The morning times., 1895-12-01
SINGLE Tax COLUMN.


lThe Times undertakes no respon-
stbility for any views expressed In
this column.)b
Hon. William 7. Harris, commissioner
of education, desgvedly ranks among the
most cultured and bestjnforiped men OF
the nation, His Judgment upon any sub
1ect is worthy ofithe highest consideration.
In the Washington Star of November 15
appeared an interview with him. apropos
of the insufrfelSncy of statistical data
furnished by our census reports, in which
lie Is represented ias saying
Another question on which there should
be accurate statistical data is that OF the
ratio between the values of land and the
value of the improvements on it, The
Henry George question and the single tax
hinge on this, and we have inadequate
statistics. Otherwise the question would
long since ceased to have been n live
one. a fair estimate, based upon the ini-
perfect statistics which the census gives
shows that the rental of the land amounted
to only two and one-fifth cents per day
per inhabitant. If this be the fact, it is
evident enough that there is no basis Tor
the Henry George theory"
THIS MEANS SLAVERY.
Is ''2 is cents per day per inhabltant
so small a matter? In year OF 800 Gays
IL amounts To over So. For 60,OOO,OOO
Inhabitants OF the United states it amounts
to 60 900, 900 times SS, "r $3.50 10000
The earnings of the average laboring
man are not above 81 .33 a day, nr $500
year. A man earning such wages can save
$50 year only by intense economy, eat
ing only the cheapest food. wearing tue
coarsest clothing, going without any or
the luxurics and most OF tue comforts
Of life. This is simply slavery.
- When negro slavery was in existence
in the South the value of slave was
based upon bis earning capacity. If his
master could make "A profit OF $50 n year
from him beyond the expense or his Keeping,
and If per cent was considered 1alr
interest upon his investment III human
flesh and blond, such a negro was ac-
counted worth a thousand dollars.
SIX MILLION SLAVES.
A landowner who ha S land which persons
desiting to use will pay $50 year Tor
the use of. IS in the same condition ffnan-
cially as a slaveowner whose slaves
labor would pay him ESQ year profit.
In either case he gets the. $50 year
without himself working TO earn - OBJ
tain it. The landowner has rather the
advantage. for his land will neither die
nor ru n away II such a man is the owner
of land that brings him In $3.50 annually,
he is I'm the same financial condition as
the owner of six slaves bringing him In
a profit of $50 annually. Multiply this
by million, ard We find that III tbe
class who have land for sale or for rent
receive from the landless class S4S0,0OO,-
600 a year. they are in the same condition
financially rs if they had six million slaves
working for them continually.
IL may be said that not all the sixty
million Inhabitants of the United States
pay rent or buy land. But it win at once be
seen that this makes no difference in the
calcula ton: the statement is that the amount
paid averages 20 I-5 cents per day per in
habitant;" and that is S0,O0J,0OO year
paid by somebody to somebody; and that IS
equivalent to theincome OF six million slaves
earning $50 year above the expense of
their keeping.
1t has been deemed by some well worth
four years OF WEIR with all its cost aud earn
-age.sto free thretmilliou colored slavesfrom
bondage. But We are now told, In effect,
that II the slayery OF six miiliofi persons,
mostly white. iSaff there is al stake In the
land question, the proposition TO do away
with such bondage has ceased to be a
live question.'f'yy
ONE CAUSE OF FINANCIAL CRISES.
The Iaborcr,' "a timing, let us say, $500 a
year, who is pa wing $50 year, more or less,
for land on whiefH build bimseif home,
must restrict MS EXPENSES to the bare neces-
saries OF life. He cannot indulge in gold
watches and pianos and bicycles and cycln-
petifas, and such things, glad as be might
| be to have them, Whatever he pays for
| land SO much the less money he has left
| with which to bug other things. If as a
community the people OF the United States