The herald., 1895-03-24

| would become more valuableY The cor
| Viction seems to grow more general ever
| lay that this city ought to have its ow
water works, and supply the people Wit
water at cost. What il this reform b
| brought about? The entire benefits
such reform would soon become manifes
| in the increased value of city lots. Now.
| suppose 5000 of the wealthiest men in tn
world should resolve TO make this cit!
! their future home. As they carry ou
| this resolution they are inspired with
spirit of philanthropy coupled with
| strong warming for reforms that cause
them to institute and carry out rs far
may be, all the real reforms now advo-
| Gated by the different schools of social re-
| formers-except the single tax. They
| enter into an agreement to furnish, u.
perpetnity, free of charge to the peopl
| of this nature-favored section OF our
| country. an abundant supply of pure
water, telephone. street car service, gas
electric power. heat and light. They
also pay for the transportation of pas
sengers and freight to and from the sec
| ton they have resolved to favor. Further,
| each onr issues his personal notes for
! 81, 900. 600 said notes endorsed by all his
wealthy fellow philanthropists. thus
| satisfying the cry for more money
| with vengeance. Here. at first thought,
| would seem to be an ideal community. so
| much is certain: Here we would soon
| nave Ilt lltliOpollSol ttlt WOllN. puci-
ness would be wonderfully facilitated: !:
factories would spring up as if by magic.
| We can have some idea of how population
would crowd in upon this part of the
country ii we recall the effect of the dis
covery of the great supply of natural gas
at Fndlay, Ohio. Yet, in spite OF all
these advantages the full effect of which
cannot be easily conceived. capital would
find this the most Improbable field for
investment. Here interest would sink
to the very lowest level.
Here, too, in this dense center OF pop
ulation the competition OF workingmen
with each other would reduce wages to
the lowest point at which tie mere labor
er could maintain himself. Though the
aggregate production of wealth would be
very great, the active factors of wealth
production, labor and capital would get
an ever dimini fishing share of the produce.
Besides labor and capita there is only one
more element capable of absorbing
wealth, namely; lana, CT rather the own
ers OF that natural reservoir from which
all the raw material of wealth production
must be drawn. As long as land is re-
duced to private ownership, God himself
must be unable to improve the condition
OF the mere laborer. Moved by Il feeling of
sympathy with His suffering poor, suppose
the Almighty, by the exercise of His
will. should cause all those material
things for which men labor to be rained
down upon the Hlrth-food. clothing and
shelter without stint or limit-would not
all these good things belong to him upon
whose land they fell? Thus even the di
vine intention of benetting the landless
man would be perverted; and if the poor
wretch would be allowed to live at all, his
services no longer being necessary to the
land owner, he could only live as Il per-
petual pauper. Such are some of the Tea-
sons that cause single takers to contend
that the land question underlies all ques-.
tionS of social reform.
J. d. Drake talked about A Perfect Tax.
Among other things he said
Taxes on the value OF land must not
be confused with taxes on land itself,
from which they differ essentially. Taxes
on land-that is to say. tox.s levied on
land by quantity or area-apply equally
to all land. and hence fall ultimately on
production, since they constitute check
to the use of land-a tax that must be
paid as the condition OF engaging in pro-
duction. The single tax, or tax on land
values, however, does not fall upon all
land but only upon valuable land. and on
that in proportion to its value and not in
proportion to its use.
Hence they do not in any degree check
the ability of labor to avail itself of land,
and are merely an appropriation by the
taxing OF a portion of the premium which
the owner of valuable land can charge
la Dor for its use.
The land owner can no more compel
those to whom he may sell or let his land
to pay a tax levied on its value than he
could compel them to pay mortgage.
"A tax on land values is of all taxes
that which best fulfills every requirement
of perfect tax. As land cannot be hid
den hor carried Off tax on land values
can be assessed with more certainty and
can be collected with greater ease and less
expense than any other tax while it does
not in any degree check production or
lessen its incentives.
This being the result of individual ev-
ertion, properly belongs to the individual
and cannot be taxed without lessening
the incentive to production. Everywhere
this system OF taxation is commanding
the attention of business men. and it is
so palpably right and just that it is the
consensus of opinion of all leading re-
formers of America
The exercises were interspersed and
enlivened with vocal selections by Miss
Grace A. Pearce, and guitar and banjo
duets and solos by Pearlie and Hal
Gleason. The music was excellent and
all three OF these persons were applauded
and thanked.