New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1899-12-30
WHAT SINGLE TAKERS ARE TRYING
TO ACCOMPLISH.



Like Horatio, many of us have
to be told that there are more
things in heaven and earth thar
dreampt of in our philosophy. Let
us eliminate, not lrreverently
heaven from our consideration, and
direct onr thoughts toward Mother
Earth Has our wisest philosophy
discovered and utilized all the good
things which were created for man S
life and happiness? Great men,
. with warm hearts, are constantly
putting this Interrogation. They
see that philosophy has not reached
its ultimate goal of universal peace
and prosperity. There is still ser
vice in the world for the best
thought of the ripest thinkers.
Among the cranks who plead
guilty of turning the vast machine
of mind and matter are the single
takers. They are very restless and
dissatisfied sort Of people. They
are constantly getting in the way
of the easy going class. They speak
uncomfortable truths; they EN-
ploy an invincible logic; they have
an answer for every man for the
faith that is in them.
Now, what are these men aiming
at-what do they wish to accom-
plish? Why they simply desire to
make this world better place to
live in. Their purpose is more
frequently misunderstood than that
of any other reformers. Some
think they are anarchists who aim
at the destruction of human society;
others consider them socialists who
wish to despoil the wealthy to en-
rich the poor
They are neither. They are
practical followers of a great leader
who has discovered (not invented)
law of social existence which
places human society on an equit-
able basis.
Society, after all, is only the
larger man. Apart from the indi
xiduals who Compose it, society can
only be regarded as an abstraction.
Society, to be real living thing,
must be moral thing with con-
science. 1t has duties and respOn-
sibilities. It also has rewards and
privileges. The law by which So
ciety should be governed is the law
by which it shall finally be judged.
1t is the moral law. 1t is just as
applicable to the aggregate man as
to the individual man. Moreover
the aggregate man and the indivi-
dual may sometimes come into COM
petition and the moral law can be
the only arbiter of rights.
The single taxer processes to
have discovered the true relation
ship between society and the indi-
vidual. In his social ledger, he
establishes balance Of debts and
credits with such mathematical pre-
cision that he boldly challenges dis
pute. When society creates value
the individual is debited and society
credited; when the individual Gre
ates a value society is debited and
the individual is credited. The
single tax aims to establish equi-
librium on an ethical basis.
But the practical man Of busi-
ness, who always cogitates more
about meum than he can possibly
concede hum, has little interro-
CATION point of his own. "How
can you visionary fellows bring
about your reign Of justice by an
incomprehensible system of tax
ation9" We do not yield that we
are visionary, though we do see
visions Of beautiful order of life.
AS for our incomprehensible sys-
tenn of taxation, we reply, that our
single tax is in reality no tax.
When men group together into
communities social wants are cre-
ated. With these social wants ap-
pear social values. If no wants
existed there would be no values.
want site for my business or
my residence. My want gives the
value. The more people who want
the site the greater the value of the
site. Hence site values in large
cities are greater than in small ones.
In an uninhabited country there is
no site value at all. The first i'm
migrant takes what he wants. So
our single tax on site or land values
is primarily no tax.
When. however, society grows
and values are created, we allow
individuals to appropriate these
values, and society is robbed of its
own creation. 1t has no natural
means of satisfying its wants and
must resort to taxing industry and
thus rob the individual Of his cre-
alton. If this system of mutual
robbery was carried on with some