New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1899-04-08
THE ENTERPRISE
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF IBERIA PARISH
AND TOWN OF NEW IBERIA
A Significant Movement in the English
Parliament

A Significant Movement In the Englisl
Parliament.
Apropos of the taxation question, tn,
action of the Liberal party in the British
Parliament in forcing at recent sitting o
the House of Commons vote on the taxa
ton of land values is significant 1T The
direction political issues are taking in thai
country and may offer an important object
lesson here.
Mr.. E. J. c. Morton, writer of reputa
tion and Liberal member from Devonport
offered an amendment to the address,
which the House was about to make in
reply to the Queens speech. His amend
ment regretted that the speech contained
nothing dealing with the ownership, tenure
or taxation of land.
In Devonport, he said, there is street
Of tifty-one houses in which every room is
occupied by whole family. The people
crowd together in their living quarters in
order to be as near as possible to their
work. "They are decent people, too,"
said he; "they actually have asked me to
say nothing about it, in order that they
may not be put to shame.' And what
is bad for the workingman, he pointed out,
is bad for the manufacturer and for general
industry for the evil of which he com
plains is that the land, and particularly
the valuable land of towns and cities, is
inadequately taxed, and in many instances
not taxed at all, SO that a premium is
offered upon land monopoly and the burden
of taxation is thrown upon production
upon the workingman and the capitalist
He cited one man in Devonport who drew
f40, 900 year in rents from the ground
alone and did not contribute sixpence
in local taxation and in London, he said,
eco, 100000 year went into the pockets
of . few individuals who were exempt
from local taxation.
Sir John Brunner seconded the amend
ment, saying that examination of the con-
ditions prevailing showed that rich men
lived upon land that was lightly taxed and
poor men upon land that was heavily
taxed.
These speeches stirred up the Govern
ment, and Mr.. Chaplin, President of the
Local Government Board Mr.. Arthur Bal
four, First Lord of the Treasury and Con-
servative leader in the House Of Commons;
and Mr.. Goschen, First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, followed each other in quick sue
cession in the endeavor to belittle the
Morton amendment But score were up
on the Liberal side in support, among
them Messrs. Asquith, Billson, Spicer,
Charming (son Of the abolitionist), Haldan,
Havelock Wilson, w. Redmond, Flynn,
Foster, Monro, Ferguson, Field and
Provand. The honors were perhaps carried
off by member elected to the House at
recent sby-election after big fight and
against heavy odds, Fletcher Moulton,
who explained to the Government the
easy method by which it could levy tax
upon the value of land and exempt i'm
Things got SO warm that one Conserva.
tive, Mr.. BARLEY, from London constitu
ency, who had heard from his electors
was constrained to rise and urge
The Government to make some concession
10 the principle, and some of his associates
notified the leaders they would have to take
to the woods and not vote.
The new Liberal leader, Sir Campbell
ordered the Liberal whips to
tell in this division, and made the amend
nent q party matter, SO that when the
House divided, not only did all the Liber-
als and all the Irish members present sup |
port, but many Of the Conservatives alb
stained and with $50 members present |
and voting, normal majority of which |
would have been one hundred, Mr.. Bal
'ours side got only "a majority.
This vote was astonishing to both sides
If the House, and reveals the weakness Of
'uC CONSERVATIVES OIl Vic qucbtAOus AHC /
'ote's full significance is that the Liberal
party in Parliament is, the practical
politicians composing it-has now resolved
% do what the party everywhere outside
Parliament is urging present the taxation
,fland values as leading, IL not the lead
ng, party measure.
This Is not the single tax that is to say |
{ is not also proposed to abolish all other
axes, but it Is many steps in the direction
Il the single tax, since the greater the tax
IN ground values the less the burden upon
industry and the fruits of industry. All
hat is needed is continuance in this d.
'ection to concentrate the whole Of tax
ltion upon land values and entirely exempt |
else and to that end many
Liberals in and out Of Parliament are
working. HENRY GEORGE, JR.
- D<o<<B-------
IA word to the wise Is sufficient" and . |