The morning times., 1895-10-19
SINGLE TAX COLUMN.

| (The Times undertakes no RESPONSE.
biIity for any views expressed in this
cOlumn.)
Comments by the Editor of the
| Single Tax Column.
In the first article in the Forum for
August, 1875, Justice Brown, of the U.
S. Supreme Court, attempts to foreshadow
what may be expected of "The Twentieth
| Century He predicts vast progress
| for The race, but fears that then, as now.
| Financial panics will recur every twentieth
| year, with the regularity of planetary
| revolut tom
| These regularly recurring periods OF
! financial and acknowledgements constitute
| an insouble problem for the average po-
| litic,l economist. In order to reduce The
matter to extreme simplicity, permit
| us to Illustrate by means OF parable.
It is easier TO watch the operations OF q
| given cause when operating singly than
when complicated with thousand other
causes; the mind can better grasp the pro-
| cess going on in n small community than LII
! one of sixty million persons.
A PERTINENT PARABLE.
Imagine a community of one hundred
families, the heads OF which are engaged
making different articles, in the MANN
| facture of which 10 machinery and only the
| simplest tools are needed. In addition
to these is Mr.. Middleman-the represent
atiye of the class OF persons WHO. as set
| forth in these columns heretofore, take
in recompense for their services one-haif
of everything that passes through their
Lbands on its way from the producer TO the
consumer Imagine the labor;ng men SO
scattered (as in the actual world OF IN
dustry) that they can exchange the prod
ucts of their labor only through Mr., Mid
dleman Suppose further. teacher,
physician, an accountant, and TWO OF
three servants of Mr.. Middlcnian, making
the total number OF families in the coin-
munitv one hundred and ten. To begin
| with. the laborers have no money, except
| what they earn by working for Mr. Mlu-
dieman, the representative of the capi'ai-
ist element in the community.
One of the little comInumty-iet US can
| him John-gathers an armful of tough,
| Tlexibe grass, and during the day braids
| two hats. In the evening he takes them
| to Mr. Middlcman, who pays him nfty
| cents each for them-one dollar Tor MS
| days work.
The same day, James cuts from the
margin of the stream a bundle OF shiaii
willows, which he weaves into eoupie
OF baskets, which he takes to Mr.. Middle
man, who gives him fifty cents each for
| them-a dollar for his days WORK.
As James is about to leave MT. Middle
| mans store he sees couple of hats. He
needs a hat and inquiries the price. Mr.
| NJ. answers, one dollar apiece. James
takes the hat and pays for 1t the dollar
| received for the two baskets
The next morning John comes to the
| store, and sees the two baskets. 1t
happens that 4 basket is just the thing
| he wants. He inquiries the price, and is
told a dollar. He takes one, paying fer
| IL the dollar he received for making. two
hats.
PRODUCERS ARE ALSO CONSUMERS.
Observe that James and John are at
the same time producers and consumers.
As couple, they produce hats sand BASKETS
and consume baskets and hats. Observe
that when they have spent all the money
they have earned by making hats and
baskets, they are able to buy back from
Mr.. Middeman only half the hats and
baskets they have made. Observe that at
the close of the transaction Mr.. Middieman
has received back the 50 he paid them for
hats and baskets, and has, besides, half
the hats and baskets they made
That same day 100 such transactions
took place between the 100 members of
the community and Mr.. Middleman; as
the result or which Mr.. MiddiemaD at the
close of the day had all his money back,
and 100 different manufactured articles
on his hands, which the community had no
working days-he had all his money back.
and 10000 articles which the community
had no money to buy.
One day Johns baby was sick, and he
called In a doctor, who cured it, and clio led
S1-the dollar that John received for
braiding two hats that day. With that
dollar the doctor bought basket But as
John hadn't that dollar he couldn't buy a
basket nor anything else with 1t. So the
patronage of the professional man in the
community did not prevent the accumula-
ton of the products of community's labor
in Mr.. Middleman's hands.
REDUCTION OF WAGES.
OF course it is not to be supposed that
Mr.. Middleman let this accumulation go on
forever.
One day, when John brought his~two
hats, as usual, Mr.. Middleman told him
plainly that he did not need any moreshats;
be had thousand hats on hand, and only
hundred, or at most, hundred and ten
customers for them; that he himself was
considerable of a customer, but he did not
wear outthree hundred hats year, md other
goods in proportion. in short, that the market
appeared to be glutted. Nevertheless, If
John would, sell his hats for thirty cents
apiece, instead of fifty, he W would buy few
more. similar conversation took place
between Mr.. Middleman and James in re-
lation to baskets: and with the remainder
of the hundred W orkmen reg arding the pro-
ducts of their labor.
For awhile the community kept on work
ing, practically for sixty cents day, in
stead of q dollar day as before. But
then they had but sixty cents day, in
stead of a dollar day, with which to buy
one another's products. So the accumula-
ton of oods in Mr.. Middleman'shandsw went
on faster even than before.
IDLENESS AND DESTITUTION.
By and by the men organized into a union
and struck for higher wages. Thereupon
Mr.. MiddIeman said: Gentlemen, that
suits me. There has been an overproduction
In all lines OF goods and l should have been
compelled to shut down on the most of you
pretty Soon anyway. Now, il you will be SC
kind as to 60 idle and hungry and destitute
for year or two, till 1 can work off these
surplus hats and baskets and things on
somebody then we will all begin again and
go the same round over"
Thus we have followed this little com
munity through the several stages which
the industrial world at large experiences
the logical and Inevitable climax being a glut
of the necessities, comforts, and luxuriee
of life In the hands of one class of the com
munity, while their producers are left in
idleness and destitution.
Does any one inquire what all this has to
do with the single tax? Everything. for
"hard times can never be prevented up.
til their cause is understood and removed
and the effectual means of accomplishing
this Is the single tax. just how it would
operate to bring about this result however
cannot be set forth at the tail of column. :.
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