The independent., 1903-05-14

COllectlVeiy, Wnen cOllecIlVe society
merely takes that which is clearly it's
| own product. Where this fund is so
taken and expended for the mainte-
| nance of public institutions and all
| cosmic needs, it comes back to the
people resident where such value
arose in benefits to all alike, for
which, otherwise, they must pay for
out of wages, etc., due to service rem
| dered and from the interest that be-
| longs to capital and, to our everlasting
shame be it said, from the proceeds of
crime. We are paying to the wrong
party when we buy land. In so doing
we buy the right to exclude all men,
| but pay only Cne and that the wrong
| one, iine tie passenger Who paid Ii his
| fare on the train to brass-buttoned
| porter and when the conductor came
around was obliged to pay it over
again or get off. So, the state mulcts
| us in taxes (roundly in some cases)
after we become the owner Ca legal
| paradox.
This is why wages are so generally
| abnormally low, interest low, and for
inability to give proper security, is
denied to those who most need to bor-
row while rent is from so per cent to
two-ffths of the crop, risks included.
AS partial showing as to the cause
of this anomaly, here is a list of
alien holdings of land in quantities
not less than 10000 acres: English
syndicate No. 8 in Texas, 100000;
Holland company in New Mexico, A.
100000; Sir Edward Reid syndicate in
Florida, 100000; English syndicate
in Mississippi, 100000; Marquis of
TWeedale, 100000; Phillips Marshall
& Co., London, 100000; American.
German syndicate, 10000; Bryan q
Evans, London, 100000; Duke of Sun
derland, 425 5000; British Land Co. in
Kansas, 100000; VIM. Wharley, M. p,
England, 100000; Missour; Land Co.,
Scotland, 247 1000; Robert Tennent,
London, 100000; Dundee Land Co.,
Scotland, 247, 900; Lord Dunmore, 120,-
900; B enj. Neugas, Liverpool, 1000;
Lord Houghton, Florida, 10000; Lord
Dunraven, Col, 10000; English Land
Co., Florida, $4,000; English Land Co.
in Arkansas, $4,000; Albert Bell. TO-.
600; Sir j. L. Kay, $4,000; Alex Grant
in Kansas, $4,000; English syndicate
in Wisconsin, 10000; Mr.. Ellerhauser
of Halifax in West Virginia, 100000;
Scotch syndicate in Florida, 100000;
A. Boyson, Danish consul, in Mich
igan, $4,000; Missouri Land Co. of
Edinburgh, 10000. Beside $4,000
acres held by foreign corporations
with headquarters in the United
States.
Most of this land is held out of use
or but partially used because the hold
ers are let do so by our system of land
tenure and taxation which puts but
nominal tax upon 1t while in many
cases it is not assessed at all, the state
preferring to put the tax or fine on
improvement upon those who work
or improve their farms or other hold
ings. To the above list may be added
such holdings as those of Lord Soul
ly in Illinois, 10000 acres, and King
of Texas, who can ride all day in a
passenger coach at usual rate OF speed
without getting off his CD land. In
stance also the mining lands, coal,
etc. Some of the coal lands are taxed
as high as $4,000 per acre; these are
being used, though thousands of other
acres IudL COulu pIOuuCt oqUdl Fdiuo
in coal are held. idle under tax vary
ing from SOC to So per acre; hence
the coal strike and that Investigating
commission.
Were these idle coal lands taxed at
rate which their operation would
justify, as under the single tax they
would be, the so-called owner-"dog
in the manger'-would either eat the
hay himself or let the horses eat it,
and the idle or half-paid coal miners
could have employed themselves and
the late coal famine avoided.
The effect of the application of the
single tax would be to liberate un-
used land from speculative price, max
ing it accessible to those who would
use it in production and on equal
terms, /. e., such as competitive need
would demand. The terms of land
tenure thus equalized would be tanta-
mount to it's being free and when
men can employ themselves upon free
land, no one would work for another
for much less than he could earn by
employing himself sharing the re-
turns of his toll with no one. This
would increase all wages in all voca-
-