Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-02-09

10 IlIc MINING JOURNAL.
JERSEY CITY, N. j., Jan IS, 1895.
| have received by mail what pur-
ported to be a dialogue between Mr..
Ford and Mr.. Livesey upon the ques-
ton of Single Tax.
Neither seem competent to discuss
the subject. There Is altogether too
much goodl goody business in the
argument, aud too little Single Tax.
The Single Tax is Il very simple
question. No man can dis pute the
fact that land values are the result of
communal existence, and not a result
attained by the individual. To demon,
strate lt-let us suppose an individual
had built the most perfect city the
world ever saw, and people refused to
lnhablt it. What would its land. or
rather the land it stood upon, be worth
MI. On the other hand, suppose
population kept focking in year by
year; would not the buildings, as
buildings, become less valuable bv
reason of decay, and would not the
land they stood upon become more
valuable by reason of demand for
opportunity to use it to better advant-
age 7
We will now reverse the result.
Suppose New York city We're DESTROYED
by fire, and population migrated,
never to return; what would the land
be worth that the city stood upon .
NA But should population after the
fire remain in the locality, the land.
beng free from buildings, would be
more valuable than before the fire,
from the fact that a vast number of
useless buildings no longer cucumber
ing valuable land, would be removed
New York. or properly speaking,
Manhattan Island, was sold by the
Indians. for twenty four dollars. To
day land in the vicinity of Wall street
Is worth ten million dollars an acne.
and every portion relatively valuablp lie.
Who made all that value? and who
got it? All that difference from
twenty four dollars up to the count
less millions was made by the com.
munlty. and those who bought the land
and possessed it, pocketed proceeds
which the community created and for
which they and their generations never
did hands turn, except as individuals,
towards it.
The philosophy and the justice of the
premise is that what the community
us community creates belongs to it.
and whit an individual, as an iudi-
vldual, produces belongs to him or her.
1t is the land values the Slngle-Tayers
propose to take for public purposes.
Those making the most kicks against
1t Qural holders) will pay the least
when the time comes. Land NAV be
dear at 70 an acre, and farm for $4)
curse to the owner. 1t entirely de-
ponds upon its proximity to popula-
ton, and the means Of getting there,
Plus the quality of the land.
The absolute fairness of the Single
Tax is beyond question. All other
taxes being removed, the poor who now
pay every man, Woman and little
chlld-under the robbery OF indirect
taxation, rs per capita. will be released
OF this unjust burden. The builder of
house will no longer be taxed for
providing his family with shelter. or
the community with buildings which it
needs. No man will get, as now, what
does not belong to him, lands increased
value being strictly communal result.
All can hold all the land they want by
simply paying oven to the community
its annual rental value, with increase.
as the case may be, or decrease as the
case may be. If mans land de-
creases III value, he will pay less taxes
II 1t increases IN value, he will paw
more taxes. But not, as now, be taxed
for building a barn, or painting a
house, or improving his farm, OF store
or residence.
This Single Tax, like vaccination, is
discovery "better late than never"
The leak in the social ship that has
been draining labor of its earnings for
thousands of years is discovered In
the word, "Landlordism.n
WILLIAM SAUL,
II Summit A wanna