the tax assessor ceases
to call on them to render an account
of their little property and pay dowr
heavy tax to the collector, and al
taxes collected from public utilities
and every one pays in proportion t(
the opportunities he enjoys by thei
use.
These changes will mark the new
era that is about opening up for man
kind. when the old parties are driver
into the wilderness like the scape
goat, bearing their dead issues which
are the sins of the people. Midland
journal.