The morning times., 1895-10-13
SINGLE TAX COLUMN.


Charles II was proclaimed King of Eng
land on May s, 1850, The Queen, hi.
Wife, had no children. Nevertheless sci
ons Of royalty" were never more numerous
CD, by Mrs. Lucy Waters, James, ancestor
OF the dukes OF Buccleugh, (2l, by Mrs
Catharine Peg. Charles, ancestor of the
Fltz-Charies branch of the British nobil
1ty. 49,, by the Duchess OF Cleveland
Charles Fitzroy, ancestor of the dukes o.
southampton, "a, by the same mislress
| Henry fItzroy, ancestor or the dukes OF
| GraIton, Coz, by the same mistress, George
Fitzroy, ancestor OF the dukes OF North.
umberland. 90, by the notorious Nell
| Gwynne, Charles Beaucierc, ancestor OF
the dukes of st. Albans, ca, by Louise
| Guerouaiiie-a French courtesan-CLaries
Lenox, ancestor of the dukes OF Richmond;
and other children, male and female, TO the
number of twenty in all, of miscellaneous
| motherhood.
THE MASSES DISINHERITED.
In those days a considerable portion of
the soil OF England was yet Commons ~
| upon which the laboring class eked out a
! scanty subsistence, but with the advan-
tage OF paying rent to nobody. Theoreti-
caiiy the title of these commons was
In the King-hcld by him in trust for the
benefit OF the people. But these iliegiti-
-'Hes VI mig ulust i've, ana
that without degrading themselves by
| doing anything for the community in re-
| turn Tor supplying them with the neces-
| saries and Injuries OF life. So the amia-
Die King induced subservient parlia-
ment to make grants OF land to these
bastards OF his, in order that the peasan-
| try living on such lands should therea fter
De compelled to pay tribute (''rent''D to
them tor the privilege OF living. And
from then fill nerifAd ,f hipe
over 200 years-hundreds of thousands of
English workiDgmen, the bone and sinew
OF the land. have been kept in indulgence
and at hard labor. in order that all their
earnings above what was sufficient to
keep them from starving might serve to
support in idleness aud magrificence these
gentlemen and ladies who trace their lin
cage back to King Charles mistresses.
OTHER EXCUSES FOR EXTORTION.
Charles was a luxurious liver, and his
expenses were high. Where to obtain
money was troublesome question. 1t
would hardly be consistent with kingly
dignity for him to go 'huofing 1t" over
the country, catching a poor peasant here
and there by the throat and demanding
or him shilling or n pound. So he did
the same thing in dignified and indirect
way. He wouId confer some title of
nobility and grant of land upon some
in the lump 10000, the grant authorizing
the rich man to demand tribute trent, OF
the peasants, who had previously occupied
the commons rent free
This, of course. was not the beginning
of the present system OF land tenure but
it fairly illustrates the manner of its
origin.
LAND TENURE IN AMERICA.
Some of these grants were made of
lands situated in America. Lord Balti-
more ard other lords obtained from Kings
of England and other Kings, the right TO
demand tribute of every man who TILED
or occupied the soil iihin certain limits
The same system. in slightly modified
form, is embodied into our laws and policy.
Here We have no ''dukes,''- they are
replaced by Capitalists - Under our
Institution the capitalist may become the
''poSsessor" of 10000 or 10000 acres
of land-that is, obtain the right to ex-
clude all other persons therefrom, unless
they will pay him for the privilege of
using II. One man I'm New York City re-
ccives more than $4,000 a day from
this source alone; there are hundreds
whose income Is more than 81 900 q
day.
CoNFISCATIoN.
These "reminiscences have been evoked
by recent editorial in one of our city
papers, that was exceptionally intelligent
in It's apprehension OF the plan and pur-
pose OF the single tax, and exceptionally
fair in its treatment OF the subject; but it
felt constrained to say in conclusion: How
ever attractive this picture may be TO So
cialists, paternslists and dreamers. its
realization demands the virtual confiscation
of every farm and building site in the
country"
Confiscationl II thank thee for teach
frt- hot
the charge. 1t affords them an oppor-
tunity TO direct attention 10 the fact that
the single tax proposes, not to confiscate
anything, but to put an end to the con-
fiscation now prevailing-Of the earnings
of producers by nproducers. For sup
porters of the present system OF land-tenure
to accuse single takers OF advocating con
fiScation' is monumental absufdity that
would not have been paralleled If John
C. Calhoun bad accused William Lloyd Gar
rison OF favoring slavery.
Such ''confiscation." II applied to ''every
building site" in Washington. would sim
ply mean. in practice, the payment by the
average occupant of much less than now,
being taxed for nothing except his land.
THE BENEFIT TO WASHINGTON.
4 few years ago a Congressional com
mittee upon taxation in the District of CO.
lGn1bia estimated the annual rental value
u tuc ldHu III ttis DiStrlCt at ga 4,OtD.OUO.
Let US suppose that one-haf of this were
turned into the Treasury, leaving the other
half to go where it all goes now-for the
enrichment OF land speculators-in case
we should consider il too rough on them to
put stop to their "confiscation" of the
earnings of producers "all OF a sudden
Then the income of the District would be
S12, ,00o 900 year. or SO. 900. .0o0 year
more than it is now. II laborers in the en-
ploy of the District were paid S1.50 per
day, or $3.50 for 900 working days of the
year, these nine million dollars would en-
ploy continuously 10000 laborers. Their
labor would extend and improve our streets
and sidewalks, enlarge and multiply our
sewers, complete our water works, build
new bridges and convert our Potomac flats
into the handsomest park in America
Nobody would be thrown out of employ
ment except the officers and active members
of our various charitable institutions,
who are now organizing measures looking
to the support of these 10000 Ia
borers and their families during the coming
winter, when they will be compelled to
live in tdleness and destitution because
our present land policy diverts into the
pockets of other idlers the income from the
land which ought rightfully to go into
the public treasury for public uses.
Hc Didn't Haft.
He was one of those unruly youngsters
who make the life Of a public school
teacher a hard one He was in the primary