The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-08-22
[coMMUNIcATED.I

HOUSTON. TEX, Aug. IL, lS94.-In a
recent issue of your paper there ap,
pears an article headed The Single
Tax Nightmare" to which l would
like. with your kind permission, to
make q brief reply.
The writer says the single tax is not
feasible In this country OF the free"
But what does he mean by calling this
the country OF the freeS OF what does
our freedom consist! Before we boast
of our freedom we would do well to
Ianalyze II, locate It, and SEQ how much
we get out of 1t for our money.
The aim of slavery ls to coniiscete
ia III tho earnings OF labor above enough
to maintain life. When this 10 accom-
Ipiished. no matter under what form,
the victims are practically slaves.
4 There are two ways OF appropriatinG
the fruits OF labor; consequently there
ARE two forms of slavery. One way Is
Ito get possession of the victims
bodies; this Ia called personal slavery,
and has been abolished. But the Other
kind of slavery still remainei 1t is tc
monopolize the land-the raw materla
freely furnished by nature for all o.
natures children. The only way II
which this kind OF slavery differs from
personal slavery Is that the slave doe.
not recognize any particular master
he may starve to death il he does no
choose to work, ana he can look to nc
one to look after him in sickness and
old age. 1t can be readily seen tina
thie difference is not all, on the whole
to the advantage OF the wage slave.
The land 10 the only source OF wealth
and we have allowed it to become tn,
private property of Comparatively
speaking) few. Those who have the
power to labor only must depend OF
those who are In possession of the
natural opportunities. What IN ockery
lit is to Gull such mon Tree" who must
either starve or depend on another
mans smiles for a living.
Three fourths OF our coal felds are
Unused. What miner would work FOL
IS cents per day II he could apply hi
labor to the unused coal fields which
have been here ever since Adam anC
Eve were driven from Eden?
But the coal fields are private pro
perty. So were negroes. NO mar
made the coal fields, they were createc
by God for all His children. Some
man came along, claimed" them, sold
from hand to hand to the present
owners. who say they have title" tC
them. Tho slaye-owner had a similar
title to his slave; but these title,
Originated In theft. and are, according
to the law of justice, valueless. ANY
lpawnbroker could show such q title tC
10 stolen watch.
The single tax docs not, however,
propose to disposses any one OF any
land, hut IL does propose to make the
lowner5 of valuable land pay all burden
of taxation. This will force them to
put their land to its best Use and STOP
Ia In
vacant iund would DO forced on the
market and the price greatly lowered
Now, suppose Delaware were to d c
this; what would he the resultl The
IN oment 1t was known that this State
offered cheap laud and no taxes on In
Gustry would 1t not attract capitol
and labor from all over the country?
Would this not mean higher wages to
labor and better returns to capital
than could be secured elswhere, a nd
would not other states be compelled
in self-defense to offer the same in.
,ducement to enterprise?
] don't think any one who has con
Isidered the subject at all will deny
this, and az productive capital and
labor are entitled to more considera
Ition at the hands of law makers than
the land gamblers. this reform should
be introduced at once. Tho article In
the REPUBLICAN says no land owner
ever advocated the single tax.
could mention thousands of single
takers who are wealthy men, and who
are large land owners. They believe
they would gain more in tho genera
prosperity, which would follow the
adoption of the single tax, than they
would lose by the shrinkage In the
value OF their land. Z. W.SCHwANDER.