The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-01-15
THE LITTLE STATESMAN.

OOON So1iOu HO AiUUIC OUdU MA
1t is valuable summary of political
information and should be in the
hands Of every voter. The small price
t25 cents), puts it within the reach of
all. Its history OF American politics,
since the revolution Of 1916, is admir-
able. We note that Tom Watson Of
Georgia excerpts to the article con-
tanned in 1t upon the ''Single Tax"
theory. AS we understand it this is
not written by the author OF the book,
but is contribution by another upon
an interesting and important subject.
Our own views upon this theory are
we'll understood.
We believe that it will be eventual
ly accepted, as one Of the principal
duties OF government. to provide
every man with a home for himself
and family, which shall not be taken
from them under any circumstances
and which can never he taxed. Except
to pay the purchase money or mort
gagged. That is to say we would fol-
low out along the lines indicated by
our national Homestead Law, which
gave every citizen 100 acres of land,
out of the government domain,
free from all debts and liabili-
ties, Of any kind, which had accrued
prior to the date OF the patent. But
the government domain is now prac-
tically exhausted, and there are many
who would not need and could not us e
one hundred and sixty acres Of land,
they are artisans, mechanics, toilers
10 the cities. This great class. under
the operation Of the decentralization
of silver, are now practically home
less; and homeless proletariat is ut
terly Inconsistent with the theory Of
a Republican form Of government.
If we had the ordering Of things we
would have the government of the
states, condemn, under 1.-THE right of
eminent domain" large tracts of land,
with n, or five, ten or twenty miles
outside of each large town, cut them
up into half acre lots. lay out streets
and parks, and offer lot to each ap-
plicant. with help to build house,
under such terms and conditions that
he could not ALLEVIATE it to SPECTATORS
but that it should remain a fnmilY
homestead forever. The lands so
condemned could be paid for by the
government in greenbacks; or if
this was not possible in long time Us
or 80 year, bonds: and a small assess
ment could be collected each year
from the workman until the govern
ment was reimbursed for it's outlay.
Electric lines Of cars would connect
the new city with the older city, near
which it was located so as to enable the
workers to continue to work in their
old shops and factories, if they so de-
sired. The railroads should be owned
by the people and run at. the lowest
possible rates.
At the same time manufactures Of
all kind won Id spring up in the new
towns. The workmen would have
pure air, gardens, health, permanent
homes, free Of taxes. Revenues could
be raised from the surplus funds of
the railways, or from the profits of
manufacturers, or from a levy on
amuse ments. ETC., to pay the taxes
due the state. The cost of govern
ment Of such town would be small
indeed. The workers would obtain
permanent homes, at the wholesale
price of the original farm lands.
Every man should belong to the mi
litia and be we'll armed, so that he
could protect himself and family
against the voracious hordes that
would soon seek to dispossess him.
All this. it can be seen, could be ac-
complished without the cost Of a dol
lar to the state-simply by the exer-
else Of it's credit. and the use of its
sovereign power, which has been so
long used to enrich railroad and other
corporations.
Now we do not propose these things
as any part Of the PopuliSt platform
or scheme OF government;-they are
simply our individual idcas-dreams,
if you please. of what the future
ought to bring forth.
In the same way we would have the
government, through a similar
mechanism, take possession. (paying a
reasonable price therefor). of all va
can't, lands owned by corporations or
non-residents of the United States,
and divide them up into forty acre
tracts, and dispose Of them, in the
same way, to those who wanted to
make homes on the Thanksgiving
them 25 or 50 years, if you please) to
repay the purchase price, at two or
three per cent interest per annum.
Our theory is that that aggregation
of the people called the sotte or nation
should do for the individual whatever
the individual cannot do for himself,
las to those things which are abso-
lutely essential to the preservation Of
the Republic. And the home is the
altar OF liberty, and the fortified camp
of all the domestic virtues.
We have not, there fore, opposed the
Single-tax theory because it would
give the people homes but because it
would not. The Single-tax proposes
to drive the rich off the lands by put
ting all the taxes thereon; and then
the poor man can step in and take
possession OF the abandoned premises.
This is very pretty, but as we have
shown. heretofore, the poor man
would then have to shoulder the
whole burden OF taxation which the
rich man was unable to bear. In
other words the poor could not obtain