The independent., 1903-06-11
THE SINGLE TAX

put under their control has commend
ed them to all fair-minded men. There
| is no class of men for whom the edi-
| tor of The Independent has higher
regard, for they are unselfish, seek.
| ing neither Office or profit for them
| selves. 1t is impossible for the edi-
| tor to write such an article as he hal
| contemplated concerning that edition
and he will only make few remarks
| for the consideration of these earnest
| and thoughtful men.
One thing must be borne always ..
mind. What effect certain legislation
will have when it comes to be applied
is always problematical. All those
who have watched the administration
Of law know that very often bill,
to the astonishment of its advocates,
has the very opposite effect FROM
what was intended. The founders of
this government thought that in the
electoral college they had perfected q
law that would take the election of
president out of partisan contests and
make his choice that of disinter-
ested body of men who would select a
man free from partisan influence, who
would be an administrator OF the law
for the whole people. The effect ct
y;csia hn
posite OF what was contemplated. So
| it has been with hundreds of other
laws.
No man can be certain that the eff
feet of the single tax will be what
it's advocates hope. A thousand
| things will arise in it's administration
of which the closest students will
| never have dreamed. The only way
| to absolutely krow what it's effect will
| be is to try it. That can only come
about by its adoption in localities,
| and to that The Independent would
not object 1t would even give aid
and assistance to such a movement.
The subject of taxation is most
perplexing one from whatever stand
| point it is approached. Two theories
have been current: One is that taxes
should be levied on the value of prop
erty possessed, and the other is thai
| they should be levied in proportion to
| the benefits received. But every eff
fort to put either of these theories in
practice has always proved failure.
Our present system is unjust in the
extreme. Neither is property taxed
according to it's value nor do those
who receive the greatest benefits from
government pay greater amount OF
| taxes. Taxes, except the income tax.
| will not stay where they are put.
They are shifted from one to another
until they fall finally upon laborers
AID consumers. If tax is put upon a
mill, the miller shifts the tax upon
the consumers of flour by raising the
price that much. So it is everywhere.
The Independent is willing to con-
cede that the raising of all revenue
from taxes upon land would perhaps
be better method than the present.
1t could not possibly be worse But
would all the other things follow that
the advocates of the single tax hope
for?
Would the awful power that resides
in the control of money be overthrown
by the single tax? Will that plan
when in operation save the people
from the destruction that always fol-
lows the sudden increase in the pur-
chasing power of money? Single tax
ers say that the farmers would pay
less taxes under that system than they
do now. Granting that to be true, il
the men who control the volume of
money should suddenly, by decreasing
the quantity, more than double the
purchasing power, would not the
farmer be reduced to penury and want,
14l> Lo