The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-08
SINGLE TAX IN DELAWARE,
A United Effort to Have the
System Adopted in That
State.
WHAT THE RESULT WILL BE.
Ninety Per Cent of the People
Are Landless and They Are
All Educated.

Eyes, we will make concentrated effort
to have the single tax-system adopted in
the State of Delaware" said Congressman
Mcguire to a representative of THE CALI
yesterday. "The singie-tax men of the
country are becoming impatient for prac-
teal work and I believe the leaders are
practically agreed upon selecting Della
ware as the battle ground and opening up
a steady and vigorous campaign Of educa-
tion there.
"Since the New York campaigns of 1869
the single-tax leaders have steadily advised
in favor of quiet propaganda work and
against all efforts prematurely to force the
question into practical politics.
"The majority of the single-tax men en-
tered with religious zeal into the Demo-
cratic movement for the reduction of tariff
duties, believing that, with the reduction
of duties on imports, the Government
would be ultimately driven to direct tax
alton for at least a substantial portion of
its revenue. But that line of Democratic
activity seems, for the present, to have run
its course, and questions of local taxation
are again coming to the front. Besides,
thousands of protectionists who are OPP
posed to reducing tariff taxes are IN favor
of the single-tax system Tor State, County
and municipal purposes.
THE protective tariff and the single tax
are directly antagonistic as means of rails
ing National revenue, but in raising State
and local revenue the slngle-tax system
would give the most direct and effective
protection conceivable to domestic indus
tries. To relieve all domestic industries of
the 2 per cent per annum tax now falling
upon all buildings, machinery, raw mate
rails and manufactured commodities used
in such industries, would be a great and
positive encouragement about the effect
and value of which there could be no ques-
ton.
"If we really desire to encourage Amer
lean industries, it seems to me that the
very first step should be to relieve them
from domestic tax burdens. This is not
new idea. 1t has been repeatedly sug-
gested by leading protectionists, notably
by Van Buren, Denslow, who very clearly
shows how domestic taxes on home
products nullify the expected benefits of
the protective tariff.
Indeed, it would seem that for State
and local purposes every protectionist
should be single-taxer, for it is most in
consistent and illogical to levy a pro-
tective tariff for the benefit of a domestic
industry and then to take away the ben
eft by levying domestic tax on the same
industry.
1--WE will therefore not go into Delaware
as a free-trade faction of the Democratic
party merely, but with an appeal that will
reach Republicans as well as Democrats
and reasonably expecting to draw from all
classes except those that are enjoying I'M
just advantages under our present land
system. Experience even justifes US in
hoping to draw from that class also.
Delaware has been selected because it
presents many conditions most favorable
to our purpose. Its area is small being
considerably less than that of the county
of Santa Barbara. Its population is small
being only about half as great as that of
San Francisco. Less than one-tenth of its
voters are landowners and the intellectual
standard OF its landless people is above the
average.
1t is not necessary to convert the whole
people of Delaware. If 90 per cent of the
absolutely landless voters of that State
(less than 100000 can be convinced that
the single tax should have trial there, we
will carry the election and try the system.
The effect of such a victory in Delaware
would be tar-reach1ng. 1t would have an
immediate commercial influence upon all
of the surrounding States, which would
force those States to exempt personal
property and improvements from taxation.
eff capital of all kinds, including build
ings, machinery, tools, raw materials,
manufactured commodities, ships, rolling
SlOShJ ClC.1 WC1O SASLl pI iIOIll IdAdJiOu III
Delaware, how long could Pennsylvania
and Maryland continue to tax similar
capital 2 per cent per annum without driv-
ing it all into Delaware?"
prohibition, woman suffrage, the
Australian ballot, or any of the other
leading reforms, might be adopted and
maintained for many years in one State
without exercising anything more than
the moral influence of example upon sur
rounding States. Not so with the single
tax. It's influence will be coercive.
cts adoption and maintenance in any
one State will compel the surrounding
States to either adopt it or permit their
industries and commerce to wither and
disappear. No State can successfully tax
an industry which is free from taxation in
an adjoining State.
when this far-reaching effect of the
single tax is understood, the tremendous
importance of the Delaware campaign will
be more fully realized"