The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-04-06
THE SINGLE TAX & o
How to Accomplish the Designs Of the
Populist Party by O Single Tax or
Waa1fh

Wealth.
Correspondence Of the Progressive Farmer.
The original purpose of the Populist
party, and the sole reason which called
it into existence, was to discourage the
Capitalization of wealth into too few
hands-like that of the Democratic
party was to prevent the centraliEa,
ton Of too much political power in one
place.
The Populists have several meas
ures which they advocate-an enlarged
circulating medium, money direct to
the people at a low rate of interest
without the Intervention of banks, free
coinage Of silver, economy in govern
ment expenditures, etc. But they all
have one purpose in view. They are a
protest against the accommodating Of
too much wealth in a few hands, which
necessarily ~pauperiEes so many mil
lions of the masses.
But the way to accomplish these ends
is to boldly face the enemy and quit
and employing roundabout
measures, but take the bull by the
horns and strike at the very root of the
evil.
Oar legislature can strike fell
blow at plutocracy if they will. They
can unite the gordian knot if they
will go about it in a simple way, and
quit trying it in such round about
ways as have heretofore been advocated,
which the masses cannot understand.
The way I would discourage the CEN
traliEation of wealth in a few hands,
and encourage its dissemination into
many hands, is TO levy all taxes on
property, and abolish poll taxes and
all taxes which are levied on the poor
as heavy as on the rich.
Poll taxes should be payable, either
in money or in labor, as the road taxes
of North Carolina, which require six
days labor of male adults per year;
tariff taxes on the n~ecessaries Of life,
which falls al heavy on the poor as On
the rich, ETC., all may be classed unGer
one head. They tend to down the
man who is financially weak; and when
there is no property to tax capital is
left to follow it's natural inclination, to
concentrate in a few hands.
But take away ell poll taxes, all taxes
on the n~ecessaries of life, marriage Ii
cense, etc. In a word, if a man owns
nothing but his muscles and brains, let
him be exempt from all taxes, and
levy it all on accumulated wealth, in
the form of property taxes, income
taxes, and taxes on luxuries; then it
will not be so easy for a capitalist to
made his property increase at such a
large rate per cent.
If one doubts that heavy poll taxes
(and no property taxes) will increase
the rate of growth in capital, just let
him, in imagination, abolish all prop.
erty taxes and greatly increase the
taxes on those least able to bear them.
Say, raise poll tax to SIC, road tax to
80 days labor per year for adult males,
greatly increase the tax on the ordi-
nary necessities of life, which the poor
must have, put up marriage license to
SIS or 1920 Gas they were during the days
of the Stamp Act, imposed on US by
Great Brittany and let him imagine
the result, Ole thing is clear, that if
it takes a poor mans entire time to pay
his taxes, ne will never get ahead.
This fight over taxation has always
been going on and will continue until
the ones who profit by discriminating
taxes are utterly whipped.
The great Democratic party has al
ways, with the exception of q few
times when it's leaders proved unfaith
full, advocated a tariff tax on the rich
mans luxuries, and has stood for low
taxes on the poor mans necessaries.
Then it j)ined bends with the Populist
party and gave US an income tax,
which was nulii6ed by a Republican
Supreme Court. Thus far it has shown
itself an advocate of a property tax
rather than a manhood tax.
Now, that the passions of the late
campaign have been forgotten let the
Populist party of North Carolina go a
step further than it has ever gone de
clare for the abolition of taxes on man
hood, at least as far as it is in the
power of North Carolina to prevent it,
and have in lieu a property tax. Let
the Populists begin now to prepare to
abolish in North Carolina all poll tax
and road tax payable in labor, and
have nothing but a single tax on &C.
cumulated wealth. This will make the
poor more independent, and they
naturally command higher wages. If