Smyrna times., 1896-04-22
TAXING OURSELVES RICH.
A New Jack.0'-Lantern.

all other questions of social (politicaD
economy except the land question
alone. 1t was also to have been ex-
pected that he would treat me to a
tune from his single stringed fiddle
rather than cOnfine himself to argu-
ment. His sayings represent the
theories of class of individuals. 1t
was to these and not to him as an in
dividual I addressed myslf. Of course
1 knew people who have ''fever" are
apt to reason very little.
There seems to be two counter cur
rents in their theory which they mix
up in such delightful tangle that it
is extremely difficult for any one to
trace the single stran of truth which
runs through it. The first idea seems
to be-
To raise all expenses of the govern
.ment by taxation on land values
alone.
2nd COnfiscation of all rent for land
by the government (by which l mean
the politicians in pOwer.)
AS to the first it appears they are
going to make land free by piling all
taxes upon it. Though just how you
can make anything free by making a
man pay more taxes for it is beyond
my comprehension. But, it seems in
this case as they talk along in their
delightful delirium, the higher you
make taxes on the land the freer it
will be.
Since our beginning as a nation we
have never yet approached taxation by
a single tax on anything. There has
only been one public official of promi.
nence who ever approached such Q
fiasco. He is still living and riding
rapidly in that direction. 1 would
advise my Single Tax friends to read
carefully the real life of great Tariff
Major, VIM. Bunkum Mckinley anC
to keep close tab on his future career
and they may learn how to work a sin.
gle tax to the satisfaction of a majority
when they have converted them to tn,
idea of transferring it to Single Tal
ON land values. Has the taxing of i'm
ports made foreign or domestic good
free to use? Can it ever make then
free?
The Hyattsville tax budget 9TH
only figures to which they have thu
far committed themselves shows tina
landlords would be the ones who pro
fit most by this taxation. Here tn
landlords paid less taxes than unde
the old system while the vacant 10
D holders paid more. Then in a cit
like New York where per cent. of tn
population own all the homes of til
J city it appears the Single Tax wi
benefit this 6 per cent. more than a
the other "a per cent of the population
The majority of rent payers do nc
average more than $125 year the
e pay in rent Suppose we remit I
them 10 per cent of this or $12.50 pc
year which is more than any possibl
J tax can do for them. In this manne
beginning at 81 and saving this $12.t
per year poor man would have save
81, $50, enough to build himself hon
when he has reached the youthful az
121 years.
AS to the 2nd the confscation of rel
by the government, the idea seems 1
be to make Uncle Sam one immens
landlord as no one else would care
be a landlord when he received Il
rent. Uucle Sam (the politician
would then rent out all the most vail
able sites to the rich who can afford
g pay for them and let the poor (maiorit,
use such land as will bring no rent.
My TIMES friend says man wi
- has good site is not poor. Let u
ask him if he takes away the rent
value of his site is he not poor?
/ have friends who now possess GOO
sites but are unable to put large bull
ings upon them. From such as the
the Single Tax proposes to tax awi
their sites and give them to the ric
He should read Natural Taxation
|, by Thos G.. Shearman. AS TO the "a
= mer what difference does IL make
- him whether he pays one half Of /
products 10 man, dressed in bl
!. suit representing the government
" pays TO man who calls himself a Ian
lord. Does the suit Of clothes ma
lie all the diilerence2 What does 1
q. government propose 10 do with
N. these taxes2 Have not the politicia
nd enough already2 Or do they intend
"a "a give some Of IL back TO the farm,
II. directly or indirectly9 In this ca
why did they take II In the first plac
MORAL SIDE.
D The community makes land valu
= by improvements Every new bull
ON ing, every coat Of paint, every n,
fence, every new mill helps 20 ma
land values. Then tax land values
n to fine people for making improvmen
- My friend cannot escape this eoncl
!. sion. II Il Is robbery 10 take the !
suits Of labor for taxation, then /
"a. Single Tax Is robbery according
i, my friends ooncluaions. for Inl
~ ...t..t ti...l H.. .......tt a..