The independent., 1903-05-14
sINGLE TAX AND SOCIALISM

of The independently
| prefer to dwell on the similarities
between socialism and the single tax
rather than to exaggerate their dill
ferences. The advocates of both see
the injustice of our present industrial
arrangements and long for a time
when every man shall have oppOr-
tunity for work and receive the full
value of his services, which, in all
cases of manufacture, would be the
value of the product of his work To
secure this end the socialist says that
the community must seize all the
means of production, manage them,
and divide the product equitably. 1t
must be admitted that this is a stu
pendous undertaking. The means OF
production include all land, mines, for
ests, water power, railways, factories,
stores and shops, and committee ap-
pointed today to draw up scheme for
their administration in a single state
would find the task well-nigh impossi-
BILE. The single taxer sees these diff
ficulties and endeavors to simplify thu
problem. He tries to classify AMI
separate the means of production int }
different categories. First of all, there
is the land, which no man made--a
natural gift tC all mankind and nee
essary to life. including the natural
monopolies involved in the posses
sion of coal mines, oil fields, etc., and
ir the use Of highways for railways,
trolley lines, gas pipes, telephone and
telegraph wires, etc. Then besides
these right in land-all of them mo-
nopolistic in their nature-we have
the category of capital free from mo-
nopoly-that is all manufactured
things, houses, goods and machinery,
which can be reproduced freely if the
sources of raw material are left open
and which consequently involves no
monopoly.
Now, the single taxer says that it
is wise to discriminate between these
different kinds of possessions. Inso-
far as the franchises for rails, wires
and pipes are concerned, he is willing
to accept socialism because the mu-
nicipalization of these utilities is evil
IDENTIFY perfectly practicable. Then he
sees the justice of insisting upon Civ
ing an equal right in land to every
citizen, and he finds that the same end
which the socialist expects to attain
by Matchmaking" the land can be
secured by taxing it to it's full annual
value, remitting all other taxes. Oh
viously no man has any advantage
over any other in respect to land, if
he pays the full value of his holding
each year TO the community. The
tax thus placed on land without in
cluding improvements will free all
manufactured things, including
houses, from the heavy burden of tax
alton which they bear and increase
enormously the production of wealth
1t is strange fact that taxes on land
without including improvements)
stimulate production, SO that the laud
may pay the tax, while taxes on
houses and goods discourage the pro-
uction of houses and goods. Put tax
on cats and people begin to drown
them. Put tax on vacant lots and
the owners are forced to build on
them, or to sell to some one who will
The issue between socialist and sin
gle taxer lies in the intention of the
former to seize all private, personal
property used as means of produc-
ton, even where no monopoly righ5
is involved. The single taxer con-
tends that this is unjust A man is
entitled to what he makes, just as
bird is entitled to its nest, and to seize
all the machinery and factory build