The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-07-26

The single-taxers, or the Henry George
school of taxation, keep up their propa-
ganda industriously and zealously but
apparently make slow progress in secur.
ing proselytes to their system. The
single-tax theory don't take firm hold
of the public mind.
Farmers Of all others should be advo-
Gates of the single-tax. 1t would strike
them lightest of all other forms of taxa
ton. But they are apparently the most
uncompromising enemies of the system.
They are unable to discriminate between
the rental value Of, and tax on the land,
and almost invariably insist it would place
all the tax on their land and break them
up root and branch. 1t is next thing to
impossible to get this view out the
farmers head.
There is not party politics enough in it.
The farmer is great party man and pol.
itician. And the less he knows the
stronger his prejudices clasp and bind
him 10 the car of conservatism.
1t is most difficult, if not impossible, tc
fix the public mind on single subject
long. There is much of the child remains
with the adult growth, and the man loves
variety, and it looks like business to have
his houses, barns, his stock, his furniture
and all his belongings taxed. He is sat
isfed0that everything of value is taxed q:
it should be, while in fact very little i:
taxed of what should be.
The industrial system has undergone
an entire change since these old method:
of taxation were originated, or grew, fol-
they are the growth of the ages, ant
should long ago have been relegated te
the limbo of the past, along with thei
contemporaries, the old methods o
business.
In addition to the unearned incremen
of land rent, created by society and justly
belonging to it, there are several others
among which are the interest on money
the franchises of railroads, of telegraph
and telephone lines, municipal gas, waite
works, street cars, etc. These things arr
all in the class of public utilities; that il
in their nature they belong to the public
and should be under government owner
ship. A light charge for the use of then
would create abundant funds for all pub
lie purposes. Although apparently very
plain and easy of comprehension it seem!
impossible for the average man TO grasi
them.
Money is among the most important o
these public utilities and stands at thu
head. The wealth which industry creates
could never be utilized if it were not b.
the use of money, and would largely g
to waste unused. Money is the creation
of government or law, for the use of the
people and its control and distribution
should be a government function, ant
not turned over wholly to private parties
The banking business in the hands o
private parties is the greatest abuse suf
fered by society today IN fact it is the
basic injury which society suffers from
To the private control of money can bs
traced almost all the inequalities ane
grievances suffered by the public.
thousand million dollars at least are taket
from the producers of wealth and trans
ferred to those who produce nothing
every year, in this country, by the al
| cheuiy ofinterest. From Genesis to Rey
| elations there is no other material thing
given so unqualified condemnation a:
usury or the interest on money.
With the government acting as the
public's banker, very light interest or
loans would suffice to meet all expense:
of government, national, state, munic
ipal and local. If added TO this the public
utilities which have been named, ant
whose franchises are undisputed public
property, a light charge for their use, no
one half the amount now exacted by cor
porations which are allowed to holt
ownership of them, would create funt
far greater than all the taxes SO unjustly
and unwisely wrung from the owners o
private property.