Hutchinson gazette., 1899-09-28
"BAYoNET" POINTS.

Labor organizations, like almost all
other organizations, are very frequent
ly narrow and unjust, but this FUR
nishes no excuse for opposing them.
That injustice and narrowness are not
properties peculiar to them a study oil
all mankind bears evidence, The Ia
Dor organization grows out OF the In
stinct of self-preservatlon and no man
who has given their work careful con-
sideration can deny that they have In
terposed a barrier to the iron pressure
Of the law OF rent, which says that the
wages OF labor must be determined by
the average return to the laborer from
free land, or II there Is no free land
worth working, by the average return
to the laborer after deductlng rent. II
is a pity, however, that the vast ener-
giles of labor organizations and the
vast sums of money they have expend-
ed have not been devoted to secure the
removal OF the cancer, instead OF for
palllatives, which are rendered largely
Intellectual by the laws Of nature.
High wages and free lands go togeth-
er; low wages and no free lands go to-
gether. The way, therefore, to get
high wages is to get free land, and the
way to get free land Is by unlocking
the door to the millions upon millions
Of acres Of land in this country, held
out Of use by spectators who have in
these vast natural opportunities the
basis of fortunes beyond even the
dreams Of the lords Of England
" 1t were not for the fact that In
Michigan majority Of the Legislators
elected must vote for n measure before
1t becomes a law, the right to raise
necessary revenues from single tax
on land values would now be extended
to every municipality within Its bor-
ders. A measure providing this only
failed by one vote of becoming law
and had majority Of seven out of
the total number of members actually
voting. This vote in Michigan is an
indication Of the remarkably rapid
growth Of the single tax movement
which, though only twenty years old
has already been partially successful
In New Zealand and New South Wales,
Is the leading internal issue in the
politics Of England outside OF her for
eign affairs, and has q propaganda
established In all the countries OF Eu-
rope, and In Japan and China.
Land values are highest whero pop
ulation Is thickest. They are created
by all the community, but they are ap-
by very small percentage
OF the community. Farmers, while
holding large quantities of land own
very little land value. A lot was sold
not long ago on Wall street, New York,
at the rate Of $10,OOOOOO an acre. This
was for the land alone, as the build
Ing which stood upon u was subse-
Quently torn down. !, How many farms
are there In Kansas which, stripped of
house, barns, fences and other i'm.
are worth $40 an acre?
The value Of that one acre of ground
OF which that lot forms a portion is
equal to that OF 10000 quarter sections
Of the richest unimproved land to be
found In the West, and yet there are
farmers who imagine that tax on
land values would compel them to bear
the burden of taxation.
1t is about time to reafflrm the Dec
aration Of independence
We call this our country, but more
han half Of us have no right to q
square inch Of its soil.
Even In Kansas, where there are no
arge cities, the assessed values OF
own lots are considerably more than