The morning times., 1896-04-12
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The Times undertakes no responsI-
bility for any views expressed In
this column. ia

One OF my neighbors remarked 10 me
the other evening as we We're conversing
about the single tax: II do not clearly
see OF what particular benef fit it would be
TO the average Washington home-owner
in moderate circumstances, who owns Il small
LOT and an unpfetentious house upt.n it,
and not much else
Like yourself, for instance / sug-
gestcd.
You have guessed the first time the
very person l had in mind,'' he replied.
VERY well, l said; then let us take
your case for an illustration. What is
the value OF your house and lot?''
Il paid $4,000 for it,
How is ii assessed on your tax re-
cept?'
''Thc lot is assessed at $400, and the
house al 81 ,450-making Il total OF 81 $50.
The assessed valuation of the property is
only about one-half its market value
what tax do you pay?''
Il pay l 1-2 per cent on the assessed
valuation, or $27.75 a year.
IF the single tax plan were in opera
ton what would your taxes bc?''
Il have never figured it OUT lie said
but when one considers that Under that
program all the magnificent residences in
Washington and its suburbs, it's costly
stores ana their immense stocks of ner-
cahndise. its banks with their hordas OF
wealth In their safes or loaned Jut 10 our
business men. It's manufa curing establish
meDts, with their capital, machinery. etc..
all the money ana Other wealth in pos
session of AL It's citizens; in short, all that
constitutes great city, as distinguished
from the bare land on which it rests. would
be exempted from taxation while tie
whole burden would be pied upon the own
crs of the soil; ii is easy to see t::at
would have to pay great deal ihore than
] do now.'
Suppose you take n piece OF paper and
pencil, suggested, "and figure ii out"
how can I?' he inquired.
A MATHEMATICAL CALCULATION
II have at hand,' replied, IAN The
data we need. Here is Assessor Trimble's
report of the assessed valuation of the
land, improvements, and personal property
in the District of Columbia for the year
ending June 80, 1895, clipped from The
Times of 4 few days later 1t shows the
valuation of the land to be, in Washing
ton city. $90,942, 5S6: county outside,
1000, ,424; total, SLOT ,953 ,01O: in round
numbers. for convenience i'll calculation,
$i0S, 900, 600.
The total revenue t| be raised is
So, ,SO1, ,So3; in round numbers, S2,SOo, 600.
The problem 10 be solved is this. If
on land valued at Sos. .00o, 600 taxes to
the amount of $2,S00,O00 are 10 be
raised, what part of it will fall upon your
little lot, valued at S400?"
He worked il out by simple rule Of
three" He went over the calculation
three times before he could believe his own
eyes and the truth of the figures that
persisted i'll coming out at the end of the
operation:
SlOS. 900. 900 SO, 500, 600 :: S400 $40. 81.
Does that mean, - he asked, still half in
credulUus, that If the single tax We're in
operation here my taxes would be but
SIC. .37?''
That means'' / said. that if, under the
single tax system. the expenses OF the Dis
trict were as economically administered as
they are now-that is. If the entire sum
raised by taxation We're only So 800 600
theanIuunt OF fyourtax would be only SO 81 +.
If the steam and street railways were COM
PEELED to pay their share Of land tax for the
use of the streets of the District, IL would
reduce your tax 10 less than So a year
BENEFITS TO THE DISTRICT.
But. in the course of time, as you be-
came familiar With the workings of the
single tax system, the strange, startling,
and, possibly, at present, abborrent, idea
might enter Your head tbatpersons who We're
paying rent might as Well pay all of il into
the Treasury as to pay one-tbird of it into
the pockets of land spectators. Suppose,
then. that the tax on land should be in-
creased to per cent of its assessed valua-
tion, what would be your tax, and what
would be The amount of revenue derived by
the District from ali the lands within its
limits?''
After figuring for few nome nts, my
neighbor the result" on my S400
lot the tax at per cent would he $24;
a Of Ia N I tbn
District the tax would be SO $500
THAT is TO say" commented, your
tax would be 1915 less than il is now but
the income OF the District would be So, IS So
600 more than it is now
THAT is according TO the figures he
said.
Now, one more item of calculations" /
said, land / will let you give the multiple
| cation table rest: Suppose man 10 be
paid the wages that the District pays its
| laborers, $1.25 day for 800 days in Il
year, how much would q years wages
amount to?''
He figured out; "S375.''
And if the District had $3.50, 600
more revenue to spend in pa ying Iaborers
than it has now, how many more iahorers
could it employ continually than it employs
Eow?''
He divided $3,6SO,G00 by 1875, and
answered: 1t could employ 8, 81 3 more la
borers than it does now"
AN ARTFUL DODGER.
Now" | said TO my ncighbor, II wish
you would re-eXamlnc your calculations
very carefully. About month ago made
the statement in The Times that, under the
single tax plan, without any increase in
the taxes of ordinary citizens like you and
me, the revenues of the District might be
Increased so that il could continually en-
plOy five thousand more iaborcrS than now
upon It's public improvements, to the great
advantage aud increased comfort OF it's
citizens. Thercupon correspondent of The
Times declared that the statement was
'unqualifiedly false Since then l have
been hammcring away at him, week after
week, in a futile endeavor to get him to
show wherein il was false. Instead of
ans swcriug he tells me that / am Carefully
avoiding a controversy that | am 'brim-
ming with egotisrn:' that l am anima ted
not by love OF the poor, but by hatred Of
the rich; that to expect Justice at the
hands of a snglc-taX advocate would be
the supremest folly etc. But If you can
coax or compel him tfor | have given up
the job to explain wherein the computa-
tons you have Just been making are er-
ronrous, am certain it will be gratifying @
TO Il sorely wearied public, who must, by
this time, be convinced that | am miser-
able, vile and worthless wretch, and no W
that that issue is disposed Of are ready
to consider any fact or argument that H
ma V offer in opposition to the single tax
HIS FISH STORY WAS TRUE.