Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-11-02
Teachers and Wages.


education has to contend with.
We need for our schools gifted men
and women worthy by their intelli-
gence and their moral power to be in
trusted with nations growth. And
to gain these we must pay them lib
orally as well as afford other proofs of
the consideration in which we hold
them
The office of instructor Is a re-
sponsible and laborlous one, and ought
to be recompensed as one of the most
honorable in society.
The Constitution of Ohio Cart g.,
Sec. p says: 1.-The General Assembly
Shall make such provisions by taxa
tion and Otherwise as with the Income
arising from the school trust fund will
secure a thorough and efficient system
of common schools throughout the
state"
Now, if the wages of teachers are in
creased, and we believe they should be,
will it not be necessary to increase our
taxes? Already the people are COM
planning OF "high taxes" of the burd-
ems which legislative bodies have lain
upon them and which they claim are
crushing the lives out of thousands of
poor working men.
But our teachers should and must
be paid better wages. Other profess
slons are offering better inducements
and greater remuneration for services
and as a consequence our brightest in
tellects are leaving the schools and en-
gaging in other and more lucrative
professions. And who can blame
them?
Under the present unjust and crook
ed system of taxation we are burdened
with debts, national, state and NUM-
cipal, which must be paid from taxes
collected from the people.
Now, if people are willing to have
their burdens made greater by making
more debts and levying more taxes
upon themselves, then we might be
able to give better wages to teachers.
But yet show | unto you more eX-
cellent way.
First, let me quote from two great
men: William lit, in the British
Parliament said: "To levy a direct
tax of per cent is a dangerous expert
ment in free country and may excite
revolt, but there is method by which
you can tax the last rag from the back
and the last bite from the mouth with
out causing a murmur against high
taxes. And that is to tax a great
many articles of daily use and neces-
sity so indirectly that the people will
pay them and not know it. Their
grumbling then WILL be of hard times,
but they will not know that the hard
| ~ Narr
Mark Hanna says: "The revenues
for the support of the government
must be raised in some way, and the
indirect is the best way according to
my idea. When people do not know
that they are paying tax there is no
complaint"
If, as Mr.. Pitt says, "hard times"
ara caused by taxation, surely that
system of taxation is unjust, unnat-
ural and unscientific and should not
be resorted to by a civilized and en-
.,ghtened nation that claims to be
1.-The heirs of all ages in the foremost
files of time"
Yet the greater part of the revenues
of this country are raised by indirect
taxation. Shall we continue this sys-
tenn of raising taxes while the people
are grumbling of nard times" not re-
alizing that they are paying tax thai
is taking the last bite from their
mouths and the last rag from their
backs.
4ere are people into whose heads ii
never enters to conceive of any better
system of taxation than that which
now exists. Yet there is, and one thai
> is more just, mere scientific or natural
J under which labor would be given a
free field and its fun earnings A
system of taxation that would take fol-
the benefit of the whole community
that fund which the growth of the
community creates.
And that fund Is Rent!
Rent is the price of monopoly arls'
ing from the reduction to individual
ownership of natural elements which
/ human exertlon can neither produce
, nor increase" The Science of Politl-
cal Economy teaches us that Land ant
Labor are the two prime factors o
production, or wealth.
That Wealth distributes ultimately
in Wages and Rent
Wages is what goes to pay fer the
trouble of labor. ."-Jevon' Primer
, Sec 80.
!, What is paid for labor of any kint
is called wages. Dicks Outlines, p
, 20.
Rent, "ls what is Iald for the use o.
J a natural agent, whether land, or bed:
of minerals, or rivers or lakes" Jew
, ons, Sec 40
. I'VE have distinguished the part!
! into which Wealth is distributed a!
Wages and Rent, but it would be cor
rect to regard all wealth as earnings
, and to distinguish the two kinds a!
Communal Earnings and Indlvldua
Earnings.
How then can there be any question
as to the fund from which societ!
should be supported! How can it bt
justly supported in any other wa!
/ than out of its own earnings ?-Post
S. T., Page 72, N.
Society and society alone cause
rent. Rising with the rise, advancing
with the growth, and receding will
, the decline Of society, it measures tn
, earning power of society as a who'll
as distinguished from that of the in
dividuals.
. Tne real question is, What shall so
+ ciety do with Rent? Shall 1t give |
p to individuals, or use it for CONNER
purposes?
We already take some Rent in tax
alton We have only to make som
changes in our modes of taxation t
take II all.
. What we therefore propose as tn
. simple, yet sovereign remedy, whicl
will raise the teachers wages as wei
aS thp wgpns of all Othars increase tn