The morning times., 1896-02-02

On a new-fanrled instrument he had brought
home that he called violin.
a recent number of the Pionecr-Press in
pnc column denounced the single tax scheme
ss visionary and utterly impractical
blr'' while An editorial in an adjacent col
ann contained n sieam of sound comon
tense. as follows:
MINERAL LANDS OF MINNESOTA.
The splendid results OF the law requiring
the mineral lands belonging To the public
school furd of Minnesota To he closed, in
stead Of sold. are now beginning TO be op
parents. A revenue from leases and fees,
of 81 $50 in / $50; Of Sll ,635 in s9i of
81 200 in 500. and of $40 coo in 1898.
with the developments Of our mineral re-
sources as yet fairly begun. shows what may
be expected in the future.
One cannot avoid thinking how diff
ferent the condition of the country would
have been If the general government and
the State governments had followed such 4
policy from the beginning with reference To
Rli kinds OF public lands containing de-
posits of mineral value. The public would
lac enriched today. and the raw materials
of wealth cheapened 10 an extent we
ran scarcely appreciate.
The State of Pennsylvania, for exam
Die. would long before this time have been
able 10 pay every dollar of her ordinary
expenditures. and to put vast SUM or money
into schools, roads and public improve
nlcnts merely by requiring for the public
trtasury the sane royalty that has been
paid to private owners OF mines instead.
In addition 10 this. it would he impossible
III Ia in ~ tri.p n a common npItS-
sity like coal at the figures which nonoE-
OILY now fixes
Why it is good policy for the people of
Minnesota. or Pennsylvania. or the United
States. 10 turn into the treasury the in-
rone from their mining lands and not do
the same with the income from their forest
lands and agricultural lands is one of the
things that pass understanding. or,
rather. how any man can believe in one
without believing in both is an insoluble
psychological mystery.
The person who declares the sinG:e tax
plan TO be visionary and ''impracti-
cable simply displays his own ignorance
of the fact that II has been in operation in
several localities with complete success for
hundreds of years.
SINGLE TAX II FREUDENSTADT.
IL the southwestern part of Germany. in
q valley among the Alps. is The hamlet OF
Freudenstadt. The village and valley con-
tanned. hy the last census a population of
! 800 in round numbers. occupying an
area equivalent to what we would calll
a township" The region has been IA
rored with bat few natural resources.
The soil is buu moderately fertile, part Of
St is covered with a forest, and it has some
pits OF fire clay. from which pottery OF
not very line. bat strong and durable, quail
ity can be manufactured.
Between three and four hundred years
ago an old monk took a colony down into
thi> secluded valley and organized the
community upon lines TO suit himself and
Them. He held. aud ne convinced his FOL
lowers That whatever any person pro-
duced by his labor should belong to him
individually, hut whatever natural re-
sources were found in a given region be-
lungcd equally 10 all the community in
habiting that region, and ought not TO be
ninnopoliZcd for the benefit of q few in
dividuals to the despoilinG OF the rest
In short the policy which Minnesota has
adopted as 70 her mineral lands Freudeu-
stadt adopted as TO her clar-pits, forests
and pasture lands.
The royalty from the claypits IS paid
into the treasury. There il also some sur
plu> timber which is sold ION the stump
that is. while standing-and the ''stumpage"
goes into the treasury. Then come from
these sources pays their share Of the tax
levied by the German empire; pays all
their officers, builds their schoolhouses
nrdpa VS. their tea clers: builds their churches
nnd pays their priests. As the result Of
!his policy not a citizen of Freudeustadt
mas been taxed cent in three hundred and
forty years.
No PAUPERISM NOR IDLENEsS.
On the contrary. their income always
exceeds their expenditures. In lsS2
this surplus was divided among the inhab-
itants per capita, each man. woman and
child receiving S13.55. The amount dis
trj.mtcd in 1888 would have been SIG. 50
per capita. but the people voted to ap-
plv it to the building of water-works.
There has not been pauper in the oom-
nunitv ia three hundred years. Such
thing as a man who cannot find employment
IS an irnpoSSihility. If he We're reduced
TO absolute destitution he could borrow
4 thaIer from friend apply 10 the super
intendent OF forestry, obtain leave TO cut
down a tree. pay into the trea Sry his thaler,
as royalty. cut the tree into cor,l-wood, sell
his wood for two or three thalers, pay his
debt TO his friend, and he ON the road TO
prosperity again.
Manifcstly there is no excuse for poverty,
and 10 excuse for idleness where anyone
who is willing 10 work is afforded access
Al, -, a no IN W 10 n
tree Il clay-pit, coal mine, a stone quarry,
OF an acre of land.
THE sUZERAINTY OF ANDoRRA.
The little suZerainty of Andorra. up
among the hills of Catalonia, on the north
Fast border of Spain, affords another prac-
hcal illustration. Its description and his
tory are TO be found in the British Encyclo-
petlia Volume II, page 6. 1t occupies a
territory of about 15O square miles. and
has hetwe :, 900 and 20, 600 Inhabitants.
The community is not only selr-supporting,
but tribute OF $50 francs idannually
to France: and the bishop of UrZel receives
a tribute of almost the same amount.
But tie significant part of the story is
contained in the last reference of the encyclo-
pcdia's article: The expenses of govern
ment' land the tribute to France and the
bishop "are betrayed by 4 species of rent
paid by owners oil flocks''-to wnom do you
suppose, TO the owners ofland? Not by any
means" TO the community for the use OF
lis pasture land.''
What success do you imagine person
would meet with who should go over TO
Freudcnstadt or Andorra. intent on mis-
sionary work. and attempt to teach them
that the plan they had been pursuing for