The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-11
MaGUIRE'S PRIVILEGED CLASSES.

| UDGE mcguire will try in vain to limit the
y issues OF the campaign to a discussion of the
~ Southern Pacific road. That unfortunate and
much berated enterprise reminds of Byron's
apostrophe to
Thou art the author of such book of foes in
man"
If the Southern Pacific Company answers for the
book OF ollies in California in the record OF derna-
gogues who have achieved office by fighting it,
should be excused for any peccadillos OF its
But, after all, the railroad has complaint to
make. 1t is secondary offender, in lower class
than the landowner. Men can carry their goods on
pack mule or wagon The owners of railroads have
not taken away from the people anything they had
before The wagon roads and rivers, the bay and
the left If the shippers don't like the rates
they resort to other means OF transportation.
Judge Mcguire does not say that the railroad has
robbed the people OF anything essential to their
life as air and sunshine But he does make this serious
charge against the landowner
The private owners OF land, who have put their
money into real estate, likened by Mcguire unto
those who would monopolize the air and sunshine.
While he denounces railroads he proposes destroy
the landowners.
In his campaign against Special privileges he puts
him with all the crime and poverty in the world.
Indeed his letter the single OF the State of
Washington he says if land everywhere can be con-
fscated and taken away from the private owner the
whole world will Immediately become republic!
This being SO, the sins of the landowner are as
scarlet. He is not only cunning aggressor" and
robber of the weak and undesigning," but he is
sponsible for all the monarches and autocracies OF
the world as we'll.
The Judge has not yet charged that to the South
Pacific Railroad, has he said that Govern
ment ownership of railroads will Immediately repub-
1icanize the world.
A study of his system of politics seems to demon
that carried out, it will privileged
classes than it destroys By putting all the taxes on
land he intends to destroy the private and get
them out OF the way as privileged class These I'M
forunates have chosen to put their earnings in land
instead of in railroads. The owners of railroads
to be exempted from taxes their money,
tracks, stations terminals, ferry-boats cars, loco
motives, coal, ties and material.
Exemption from taxation is surely high privilege
and those who enjoy it privileged class
When it is considered that ninetenths Of the cost
OF government is for the benefit OF the of per-
sonal property, exemption of such owners from the
payment of any of that cost is distinct privilege
The Police and Fire departments of this city are
maintained solely in the interest and for the protec-
ton Of the personal property and improvements
which Mcguire proposes to exempt from taxation.
No one steal and carry off town lots nor set fire
to them. The owners of land need no such protec-
ton. Land goes infrequently into the courts 1t
passes probate once in every generation and that is
about all. The courts kept and paid to protect
the rights of personal property, compel payment of
insurance on buildings and enforce the collection OF
debts. All OF these chooses in action exempted
from tax by Mcguire and the cost OF protecting and
adjusting them is to be taken out of the land.
The common will see that this exemption
clearly creates privileged class Again is the spirit
OF Our institutions to put church organizations on
level and tax them, for it is law memorable that
property accumulates at the point of non-taxation
1t has been held against public policy under our sys-
TEN, to encourage the accumulation of property in
ecclesiastical ownership. Does Mcguire think it is
good policy to encourage such ownership? His pro-
posed exemption will tend to accelerate it.
uzE@xzunn@--
General Miles declines to talk any more Unlike
Il. Il l. L. .AI---