The Opelousas courier., 1895-11-09
nearly everything In sight and out

of sight.
The manufacturer gets back his tax
when he sells his products, the mer-
chant gets back his tax when he sells
wares, and the farmer also tries to get
back his taxes when he markets his
produce. Each is trying to get ahead
ct the other; eonf fusion and misfortune
are tho result Nearly the whole bur-
den is thrown upon the consumer,
If the burdens all amount to % per
cent. OF C assumption, then the man
whose consumption equals his income
has twenty-five dollars less i'll ev-
cry hundred than he otherwise would
have. In other words, the taxes and
the quasi-taxes take all of his possible
saving. If a man has an income Of $500
and spends $4Uo. he saves 500. But for
the tax he would save another 900, or
500 On the millionaire with a large
income and moderate expenses the bur-
den would be but q1~otsather's weight.
Our working farmers are not million
aires. The bulk OF them are lucky If
their income is sufficient to meet their
expenses. Hence the burdens arising
from taxation take all their possible
savings.
What, then, is the remedy? What
can we do to tighten the burden Of the
small producers, yet produce no in
jury to any legitimate industry? Is il
possible to greatly diminish these
burdens, yet greatly stimulate industry
and increase the rewards of all who
work.
There Is n remedy proposed which
is worthy of the serious consideration
OF the farmer, manufacturer, trader,
and w~age-worker alike. That remedy
is the proposition to raise our revenues
by a tax upon the annual rental value
of land, including those franchises
which are made up OF land values
Just as at first blush an indirect tax
seems to benefit tho farmer, SO at first
blush this tax upon land values seems
to be the worst imaginable for him.
But as we have found an indirect tax
was working him ~incalcuable injury,
so we may find that the single tax will
produce him the greatest good that
can possibly arise from any system OF
MlQQletOQ.
Another Explanation.
On the Esd of May, the day the
Kickapoo lands were opened to
settlement, $4,000 people made a mad
rush for $50 claims. Is there n mys-
terry as to the cause of scarcity of en-
ployment? We have half a continent
Of land unused because we encourage
the holding of land idle by taxing
heavily the man who improves. A tax
on land values does not fine a man for
improving, but on the contrary will
make it Improbable to hold land ex
cept for use.
EDITOR TAX REFoRx-The above
clipping contains meat for serious
thought on the part of all who recog-
nize that there is something wrong
with our social system, but who are
to discern the cause-and there
fore unable to discover an adequate
remedy.
1t would certainly seem that the
cause of much Of our admitted social
is due to the locking up Of all
forms of land-farm land, city lots,
factory sites, water towers, oil wells.
coal, copper, iron and other mineral
is induced by present
methods of taxation.
Abolish all taxes on industry and
whether known t. personal
property taxes; taxes on buildings,
drives, planted tre5, merchsp-
disc or tariff taxes, 7ad ~concentalte
al taxes on site-values or location val
ues, and you will at n have lifted a
heavy load from the backs of the pro.
both merchants, manufacture
ers and manual laborers.
Tax reformers generally should bend
their energies towards accomplishing
this result, fraught as it is with such
manifold blessings to the whole human
race. WIN. SPALDING.