The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-09
SINGLE TAX AGAIN.
STILL POUNDING AWAY AT IT.
A Fusillade of Replies.

In our Forum we print another let |
ter from our lady friend, f. E. R., of |
st. Paul. anent the Single Tax.
We wrote what we had to say about |
the French Revolution hurriedly,
from memory, and without citing our
authorities. We are obliged t., +. E. r.
for two quotations which fully con-
firm our statements. We said there
was but one tax in France before the
great insurrectiOn-that which was
levied upon the peasants-thc occu-
| pants of land--and our friend quotes
from Swnton that these unfortun-
ates were indignant when they ''real-
lied the injustice which gave two
thirds Of the soil to the nobility.
| (who numbered only about 10000
souls), and the priests, both of rhich Or
ders ecere exempt from tores. while he
and his twenty-five million of brother
Serfs, owning but one third of the
land, had to bear all the burdens OF the
state"
Surely, our friend is unfortunate in
her quotations. This is the very re-
suit which the Single Tax would
achieve if put into force in this cOun-
try:-the wealthy classes, engaged in
all other pursuits, owners Of railroads,
banks, factories, merchandise, patent
rights, mortgages, ETC., etc, would go
free, while "thc serfs would bear all
the burdens Of the state"
When Napoleon rose to power he
spread the burden of taxation over all
kinds Of property and mad e each pay
it's equal share. And when the Great
Revolution came it did not pile all
the taxes on the land, but divided up
the lands of the church and the nobil-
ity among the people.
And our friend further confirms our
statement that one statesman, (Tur-
got), tried to get clear of the Single
Tax by the doctrine that 'the state
should spend less and dro,c its supplies
from all orders Of men alike" And F.
E. r., shows, Gust as we said, that
the aristocracy, cleric and laic, kicked;
insisted. just as the Single Takers Of
to-day do, that all the revenues of the
kingdom should come from one class,
the cultivators Of the soil, and the
| rest pay nothing; and the result was
the Revolution and the guillotine.
, Aud they had Wheat Ring in 1775,
in France, just as we have one in the
, United States in 1895: and famine pre-
ceded the uprising of the people.
The thieves and knaves drove the
( French people to liberty, through the
gates Of starvation: they are doing
the same thing today in America.
Mankind will bear certain amount OF
oppression peacefully; then it gets up
and fights. And the more brutally it
has been degraded the more brutal
is the outbreak when it comes. Even
o in the face of the guillotine the
q rOgueS continued to plot and steal
o and Napoleon said the public conspira
! tors and robbers gave him more trou
f BILE to repress than did all the armies
: of Europe. Byron says:
4 "First freedom and then glory. When that
- fails
t Wealth. vice. corruption: des potism at last
And history. with all her volumes vast.
> Hath but one page.
y But our friend is wrong in an
other respect. She says the lane
7 values of the farms are but one-tentl
q q of all the land values of the United
States. But the other land values
embrace the value of all the improve.
; ments upon the lands,-in otheI
> words, all the banks, stores, resi-
dences, mills, shops, foundries
I, schools colleges, railroad buildings
= tracks, etc, etc. But the Single Ia,
II proposes to wipe out all taxes on these
the farms in the same way. In othe
words, the Improvements of the cities
which are three-fOurths of thci1
: values. are to go scOtt-free, and tht
y taxes thereon to be diffused over tht
land everywhere.
Il Let the reader turn to the State
e Auditors Report for 1892, p. 100, ant
a he will find that the total valuation
of all lands in this state, other than
II town lots, including structures there
4 on. is $2l3, ,S42, O4s. And the state ta,
S on this,-that is substantially thu
e present tax paid on farm lands, plus
h pine lands.-is about $46s,OOO Now
y if the Single Tax should prevail tn,
y following annual taxes would be re
e mitted, and placed largely on tn,
). land. (see p. same Report). They ar,
: estimated for 1895, as follows:
- Railroad taxes. .. 5000, 90
= Insurance taxes. s............ 10000
" Insurance fees. 100
Telegraph and telephone
u taxes. ..................... 21,OO
Total. ............. 81 ,G5S .OO
;. Then the State taxes, (see p. a.
u same reportl, would be lifted from tn
u following forms of property, if the Sin
5. gle-Tax law prevailed:
~ Gold and silver plated and
" plate ware. e............... 109 "a
It Diamonds and jewelry.... 1902
Franchises. s................ 1865, "a
Steamboats,, etc. ....... 171,3O
Goods and merchandise. 15,6lS,6
Material and manufactured
h articles. ............ 4,2s9, ,95
r Manufacturers tools, ma
le clinCry, etc . 0S1 20