The herald., 1895-12-27
TO THE EDITOR


are better than single tax regime. Ac-
cording to Mr.. Miller. if the single tax is no
worse than that which we now suffer from,
| 1t is my duty to support it. In days gone
| by, my younger brother, when cor
| rected for misbehavior, would retort
meaning me. This is Mr.. Miller's
position exactly. But what descent from
| the lofty and spectacular attitude assumed
by Mr.. George in the sos. Then it was
that the single tax was proposed as the
Sovereign remedy" that would abolish
poverty and establish an era of universal
peace and plenty. Let me quote his own
words: Government could take upon it.
self the transmission of messages by tele-
graph, as well as mail; of building and
operating railroads, as we'll as opening
and maintaining common roads,"
I'VE could establish public baths, mu-
seums, libraries, gardens, lecture rooms,
music and dancing hclls, theaters. uni
versties, technical schools, shooting gale
ries, play grounds, gymnasiums, etc. Heat,
light and motive power, as well as water,
might be conducted through our streets at
public expense; our roads would be lined
with fruit trees. scientific investigation
supported, and in a thousand ways the
public revenues made to further efforts for
the public benefit The single tax regime
was to be an immediate, tangible and rad
cal change from present barbarism to full
iAAOuStiidi StholiCiPdtlpus lout a WiiCii
the search light of socialism has disrobed
that kindergarten reform of its borrowed
plumage, and scattered to the four regions
its so.called scientific" basis. Mr.. Miller
mournfuliy says: Anyway, it is no worse
than the present condition." How are the
mighty fallen!
1t seems almost cruel, but even the scant
satisfaction of the belief that there is, ut
any rate, something worse than single tax,
shall now be ruthlessly snatched away
from the credulous single taXer. Now the
single tax means one tax only,
and that one applied to land val
ues. There is to be no other source
of revenue whatever, no personal
property tax, no tariff, no license tax. no
poll taX-all revenue to be derived from
tax on land values. That value. they say.
arises from the difference in the value and
productivity of the land, or the site value
of lots for residence or business purposes,
anyone would have to pay would be deter
mined by free competition, not by the as
SCISSOR, as Mr.. Miller enormously believes.
BY the Recordian theory OF rent, which Mr..
George accepts and builds upon, lands of
the first class, though entirely taken up,
would have no rental value whatever, until
it became necessary. by reason of al in
crease in population, to encroach upon
lands of the second class. And then the
rental value of lands of the first class
would be indicated by the difference in
productivity of the two classes of lands
with the same application of labor.
Bear in mind now that in the United
States not more than or q per cent of
the land is in use. Mr.. David A. Wells, in
his recent economic charges, says that we
may take the territory represented by the
German empire out of the state of Texas
and there will yet be within its confines
sufficient land to raise all the wheat now
produced in this country. We may travel
at railroad speed for days over many por-
tons of this country containing its most
productive lands and see scarcely habita-
ton. 1t is confidently claimed that the
whole population of the entire world could
be comfortably situated in our country.
supplying their wants exclusively within
its borders.
This means that upon the adoption of
the single tax that those who wanted farm
ing land would DO at liberty to settle on
lands of the first elias. leaving yet large
areas of that class unoccupied. No one
would take up second-class land as long as
first class was to be had free, and so this
state of affairs would yield but an in
tinitesimal speck of the revenue needed to
run the government.
The human mind refuses to believe that
our single tax friends are advocating this
puerile proposition in earnest. l expect
yet to hear Brother Miller break forth in
hearty guffaw at the bare idea that anyone
should have taken seriously this little
merriment of the jolly single takers.
Lands situated near cities would, of
course, pay tax on account OF location,
but when compared with the vast amount
of revenue needed to defray governmental
expenses, that is seen to be merely noul-
inal. Mr.. Thomas G. Shearman, single
taXer. "liInited," estimates the gross neces-
sary tax at $3.50, 1898 600. l am. of course,
aware that the single takers rely mainly
on advantageous business sites for reve-
nue.. and l shall proceed to show that that
tax is equally as illusory as that upon
farming lands. Let us suppose there are
fifty retail stores on Spring street. Those
nearest First street paying the largest tax
on account of superior location. Those
farthest away paying less. according to
distance.
They are all more or less satisfied and
peace and prosperity reigns. But as quiet
ly as thief in the night there is a new
aspect of trade developing that is destined
to change the spirit of their dreams and
vitate the operation of the blessed single
tax theory. Some fine morning these re-
tail men awake and find that colossal
department store has been started midway
between the best and the worst sites on
Spring street. This eccentric department
store is not stickler for location as it is
possessed of a trick worth two of that, so
it takes the average site, buys in immense
quantities of everything from pin to a
locomotive, has untold capital, ability and
experience and begins to work its little
joker of underselling the retail men
Where is the chance now for the $4,000
merchant against him of the bloated mil
lions? If one of the little men is situated
OH the corner of First and Spring, the best
site, what does that avail him except it
affords him an excellent view of the
throngs, his erstwhile customers, going
past his little high-priced store on their
way to the cheap 'people's emporium"
If said emporium can sell for less than
the small merchants can, how much rent
will they be able to pay. location or no
location? Obviously, rent from this
source would be diminishing quantity,
ann if the little men pay little rent, so Will
the big men soon follow suit, for rent is
similar adjacent land. To clinch the
way of ascertaining rent, cite Mr.. Miller
to page 3l3 of Progress and Poverty,
original edition. 1t is everywhere claimed
in single tax writing that free COMPETE
tion'' is the universal solvent. and upon
that principle they stake their all. shall
hold them TO it.
the only trouble with the single-tax
theory is that it was born about 300 years
too late to work. AT every turn, when at
tempting to show the practical operation
of their tax. they butt up against combna-
tons of capital, large machinery or asso-
ciated ability and experience that can
manipulate the situation in their own in
teres;s. If Mr.. Miller thinks my picture of
the department store a myth. let him peruse
the Chicago daily papers. In that city.