The herald., 1895-11-13


acre when there Is land nnusued that,
with the same abor, will produce twenty
bushels to the acre? Does not that
amount to loss OF half of the wealth
that ought to be made for the worldP
EFFECT ON DISTRIBUTION.
Let us for tho moment turn our atten'
tion to law OF political economy-one
of the first discovered. most widely &C
cepted, and most firmly established
among the doctrines of political economy.
1t was formulated by Ricardo. the next
great political economist after Adam
Smith, and is called Ricardo's Law OF
Rent. 1t is this, THE rent OF iana Is
measured by the excess OF Its productive
ness over the poorest land in use."
To Illustrate. let US imagine, for the
sake oil sim plification, q country consist
inx entirely OF wheat farms, of various
grades capab BILE ofraising from sixty bush.
els of wheat to the acre down TO five
bushels of wheat to the acre Let Us
suppose that people begin to settle in
this country and that there are no land
spectators among them. Naturally, the
first lands put to use would be the sixty
bIshei land. And SO long as there re-
manned any Of this best land. free to be
taken mp, no one would be willing to pay
any rent, for then there would be no ex-
cess in productlveness over the poorest
land in use." But when the land was all
taken up and used. the n ext corners would
have recourse to the next grade OF land
producing, say fifty bushels of wheat to
the acre. 1t is evident that the owners
of the sixty bushel land could then claim
rent of ten bushels to the acre, or one
sixth OF the crop--which would be the
''excess in productiveness over the poor
est land In use." The tenant would raise
sixty bushels, pay ten bushels rent and
keep fifty bushels rent as his wage"
The men on the fifty bushel farm would
get all their crop-fifty bushels to the
cause 1t would be the poorest land in use.
But suppose, while there were only
enough people to occupy themselves on
these two grades of land. spectators had
stepped in, appropriated large part OF
the land and held it out of use. This
would force many who wished to raise
wheat to other land raising forty bushels
so on down to land raising say ten bush
els. which we will suppose Is the point
that men could live upon. Then the
owner CT the sixty bushel land would set
fifty bushels rent and his tenant would
get ten bushels wages-the owners of the
FIFTY busnei land would get forty bushels
rent and his tenant would get ten bush
els wages, and SO on down to the ten
bushel land which would pay no rent
and yield ten bushels wages. Thus be-
cause of land speculation alone, rent
would ne multiplied and wages would be
reduced from fifty bushels to ten bushels,
which We have already taken to be the
We suppose other kinds Of labor to come
into the community, the law of competi-
uion would equalize all common labor and
all would BIZ working for about bare liv-
ing. The tendency Of wages to bare
living, Notwithstanding advance in civ
A. I'D s,~I. Al.
gress has been called "The Iron Law Of
Wages
What mas taken place in the commun-
ity we have been considering, expressed
in general terms?
Private and absolute property in land
has permitted owners to hold land out of
use and thus force some of the productive
industry ont to the poorest land 10 the
community that will Yield q living.
This enables the owners of better land
than that to take as rent all their land
will yield, above living.
Wages on all these eraaes OF land have
then tendency to the point OF bare liv-
inf fbe same law, acting in all depart.
ments Of labor pr oduce the same effects
and the iron law of wages reigns
throu ghout the community.
That is, the iron law Of wages results
from absolute private property In land.
The iron law of wages means that for
all time labor shall be deprived of the
benefits OF industrial progress, invent on
and civilization that belong to it. II
robs the laborer of ambition; it DEGREES,
that the poor we shall have always with
u.s.; it produces misery and suffering
and crime; under Its rule little children
toll in world whore the young OF the
birds are Singing in their nests and the
young Of the deer are playing in the for
ests. 1t stunts and starves youth; it
b,sets the universal fear OF poverty in
m ddle age; it breeds avarice IN old age.
Under the iron law of wages the lab
orer does not get all that his labor pro-
duces. He only gets what will enable
him to live; the surplus goes to others.
The iron law of wages therefore violates
the right of properly in the things pro-
duced by labor. and therefore absolute
private property in natural resources or
land is inconsistent with the right of
property in the product of labor.
What is the LABOR question?
1t IS How shall we secure to the la
borer what his labor produoes?" And
therefore again ! say the land question
is the labor question.
SINGLE TAX THE SOLUTION.
Others will follow me in discuss ion
who will show you that the single tax,
which is tax upon the value of land ex-
elusive of Improvements and exclusive of
all other taxes. will compel the owners of
land to put it to its best use: will call in
labor from the poorer lands and poorer
locations and locats the industrial COM
munity upoE the best lands and lots {;
will thus reduce rent and raise wages by
lesseang the differences in advantage Of
location and fertility will thus secure the
rent under the name of tax for ths
community which really owns the landI
will thus do justice between the commy
lty and the man; will thus do justicei
tween man and his fellow man by eSAi-
izing their respective advantages Cao-
pass hundreds Of vacant lots far mo ue,
sirable and convenient for residsnL anu