The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-06
LET THE EXPERIMENT BE TRIED.

A bill before the present legislature
proposes to permit the electors of any
county, city, village or township in
the state, by a majority vote, to ex-
empt from taxation, for local purposes,
all buildings and other improvements
within such area, and to concentrate
taxation upon land values alone. This
is, of course, a proposition Of the sin
gle takers, and it is aimed at securing
the right to try, within limited spaces,
the principle which they support with
such vigor and tenacity. Under the
constitution, which requires taxation to
be equal, such exemptions could not
be made. Before, therefore, the single
tax could be put into effect, a cOnsti-
tutional amendment is necessary. We
see no reason why the permission that
is sought should not be given. 1t does
not force the single tax upon any one.
1t does not compel any community to
adopt it or to NEEDLE with it unless
it sees fit. But, if there are cities, viii
whose people believe that to center all
taxation upon land values would be to
their benefit, why should they not be
allowed to see how it works?
theoretically, the doctrine Of the be-
levers in the single tax is unassail-
able. The argument by which Herbert
Spencer supported it in his earlier writ
ings is proof against the logic of his
later recantation. The right to private
property in land is one which no ar
gument thus far has established salts
factorily. The surface of the earth is
absolutely limited in area, and stand
ing room upon 1t is as essential as
condition to mere existence as is the
air whereWith to fill the lungs Were it
possible to corner" the atmosphere
and dole out to each individual a sup
ply sufficient to prevent asphyxiation
only on payment of a given rental, hu-
mainly would rise and abolish the in
fernal impost While the case is not
so strong visibly, the logic of a land
tenure is the same The right to own
land implies the right to exclusive pos
session. The right to exclude all others
from a territory personally possessed
by some owner implies, at least, the
right to- order other people to 'get off
the earth" In it's last analysis the
asserted right reduces to the absurd
Whatever one may think Of the general
principle, however, it does not seem to
be reasonably open to question that
land, whether in the city or country,
which is held simply for speculative
a share of public charges as that upon
which capital and labor are being ex-
pended daily
AS matters stand now, every city
and every state vast area Of acres
which are left to lie in their natural
and unimproved condition, simply as
an investment" This means that the
ing title and waiting for the increased
value that will be added to his hold
ing by the energy and labor of the
owners of adjacent property, he will
be able to sell it at a big advantage
This is the "unearne6 increment of
which the text books and arguments
have so much to tell US. Now, the pro-
posal is that each community shall be
allowed to tax this unused property at
least as heavily as that which is pro-
ductively employed. The house in which
a man lives and the building in which
industries are carried on would be- I'M
der this scheme, exempted from taxa
ton until all the land had paid it's
full share. The vacant lot and that
occupied by ten-story building would
share alike, and the absentee landlord
would pay as much to the state as the
citizen. Reasonable as this is upon the
face Of it. some local Investigations
seem to show that it is practicable as
well. 1t certainly would not be out