The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-21
]. SIMPSON AS COIN. "
Jerry Holds Single Tax School
In Representative Hall.
Is Questioned BY the Audience
About the System.
Says It Would End Land Monopoly
and Destroy the Fear of Want

Representative hall was turned into a
Coins financial school last night except
that the subject discussed was single tax
instead of finance.
Congressman Jerry Simpson was the
expOunder of the faith and he bore up
we'll under the fire of questions Some
one told Congressman Simpson that it
would kill him politically to attend the
meeting but he replied: Il could not
sleep well if 1 did not do my duty. 1t
is a great deal more important that
should explain what 1 believe to be
great fundamental truth for the benefit
of mankind than that L should be given
political preferment."
After discussing the question of sing
lie tax in its various phases the speaker
paused to be questioned and he did not
have long to wait. The questions and
answers were as follows:
Q.-How would Single tax help the
farmer?
Alt would tend to remove a large
share of his taxes and equaliZe them.
The man who held an idle piece of land
for profit would be compelled TO pay as
much as his neighbOr whose farm was
highly improved. He does not do that
now. The man who makes the improve
mentS is fined because they are made.
L am not one of those who believe that
Single tax is panacea for all the ills
but think that the public ownership of
public utilities is also an important fac
tor
Q.-Suppose a man bought a piece of
land and under this system the price
continued to fall how would his loss be
avoided?
A.-He would be like the man who
owned the negro before the late IN
pleasantness. He would lose if he held
the land for speculative purposes.
Q.-But you do not understand. I
mean when the man buys the place for
home and not for speculative pur-
poses?
Alt seems to me that it would make
no difference to the man who owned the
home whether the price fell or not. 1t
would be just as good for a home if it
was worth $500 or $1,000. 600. daughter
and applauSe)
Q.-Why would man who held a
large tract of land sell it under this
system?
A--Because it would not be profitable
to hold it.
Q.-Who would become the landlord?
A.-The man who occupied the land
would become the landlord. He would
be lord of the land.
Q.-Would people improve the land
under this SYSTEM
Att would stimplate improvements
because person would not be fined for
putting them on the land.
Q.-Couldn't the landlord shift the
tax the tenant?
Ayes, but the assessor would take
ii off the tenant.
Q.-But the landlord might again
raise the rent.
A.-Yes, but the assessor would again
raise the tax. The assessed would have
the last say. You must remember that
this system proposes a tax on land val
ueS and not on the land.
Question by Harrison ClarksolI-HOw
would you go to work to convert our
landlords to this theory? Men like
Governor Click for example?
A-Give it up. l wouldn't waste
tenants of the country who live in rent
ed homes. 1 am a landlord myself for I
own 500 acres but L think 1 am able in
this case to look beyond my own inter
est and consider those of the mass of
the people. The fact that l own some
land does not prevent me from doing
what believe to be my duty to human
ity. 1 am pleased to say that some of
the richest men in this country are ad-
vocates of the Single tax.
Question by Mr. Clarkson-There
would be nothing in this system to pre-
vent me from buying a lot and building
an elevator to store grain and take ad-
vantage of the men who raise it?
A.-No. This system would not pre-
vent meanness, though 1 believe it
would greatly reduce it by removing
the incentive of people to prey off their
fellow men.
Q.-Would single tax destroy the fear
of want?
Al think that would be one of its
grandest results. There would be less
poverty. for it has been demonstrated
by the experience of time that land
poverty than anything else.
Q.-Why should q community collect
a tax for the purpose of distributing 1t
among the people?
An the first place we object to the
landlord collecting the taxes and keep
ing it in his pocket The people would
collect the tax for the benefit of the
people. The object of this system is
to keep the surly dogs in the manager
from keeping people away who want to
labor.
Q.-But what would be done with the
money.
A-That is a secondary considera-
ton. Some of il might be used to pay
off interest bearing bonds.
When Chairman Buchanan introduced
Congressman Simpson he called him
"Amer.ca's and Kansas greatest states
man" and the congressman from the
Seventh district did not even blush.
Rev. Vernon J. Rose of Independence
made the first address. He talked for
an hour expounding the theory of single
tax and made a good impression
Representative han was filled and