Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-30
The Single I ak.
BY j. G. H. BUCK AND 3. r. WEBB.

community have year by year affixed
to that land which the user holds. The
right to tax land rests on very DIFF
ferent foundation from that of taxing
the gold watch and tailor-made clothes
OF the well-drcssed business man.
BY nature all men have right to
land, and one mans permission to pos
sess II exclusively renders him liable to
taxation in favor of the community
which grants him the monopoly Nc
common right or equal Fight 10 gold
watches and tailor-made clothes exists
in all the members OF community
These are the products of labor and
belong to the laburer and are not right
~ subject to taxation. In making a
Watcn VI a garment the laborer Is not
putting any other man out of any por-
tion OF his rights or possessions. But
the six per cent OF the population Of
New York city. who by Robert p. Port
eI's census reports for 1880 hold all
the land In that vast city, are holding
land that they ought to possess for
their own use and also the land that
the remaining ninety-four per cent of
those people ought to possess for their
use Can my opponent see no difference
in the right OF property In what u man
makes and what was made before his
temotest ancestor was born? The sim
gle taXer sees this difference, nor does
he have to be "landless" 10 have ms
eyes opened. Here in Hillsboro / know
an incorporating and open advocate
Of the doctrine VINO few years age
bought forty-two acres OF land within
the corporate limits OF lillsporo at cot
per acre. Now IL Is worth five times
that amount. He realizes that had no
HI man agency outside himself been
at work since his purchase 1t would
now bear very little more price than at
the time OF his purchase. seeing TINS
he believes the public treasury Is en-
titled to the annual rental value, thus
Incl easlngly put on that land.
RAILROAD bounties were granted and
accepted on conditions whlcn any court
of equity must hold to be bndlng;"
certainly; us long as laws. customs
and constitutions are as they are,
framed. established and conserved in
violation OF the plalnest dictates of
Justice and the rights OF man, these
courts Of equity" Will continue to
AFFIRM the "lniquity" of giving millions
OF acres of the peoples heritage" to
railroads and leaving millions now liv-
ing and yet to be born, homeless and
dependent on some landholder to give
them leave to toll and to surrender
to the landlord large portion OF their
products. My opponent speaks OF nom
resident taxpayers and the hardships
the single tax win Impose upon them.
l have assessed taxes In I'm county
for the past four years. There are
thousands of acres in Hin county that
have been for many years owned
by non-residents who have paid taxes
of assessed values ranging from 81 to
S2o per acre, according to location and
value. These assessments take "a Of
! per cent of this estimated value
that Is, from 10 mills to is "a cents
per acre. Now these lands are worth
from two to three times the amount
at which they are assessed. So we
see that 1t would require about $50
years to pay the value of these lands
in taxes. The only nonresident $25
land that l have known In Hill county
could not be bought at 500 an acre,
for that sum has been offered for ii
and refused. Now while this land was
worth 81 per acre thirty years ago,
and Is worth $50 per acre today, the
owner has done nothing in building up
Hill county except to pay an average
of about II 3-4 cents per acre In taxes
on 1t during these thirty years. About
$3.50 The growth Of Hllsboro has
added more than SIS to the value of
tnnt !. same me- acre. This groyT.t.h has re;
every citizen who has done anything in
making Hlllsboro the thriving city IL
now Is. Every merchant. lawyer, ply !
sician, bankers, preacher teacher, me- |
chanic, farmer, hotel and boarding. |
house keeper, day laborer-every In |
@'f ANAtA NAANsN tVAl1 HuNt netu spent /
and whose wants have been supplied |
in Hillsboro and in the fine section |
around l,-hns been contributor 10 |
that enhanced value on this land that |
has paid $3.50 in taxes 81 in original |
pu'Nhase money, and now can not be |
ught for $50, This acre gets off with |
is 81 cents tax and yet Is worth for |
rental purposes In It's bare state not |
less than 81 per acre. Meanwhile the
tenant on some other mans land. |
owning pair Of mules. which are |
the product OF his labor or care either
IN rearing or purchase. pays rs cents ON
them and Sl.75 on his head, though the
government owns no part whatever of
the mules or Of him. This taxation is
communlonlsm.
The remaining noticeable points In
the first Of my opponents articles /
must notice In my next, as my space
Will not admit 1t In this
j, G., II. BUCK.
Erratum, The words derived from
the pockets Of private owners" found
IN the seventeenth line from the bot
tom of the flrst column OF my first
article, should read diverted from the