The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-19

ownership in houses and all products of labor,
der absolute " ow nsrsSip % OF Of individuals or cor.
porations, because the bare surface without
improvemenis virtually belongs 10 the people
dictory way. But the single tax dispels this
ambiguity and logically generaiizes the entire
Under reign Of single tar one would not
have to penetrate the solltudes OF our ciyili,
ration TO find vacant land at very low rental
hr and not very disssnty 20 ana hnnsb sng 1n II
might be fertile land ON y location making ~
| yaiueless. therefore not comparative. Bear
but will compensate the economic increment.
| discovering that vast source OF tnexhaustibie
wealth. Developing opportunities by which
| the gratihcation OF every temperate want ana
| ordinary desires. all can enjoy. =,
VINO has private possession or land In tne
| American desert can there untaxaoly stay,
possess or own the desert, as he chooses as
| no land values are there because no one Will
/ go there To reside. Build thousand palaces
will be worth no more; more therefore il is obvious
| that building houses does not create land
i values, but IL Is very evident that the mum
| Der or persons who wish TO live In locality
determines the price of the land. Does not
the fact magnify and more forcibly convince
that the community Is maker OF these values
in land, and n so. why not use the same Tor
maintaining governments and give the pro-
| ducer, who has been legally piundered since
civilization began, "A resti
This premium on the naked earth Is what
| the single taxer Is interested in, value
which has drifted long since into the pockets
| of fictitious wealth creators to whom all pro-
ducers of real wealth have paid tribute, with
| the fattering end In view that no opportuni-
| ~ will be left by which o great majority or
the living can obtain any portion OF this nata-
| raj wealth.
The world has been populated in not widely
contrasting manner, in which the pioneer,
too, with his family. migrated to part OF
the world God made for man, never before
reached by human footsteps. where To all
intents and purposes everything existing was
haa M cd,n vet al aln
have until some persons wanted it as much
as he. He cleared the busby plain. he fertil.
sed d. the shrH6e heath and
whom the first pioneer looked as intruders.
The strangers greeted him friendly and in
which and from which. under Gods bounty.
sweat Of their brow to whom the pioneer
quantity replied "All land within your tour
Is mine found this land and through cour-
age, energy and endurance have made l. what
IL is, and the land have not improved have
given to my children; still, you may stay II
you will pay tribute TO me. and, posteriorly
yonr children to my children, and so on
viii our generation ever be wise as these
strangers?
Take notice what they did, TO wit: They
accepted his terms. AS time passed the new
comers grew in intelligence, and therefore IN
power, and with one obstacle only migbher
than their intelligence, which is more iDtelli
gence in Others they began 70 iegislate and
TO educate, which resulted in balloting out of
existence tnat transgrossion al Gods law de-
priyng His children OF their inherited rights,
embracing the use OF the earth in converting
by labor the raw material and transform
ing ito products gratifying the human do
sire.
Not having heard from these people since.
IL Is fair to presume that they knew about
the single tax. Whether the philosopher who
planted this righteous thought in tho minds
OF the American people is an emgrant from
the pioneership above named, the writer can
not state.
n
viz. Any method In which We have been
educated relating 70 taxation increases the
cost and reduces the production, except COM
pensating land values, which have an entire
iy opposite tendency hy reason that this way
OF collecting revenue increases the production
and reduces the cost. THIS postnlate Is inciden-
Raising public revenue by taxing land val
ues eliminates the ssihns value In the bare
earth in oil lands, resulting in greatly multi
plying smaller taxpayers and gradually de-
Small holders Of this natural wealth will be
represented by scores to one whose aRgre-
gate payments VIII net more revenue than as
though the larger holders paid most OF the
compensation. because the land will be more
equitably assessed. and by reason Of the al
most numberless small compensations flowing
In.
1t Is a mistaken assumption that any owners
as body pay their taxes-the fact Is, they
are merely cashiers. The psope pay tner
taxes In the shifting. The single tax cannot
be shifted upon the people In any way, ines
as the citizen does who buys q horse, u hoase
or watch, on the Utoptan pan OF mutual
compensation, which Is the definition ol the
gle tax OF taxing land value.
Why tax thrift and production when the in.
terest on the land values VIII net more revenue
coupled with the fraud. injustice and perjury
attending its practices? 1t is wiser to tax
things we want. for either can be taxed out
of existence The higher the tax. proportion
ately less will be the production, until the
very germs succumb TO the treatment, save
land with the same treatment will gradually
reduce in price as will be found In capitaliz-
ing its earnings.
commercially. as IL should be-, for God
created II (the principally. while the people
have made the values.
Will the reader please analyze the following
paragraph, to wit: Several years since a
councilman in a neighboring city purchased a
piece OF land, for which he paid slSse, This
II for S4l50 Deducting cost and interest on
the investment the scheme netted over $500
created, by whom. and to whom does 1t
equitably belongf Again, please also tell me
how to account for the foreknowledge of
this wise councilman Why do wise men in
vest in things which afford no income2 Why
purchase wine At time of vintagef Why in
vest in grow ing stock. and, last OF all, why
invest in unproduotive land. Simply by rea
son that the Investments make rich incomes.
In mind the writer has the mercantile life
OF an oystcrman, who, In order 10 conduct
his business most profitably, required land.
This requirement resulted In the purchase of
10 acres OF cove land, IN which location he
did business 30 years, during which time his
enterprise paid interest on bis investment,
insurance, taxes and wear and tear.
The land cost 1854. The buildings cost 5000
summing S30s4 As before stated, his capi-
tai and thrift was reimbursed with interest.
insurance. wear and tear, and an enviable
home proceeding from its earnings. AT the
expiration Of ~ years his land had capitalized
s0i. 900, whore the tax payers contributions
are still abiding, minus S8gs4, equal to $780,
0l6 which remainder represents a CONNER
cial value which cost nothing TO produce, as
salabo and stable rs gold and silver.
This remainder the community unequivo-
cally produced and enriched the oysterman,
whose heirs will inherit what has already ac-
crued and later enrichments
Again, in one Of the enterprising cities in
New England not long since property con
tanning p, 900 square feet of land, including
the worthless improvements, was sold in
round numbers for 100000. Stripping IL of
what was once improvements, its value re.
mains the same and Is now the same earth |
found here by our ancestors, whose dumping |
ground 10 was 10 raise the level without cost.
'Tis plain, TO wit: Our ancestry and our