The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-05-01


1a1 sIx0LE TAX rnB0RY.
Thsrs i deal n talk created over the
sinsIs TAI theory. II viii never b adopted
10 any serious extent. Workingmsa who
Own their Own homes would seriously OBJ
jsct TO giving them mp to benefit men Who
don't own homes and never would IL their
possassiou depended On their own exsr-
tions- Any intelligent nottingham can
80 that under Henry Georges scheme.
which imposes al the taxn on the land
and no tar on the building. the million
airs's palace would b equally exempt
with the mechanics cottage. which
would In effect rob the poor 10 help the
rich. The house that coats . million pays
no tax while the LOT on which II stands
pays no more tar than similar lot owned
by mschanic. OF course this would re-
suit In the confscstion Of oil small proper
ties and the concentration Of al real estate
In the hands Of the most wealthy, for only
the large buildinss could pay the land tai.
Those able to build the most expensive
structures would b able to endure the tar
thss would mean confscation to . poor
house and land holder.
This proposed change Of taxation II not
the extinction Of burden. bat . mere
makeshift change Of knapsack on the
shoulders Of the soldier Of labor, and has
no practical interest for anybody save the
lazy and unthrifty, Who lounge their lives
away waiting for that Utopian hour Of
millennium when every loafsr Who seeks
something for nothing viii get what he
wants that h. get what he nsvsr earned
from the energetic. thrifty. industrious.
honest hands that earned IL
The farmers Of the state Of New York
oncs thoroughly discussed in convention
this theory, under which all the tar would
BE- laid upon the land and no part on per-
sonal property. when in 1879. the great
Democratic free trader, David A. Wells.
then ststs commissioner Of taxation. pro-
posed to The governor Of New York the
abolition Of taxes on personal property
and the imposition Of all taxes on the
rental values Of the land.
The New York farmers and the people
generally rejected the proposition Of
Wells, which nevertheless obtained Q
strong following among the Knights Of
Labor. The assessed real estate In New
York state pays about ten times - much
~ personal property. The farmers. Who
control . majority Of the state legislature,
naturally try to rscoup themselves BY I'M
posing upon the cities and towns large
proportion Of the tax on real estate.
While the farmers thus succeed In paying
less than third Of the tai, nevertheless
the farmers would pay stiil less IL the
enormous amount OF personal property,
which In cities ana towns now escapes
taxation entirely. were taxed - II ought
70 Be.
Under the present situation the New
York farmer legislator seeks to redress the
injustice done BY the escape Of personal
property from taxation BY another tn
justice. viz. throwing An excessive and
unfair burden on the real estate owners Of
the cities and towns Under the circum.
stances the farmer, the workingman and
the mechanic viii not accept the proposal
TO put ell the taxes on the rental value Of
the land. but viii persist in their en-
dsavor TO compel psrsonal property TO pay
its share of the cost Of government. de-
spite the fact that the practical dif,iculties
in the way Of bringing personal property
TO book are very great
In America the farmer pays in taxes
''the unearned increment Of his lands. I"
Henry George teaches there 10 IN unsarned
increment in the value Of land due wholly
to the growth Of population and the pro-
gress Of society; that this "unearned in.
crcment" belongs to society, because 30
cieiy created IL. So George would confis-
cate Gil the rent Of land proper, exclusive
of buildings and other improvements. by
taxation. The workingman Who has any
property sees. however. that this PROPOSE
ton would dismantis the cottage and pro-
tecs the palace. and this workinsman
does not believe in = theory which reduced
to practice would rob labor and increase
the income of the Assors and the 6oulds.
This is the argument that ex-Mayor
Hewitt made against the George theory Of
taxation. aud Arthur. chief of the Broth.
erhood of Locomotive Engineers. took the
same view rs Mr.. Hewitt in one OF his ad-
drsssea The single tax Is interesting a. q
theory, bat IL Is nothing but q mere dream
under our present situation, for the farm
ers, the mechanics. the age workers who
owned any property would al do a. they
did in New York ssa;e--rsfuse 20 enact it,