The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-04-10

al twenty thousand dollars; Its owner
HOLDS 1t at that price. What gives the
property that value? Improvements?
No; it stands to-day in the same con-
dition as in the infancy Of Chicago,
Or when the Indians roamed the plains
Of Illinois. 1t is plain that the improve
ments made around it. such as the two
b%culevards, built at public expense,
and houses adjoining. give it it's value,
and this value will continue to increase
indefinitely as a result of improvements
made around it, but not upon it. The
owner is what might be called a dead
head in commercial life, that is he takes
advantage of natural conditions and
the industry Of his neighbors. Such
a man is an enemy to society, for with
out producing anything useful, he
grows wealthy out of the industry Of
others. Wealth thus accumulated may
he called legitimate by some, but never
theless. it is not. God gave the land
to the people to improve and 10 beau
tify. and not to hold in idleness.
ITO abolish land monopoly it would
only be necessary to pass a law ~increas-
ing the taxes on vacant or idle prop
erty taking it entirely off improved
property. that is reversing the condi-
tons under which we now live. BY an
error which we inherit from monarchia!
England, we tax people for improving
their property, instead of taxing them
for not doing so. For instance, I have
a lot worth five hundred dollars and my
tax is two dollars a year. I put up a
house for eight thousand dollars, the
tax gatherer Immediately assesses me
for my enterprise. The next year in
from fifty to seventy dollars; that is
what I get for making improvements.
PUT all the tax or the vacant prop
erty and very soon you will see no
more vacant expanses of prairie in
the center of Chicago, or held for lille
ultimate speculative purposes. Owners
of such property would be anxious to
sell SO as to get rid of the taxes, and
the property would be so cheap as to be
within the reach of allsthe people. All
Of us could then have homes.
I'm Detroit, Mayor Pingree, as the
chief executive of the city took oc-
casion to advocate tax reform in this
direction, and to accomplish his purpose
he has found that it will be necessary
to change the constitution of the state
of Michigan, and it is not improbable
that a legislature favorable to his views
will be elected in November next.
I'm the meantime. all the vacant
property Of Detroit is being made use
of by the poor for the purpose of rails
ing vegetables, hence we have the
vulgar newspaper appellation Potato
Pingree." The experiment has proved
so entirely successful that it has been
taken up in other cities throughout the
country.
"But the people should not lose sight
of the fact that the abolition of land
monopoly is one Of three great prob
lens to be solved by the will Of the
American people at the ballot-box.
"As all indication Of the fact that
Mayor Pingree's views are popular with
the common people, w need only look
at his several Endorsements at the polls.
In 1889 he vas chosen mayor by a ma
jcrity Of over two thousand; in 1891 by
a majority of five thousand; in 1893 by
a majority Of eight thousand, and in
1895 by a majority Of ten thousand.
At a convention soon TO be held in
Michigan, he will be nominated for
governor Of that state. 1t may happen,
however, that he will not remain a
candidate for that Office, for even now
we hear the voice Of the people of this
nation calling him to a higher destiny,
and / for one would nominate for presi-