The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-01

| ere ne can supply MS wants. w naCeVer
tends to check the free access of mar
to these StorehouSes of nature check4
the production of wealth and the en-
rloyment of labor.
a few years ago an English syndicate
bought a million acres of land in
Texas They did not buy it to use,
but as a speculation They proposed
TO keep ii for twenty-five years. and
then when the growth of the commun-
ity and the pressure of population had
greatly increased the demand for land
! they would sell it at a handsome profit
They would realize several million dol
lars without giving anything in re-
turn for it. They would appropriate
COR their own use a value that was
created entirely by the people of Texas.
l contend that whoever gets something
for nothing virtually robs somebody In
the transaction, though the world m;A
call it foresight and business shrewd-N
ness. But say a tax of % cents per
acre were imposed upon that land,
how long would that English syndicate
care TO pay out S250,00O year tax?
They would very quickly dispose of il
for the yearly tax would soon eat up
all speculative values No one would
want to buy IL or take it UP, except
men who wanted to use it. But ad-
joining it is an improved farm of 100
acres with buildings, orchards, stock,
etc. and the tax upon il was also only
% cents per acre. This would be
tax of $40 a year, not exorbitant upon
such a farm.
There are millions of acres of land
all over the west that are held in the
same way for speculation, which, il a
land tax were imposed would be
thrown on the market and put into
use.
Along the line of the Union Pacific
railway, through Wyoming, is tract
of land 10 miles in width belonging to
that road A great deal of it is rich
in coal, oil and other mineral products.
The Union Pacific works a few coal
mines, but the greater portion of their
coal land lies idle. With the mines
exempt from taxation, but fair tax
upon these lands, the Union Pacific
would have to work their coal lands or
give them up to those who would work
them. The demand for coal miners,
and the production of coal would be
greatly increased and the increased
supply would decrease the price to con-
SumerS. Why is il that the anthracite
coal combine of Pennsylvania can
limit production, and can fix prices to
the consumer and wages for the miner?
Simply because they own the anthra-
cite coal fields. If they had to pay a.
reasonable tax upon their coal lands
and no tax upon their improvements,
would they not very quickly find that
increased production rather than reT
striction was the most profitable?
Any large increase in the numA
Der of skilled carpenters would
tend to reduce wages and render the
cost of building houses less. This
would increase the demand for houses
This would enable the owners of build
ing lots to ask a higher price for their
land. They would reap the benefit. and
they alone. An increased supply Of
iron workers would reduce wages, rem
der the production of iron goods more
profitable, and enable the owners of
iron mines to ask higher prices for the
raw material. without which the pro-
duction of iron goods is impossible.
CORRECT PRINCIPLES.
The system of taxation. founded
upon correct principles, which 1 have
endeavored to explain. would settle
many other problems. BY opening up
abundant opportunities for labor it
would settle the problem of poverty,
for say what you will, 1 believe men
naturally prefer to work rather than
beg or steal but it is not difficult to
see that months of fruitless search for
work may finally make trampS out Of
men who. if they had found work in
the early months of their search, would
have been self-supporting. decent men,
bers of society. The lessening oppor-
tunities for labor through the single
tax would settle the question of child
labor. for what father would allow his
children to work if he were earning
good wages
1t would settle the eight-hour ques-
ton, because since the opportunities
for work would be abundant the
worker would be free to refuse to work
over eight hours. which he has not the
same freedom of doing now under the
keen competition for labor. Mine in
spection laws would be unnecessary,
work in any place which he thought
unsafe. In fact it would place the
worker in a position Of freedom. He
would be upon the same grounds as his
employer and be as absolutely free to
accept or reject the conditions, the
hours, the wage, and the terms of pay
ment offered by All employer as the
employer now is to reject the terms
upon which a man seeks employment.
All labor legislation is a virtual adj
mission that the laborer cannot enforce
the conditions under which he desires
to work.
The effect upon the mora. and re-
ligious life of the community of a sys-
tenn of taxation which abolished in
voluntary poverty would be marked.
Imagine if ycu can a condition of So
ciety in which every man who desires
could always find work at fair wages.
Take from him the fear that he or his
children should ever want for any good
thing so long as he was able and will
ing to work Give even the most in
efficient an opportunity to make his
living. and never any necessity for an
appeal to charity. Shorten the hours
Of toll, so that no man need work more
than four or six hours a day, thus
leaving him ample time for recreation,
rest and study. Make wealth the re-
ward of integrity, industry and sObri- :
ETY.. Make it so that no man shall be
able to secure wealth unless he renders q
value for what he receives, either in
service, or the production OF
some form of wealth. Under such con-
1itions the moral and religious senti-
nentS would not be Stified.
The change from our present sys-
EN- of taxation to the single tax upon
and values is an easy one. The first
step would be the adjustment of taxes
lpon personal property. The next
would be to take the taxes off improve
nents up to the value of say 100000
N two or four years increa Sc the ex-
amDtion upon improvements I'D to
100000. and proportionately increase
he tax upon land values. Gradually
Increase the exemptions until all i'm
were free from taxation
and taxes were collected exclusively
Upon land values. This gradual change
would create no shock to business, and
and values would adjust themselves
o the change without serious loss to
my one except the man who held con-
iderable quantities of vacant land for