The advocate., 1897-09-22

so to 80 per cent. of personal taxes. II
Is a demonstrated fact that the four and
| three-quarter million Of American farm.
ers, of which only two and One-quarter
millions own farms, pay about One-half
OF the national revenues, or as much as
all the balance Of the people. They also
pay this same proportion of the waste
and eXtOrtiOns OF our indirect systems
of class taxation, so that the best au-
thorities estimate these triple burdens
at 6S per cent, of his total income. The
farmers only hope of better times lies
In reform Of taxation.
A COMING CURSE.
A piece Of block in Newton has Just
been sold for $4,000 that was offered for
$4,000 year ago. This is but one Of
many indications Of a coming land
boom, which proves the truth Of the
Single Takers contention that under our
present system all prosperity is absorbed
in increased land values which go to a
few lucky individuals. Talk about re-
ducing interest on capital while land
monopoly has 100 per cent. cinch! A
real estate boom is a worse thing for
Kansas than an invading army, yet thou
sands Of poor fools who have no homes
will shout to see land go kiting in price
and mOnopolized by the very rich.
PARASITES OF PLUToCRACY.
According to the Topeka Daily Jour
nal, a Republican paper, Cyrus Leland,
Phil Kelley, L. S. Crum and j. L. Bris-
tow, all Republican leaders and Office
holders, have said that the labor lead
ers and other prominent reformers who
were lately in convention at st. Louis
should be arrested and confined in Fort
ress Monroe as political prisoners. Here
we have the Republican theory OF poll
tics in a nutshell-unlimited special
privileges for the rich and prisons for
those believing in and working for the
principles Of the Declaration Of Inde-
pendence upon which our government
was founded And these men are only
parasites on the wealthy classes.
SINGLE TAX ON TRIAL.
Premier Reid, of New South Wales,
Australia, did not favor he partial adop-
tion Of the single tax in that State, but
he now speaks very heartily in It's favor
and is in favor Of it's future extension.
He says there are $4,000 landowners,
of which $4,000 pay no land tax at all,
and the remainder paid $1,300,000 last
year, which they were exceedingly able
to do, and will pay more hereafter. This
81 ,30O 900 is equal to 81 per capita Of all
the people, but is $35 per capita for the
large land-hOlders, or holders of yalu8~
bic lands, the owners Of ordinary farms
and homes coming within the exemp-
ticn. In this way it has virtually the
effects Of graduated income tax, but
is more Cheaply and certainly collected
than an income tax, and no part Of 1t
is shifted to labor
Armour is out In an interview laud-
ing the Dingley tariff law, which adds
81 to each Of the several thousand hides
which he has for sale every day In the
year. Does the farmer who sells hides
on the hoOf get any Of the increase? Let
farmers watch the rise in the price Of
shoes they buy and of hides they sell on
the hoof and see where they come into
this deal.
New England business men are rag
Ing because of the clause in the tariff law
imposing 10 per cent. additional duty
on goods imported through Canada or
in other than American vessels. This
clause was rejected by both House and
Senate, but appeared In the conference
report, which had no right to add new
matter, and was not noticed until the
report had been adopted. Senator
Chandler intimates that Senator Elkins
atnla it In ElkinsI character. ia WnrRA