The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-09

In Ireland. II their industry increases
the yield of the land the landlord puts
up the rent to take the surplus.
hence we should have a nation Of
scare-crow farmers, in rags and
Wretchedness; and the rest of the
population would be full Of ente rprize
and incur cutlays literally, knowing
that the poor serf would have to pay
for everything. Hence as the cities
advanced the landowners would
retrograde. There would be no homes
the people would be tenants at will
or the community, which could at any
time squeeze them out of their possess
slons by increasing the taxes.
3. Our correspondent thinks we are
inconsistent in saying that the French
| peasants were taxed on their salt.
We said, d,-that when the government
could not extract taxes out of the cul-
| tivators in any other way they pro-
| ceeded to put a tax on that necessary
| of life, salt. No doubt the same re-
suit would be reached in this country
under the Single Tax. The occupants
/ VI AuAu VOu1O UCCOluC 81 DOOI, anu tIlC
land so undesirable and worthless,
that but little taxes could be collect
ed; but as the theory was that all 9TH
er property was to go free the agrcul-
| turists must be followed up and
forced to pay. In France they taxed
the windows of the peasants huts,
and the peasants built them up with
mud; then they had tax on doors
and the peasants closed up all but one
hole Of access; then they fell back on
salt, and the poor devils could not live
without salt. The French system
was:-the wealthy are to go free of all
taxation, and the peasants shall pay
it all. The Single Tax theory is:-the
wealthy shall go free of all taxes and
the farmers, (soOn to become peas
ants, shall pay it all. But it will be
said the rich now own great quanti-
ties OF land. But are they not long
head enough to get clear of it before
adverse legislation can be reached?
Then the humber classes will own the
land and the land will be taxed to
death, by having the whole burdens Of
government put upon it.
4. And our friend thinks that it
would be an equivalent, for putting
all the taxes on the land, if the pro-
ducts of labor, even salt, would not be
taxed. We have shown elsewhere
how little the tax on horses, cattle,
sheep, hogs, etc, amounts to compar-
: atively. Aud there is no tax paid
by the farmer, as rule, on the pro-
ducts Of the farm, apart from the
animals which lie keeps to constitute
part of his stock in trade. lie pays
no taxes on his potatoes, turnips, hay,
garden stuff, poultry, eggs, oats, rye,
barley, corn, or wheat, unless he holds
his grain over until the next spring.
The mechanic, the working man, pays
no taxes on the products Of his Indus
try;-they go from him before they
can be assessed. And so all this talk
of our valued friend is delusiOn and
a snare.
5. And our correspondent tries to
make further point that because
the peasants did not own the land
, they were not under the Single Tax.
Technically they we're not; but as we
have shown, the results we're subs tan
TALLY the same. If our friend had to
work for lifetime for a bare, beggar-
ly living, it wouldn't make much diff
ference to him whether the profits Of
. his work were taken by a nation or by
a landlord.
True, the valuable grounds around
the mansions Of the Minneapolis
aristocrats would be taxed. but theil
: grand, palatial residences would &C
free. But there are only few mer
in each city who have large lawns
7 covering acres Of land. The wealth o.
. the city is mainly concentrated in th'
: business streets:-in the banks, wit
q their millions of treasure, in the grea
!. mills. factories. stores. with thei
i vast stocks OF jcwelry, dry goods
F.! clothing, furniture, wines, etc, etc.
= and, to get at the few acres around
. Bill Washburn's castle, it is proposed
to release all this huge aggregate OF
wealth from taxation, in the beliel
that Bill would give up his fine lawn
and some poor men could move in ant
: erect their little homes on it. That
is all nonsense. Bill would sell hi
+ lots, or build houses on them, and ado
e the tax to the rent. Or, if he savet
100000 year Of the taxes on his
+ lumber mills, banks, bonds, etc. h
would apply $4,000 or $4,000 of it T.
n pay the taxes on that lawn, and tel
d the Single Takers to go to Beelzebuh
e 7. Our friend asks why the million
e aires are not favoring the Single Tax
d Some of them, as we showed. are dt
X ing so; and others don't believe tn
!. American people will ever be foo
!, enough to establish such ridiculou
n system; they regard it. as an impract
1t cable fad; and not worth paying an
le attention to.
t. 8. His last point we have alread
e: sufficiently answered in our replies
t; Mrs. F. e. II. AS to Mr.. Erickson
a. allegation that the farmers own bu
E. ten per cent lin value) Of the lant
S, that is nonsense. The Census Con
= missioners under date of January 2
10 1895, issue a statement that 80 p'
ID cant of tho wealth of the country