Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-09

II the unthinking convert to social
ism who owns the forty-two acres at
Hillsbor0 had. at the time he bought H.,
also Invested good sum, as many
others did Ia lands FAR out In the West.
for which, saying nothing OF expenses,
Interest and taxes for years, he
could not now realize over one-half
Of tho & per acre he paid the state
therefor, he could more fully appreciate
the beauty OF a theory that proposes
for the community 70 appropriate the
enhanced value at Hillsboro without
necompensing him for the depreciation
in the value It received FOR the other
lands. just now he Is admlrlng the
magic lantern pictures OF socialism,
but when he actually gets inside OF
the concern and looks out, he will b.
able to see much further, and will
discover, mlrabile dictu, that Texas eX-
tends many miles in both directions be-
yond the purleus Of Hillsboro and his
suburban really there Or possibly
he Is much wiser than his precept0p
supposes. sees clear through the single
tax business, and is intending. just be-
fore 1t goes into operation. TO sell his
land and thus convert Il into personal
property To be exempt from taxes,
which are then all to be paid by int
unfortunate dupcs who are now clam
orlng for his land He may be adj
viscd that one OF the Nanderbllts, the
sensible one Of the family. Is an ardent
and avQNed slngle-taNer, and that
George Gould, prudentiy silent while
the enthusiasts are pulling ehestnuts
out OF the FIRE for him, is deeply con-
corned for the success Of a theory that
VIII annually preserve and add hand
some little furtune to the family es-
tufn ~ hiHf la
augment nearly all the vast mon0pOllcs
which he and the other mllllonaires
control. II yet remains 10 be seen
whether It Is the Hillsboro preceptor or
the pnpil that has so cleyerly hood
winlted the other
Texas having formerly been an in
dependent nation. and having In the
articles OF her annexation with the
United states reserved the right to her
vast public dOmnin, ia the sover-
elgn Of the soil and the source Of
greater than an average empire In
discussing the nature Of title to land
and the inallenable character Of mans
right thereto, 1t Is not necessary TO
ny IN fancy far across remote seas and
wander In the realms OF a past 80 OBJ
secured by time that anything what
ever may be affirmed of It's supposed
facts and conditions without the pos
sihility OF any clear REPUTATION. Let
us deal with the question Of title as
1t Affects, and concerns us here. and
with tacts aud conditions that are
known to us.
Upon this basis Of demonstrate fact
the single tax advocate has been una
Die TO polnt out single acre of the
more than one hundred millions pat
ented In Texas the individual title to
which was acquired by violence. or
by deed written with a sword, or on
which blood was used FOR sealing wax:
although he asserts such things to be
internally true In almost every case"
Nay: he has been unable to designate
single acre rs title 10 which the com
munlty, acting through its own organ
lied instrumentalltles OF government.
mas not voluntarily rellnquIshed and
upon valuable or merltorlous consid-
Grafton inuring In greater or less de-
gree TO Its benefit
If the argument In favor of mans
inalienable right 10 land and its de-
scent In common to succeeding gen
erations proves anything II proves too
much Tor the singlc-taxers Of this cOuu-
try, which originally and rightfuly no.
louged TO the Indians They were first
here, ana evidently had measuralbly
prospored and largely increased in
numbers, They were rightfuuy In pos
session Of the entire country, claiming
and needing 1t all for their own use
ana inc KIND OF HE they pursued. I'M
der the single tax theory they were
wrougfuly deprived Of their homes and
their hunting grounds. and the right
and title thereto Is yet vested In them;
and us there are some thousands of
them sun surviving, they should at
once be put possession OF their own.
Nor may the alien slngle-taxer arbi-
trarlly prescribe and dictate that they
shall have possession of only SO much
as they actually cultivate, since that
Is not the principal use they make of
land. They have the right to use their
own In their own way. and In that way
which experience has demonstrated To
be absolutely essential TO their con-
unued existence Their ethical right
OF repossession logically includes tho
right to again extend that possession
over their own from sea TO sea. az
their again increasing numbers NAV
demand. Under the single tax arpl-
ment the lapse of time has In no de-
gree impaired the right and tide Of
the Indian, nor added, even with aid
OF Inheritance, any strength to the
claim OF the Caucasian. And IL the in
clude the older right OF the Indian. how
can he deny the right which the 400
100000 OF pagan. pig-tailed MOngolians
are clalming--the right to come here
aud receive their share OF the common
heritage which Is inallenably vested
IN them along with the balance Of
The slnglc-taXer, upon purely ethical
and distractions, is as
sorting an inalienable right TO himself
10 lands here wherein, under his own
theory, he has no more title than the
devil had TO those offered by him 10
the Savior, He has brought in the
court Of public opinion an action OF
trespass 10 try title TO lands now owned
aud held by others, and having failed
TO show any title In himself, but. on
the contrary. having shown a superior
outstanding title In others, Judgment
must be entered against him. Whatever
be the true theory of title. Il is clear
that the slngle-taxers OF this country
have argued themselves out OF cnuri
and that they have no right to invoke
sqnity while refusing to do equity and
Restore 20 the Indians their own, Yet
while the onus probardi Is properly on
The plaintiff m the suit. the pro ponent
asserting the proposition under discus.
sion, the party seeking to overthrow
l status existing almost from the crea-
lion. he Is demanding that the defends
ant shall show a title deed from the
Almighty 10 his land. or else he. the
4 fOr.sSafl utafnttn will a n,,-a .,,...l., |