El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-05
THE SINGLE TAX.
A Good Argument in Favor of it by
". IL. Allen.

We Americans are, and with reason
immensely proud of our country Wei
may we glory in the herOiam OF tn
pilgrim fathers, the patriotism of tn
continental army, the valor OF the so
diers OF our ci il war, and the pur
democracy that Characterized the Uult
ed sat 5 d hUuJ red years ago. Bu
our patriotic pride has its Justification
in the. Amer ca Of our fathers. not il
the America of tod ". For, while We
Of his gone Ia ion a~e cas- IV the fir
! people of the WOr d 10 so far as the al
| around ability Of the ave age indtvld
ual IS co .cerrc1. We have so lament
ably neglected the science of stlf-gov
el'nmenJ that instead of lead ng the
world. instead of having pro2rasse
! along the line of that true demo racy
which was our early promise, instead
of beng the shining light among ma
! tons tn II we Oace ere, we are now
having to look to the mO1archi al
C untrieS OF the cd world for emil ghtea-
ment andteXamp Z. From Australia
we have already learned hog to vote,
from Switzerland we are row learn
ing how representative government
may be restored to us by proportion II
repre- sentation, while Glasgow and
Birm ngham furnish examples of sue
ceSsful local self government not even
approached by any American city. If
we can only remove from our eyes the
bandage of a perverted patriotism,
which prevents our seeing ourselves as
we are, we will realize that our place
among nations has been lost, and that
we must arouse and work hard in order
TO regain it.
But though we, as a people, are not
up-to- date in the $, nee OF iseif-s OVern-
ment, though, indeed, prosperity is
kept away from US by the persistence
of hard times. yet it is neverthele -
true that even in better governed
countries than ours, irrespective of
whether the currency be based upOn
gold or silver standard, IN countries
where commerce is com paratively free
or whe. it is ne lvily burdened by tar
i # res trictiOrS, where population is
sparce or where it is congested, where
natural conditions are e>pe tally favor
able as well as where they are not.
some secret cause of undo served pow
erty of The masses is seen to be univer-
sally in force 1t is our duty to deter
mine what this radical wrong is AID
then endeavCr to remove it.
That poverty should be result of
progress, that la Dor saving machinery
and improved methods OF transporta
ton should tend to make harder, rath-
er than easier, the condition of the
great ma iOrity of wage earners: must
he wrong in a world where all nature
test ties ID most perfect order and
beneficence. That human nature, also,
is rot 10 blame ia the matter is evil
denced by the abundant testimony,
apparent on every hand, that people
were never so kind aud charitable as
they are at the present time. Never
was response 10 special call for relief
so generous as it is now, never before
thppn 1Dpnfa al
philanthropists, so many charitable
Institutions, SO many free soup houses
as there are today. This is all tri-
butte to the gCOduess of human nature,
but 10 the tnou9 htful man it is one OF
the OminouS signs OF the times. Nature |
; all right: human nature is all right: |
We must look elsewhere for the seat of |
.he trouble. |
When Bellamy's book ''Looking |
Backward" was published it fell upon |
critic soil. The temper of the public |
mind was just suited to give the book |
t. pbenominal success. But "LcOSing |
Backward" appealed to the he irt, not |
o the head: to the feeling. not to the |
intellect. Hence the brief, frothy eX- |
sterce which nat Onalism had. |
Socialism tor nationalism) would take |
rom all individuals everything pro-
iuted, and would then distr butte il |
equally TO all, thus robbing those of |
more than average abb ity and indus
ry, and rewarding, and so pauperiZ-
no. all those of less than the average |
lbility ard industry. Socialism IN
)linjly striving to secure equality of |
BOSS e,6iOn to all would quickly lead to |
,Omu unism and so 10 the destruction |
IF society. Anarchy, the les seduc-
i've, therefore the less popular eX-
rene, would deprive government OF
IS proper functions and its natural |
evenue. 1t would tend to force society
,ack to that benighted condition where |
here is 20 division of labor. no CO.
operation, no commerce, no law and
rider. and consequently, again, no
utilization.
These two extremes, socialism and
are, then, both to be avoided.
" the present time our government
and in greater or less degree all gov
do the same commits the
wrong OF embracing in its system some
f the worst principles of both social
SIN and anarchy. If we carefully
these mistakes of comm issiOn
md omission on the part of our govern
Dent, national, state and local, stand |
ut in glaring relief. The great mis-
AXE of omission, in the direction of |
takes place when government
allS to collect the annual rental value
f land. This value the community
las created; it is purely a fruit of
population, and so rightfully belongs
o the community that created ito
ur government This Inistake OF
mission not only gives to individuals
Who are lucky enough-to town" val
able land enormous incomes to which
hey are not rightfuljy entitled, but
t entails upon government a conSe-
uent series of mistakes of commission.
q the direction of socialism. For
Overnment must have revenue, and 50
f it does not get the revenue which
elongs to it, it will seize upon, as it
oes seize upon property. which does
Ot belong to it. Witness the system
f robbery. the flching Of individuals
rivate property. committed at our
ustom houses: witness the taxing of
ersonal property which amount to
fning labor and capital for
ny enterprise they may undertake.
These mistakes of commission on
he part Of government are invaria bly,
Ocialistic. Our soc; alist friends have
nut little fault to find with govern
lent for functions already undertaken: