The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-20
A Single Tax Experiment.

Advocates of social changes have always
felt the need Of an object lesson. Hence, |
the numerous communities and "colo- |
Mes of one sort or another the United
States has had since the days Of the revo-
luton and before Most Of these COM
munities have failed for one cause or an
other, and the object lessons rarely ma
terialized. Still the experiments go on.
for 1t is plain that mankind will never
adopt a sweeping social reform unless con-
WINGED that it Is something desirable, and
there is no better way to test theory
than to "try it on the dog of some small
community. Generally communities arc
made up of cranks, people who couldn't
possibly succeed anywhere else, but ex-
pect to succeed when herding by them
selves.
An entirely different experiment in re-
form is that which has been undertaken
at Fairhope, Ala. Here the utility of the
single tax is being demonstrated. The
F'airhope colonists are not visionary theo-
rists encountered with lot of notions not
adapted to this world and not applicable
to human nature. They conceive that our
present system Of taxation Is all wrong
and think that the correct system Is the
taxation of land values and nothing else.
This theory carries with it the belief that
land, like water and air belong to all peo-
pie, and SO the tax on land values is really
a, rental paid by the Individual to- the
state.
! The Fairhope community began in Jan
luary, 1895, with five families. It now has
Is and is growing very rapidly. The five
original families gave 5000 each, with
which a tract Of land was purchased and
decided to the "Fairhope Industrial Asso-
ciation." New members are now admitted
to the community on the payment Of 800.
Members OF the association, conduct the
colony's affairs, Of course but anyone,
whether a believer in the single tax or
!, mot, may lease land on the same terms as
members. Fully half the inhabitants OF
) Fairhope are not members and some Of the
citizens are active opponents Of the single
, tax idea. Rental valuations are determ-
ined annually by the executive council
, subject to a referendum OF the whole resi-
dent, rent-paying membership, and ap-
proxinate per cent Of the estimated
! value exclusive Of all improvements. The
best city lots can be had from $160 tc
about SIS per annum and farm
lands run from 20 cents an acre to 500
! These rental charges represent the whole
: cost of holding land in the colony, the as
. ISOLATION paying out Of them the entire
state and county taxes, SO that except To-
: 1.-The indirect tariff and internal revenue
taxes of the federal government, genuin,
: single taxation exists. In the presen
wear the total rents will be about $1,000
a and the taxes about $500. The difference
!. $500, will be expended by the communit,
r In improvements. In other places larg
a part Of this $500 or its correspondent,
10 amount would go to landlords instead o
e to the public. "a.
III The Fairhope experiment is most in
e terestingly described in the current hide
IS pendent by Ernest B. Castor, and h
J. thinks the colony is a. complete success
lie within it's borders, . he says, "the value
which are created by common effort 8
lie Ito all the citizens; no one can impose
A burden on another for the use of tina
NJ which nature has given or the public ef
le fort has created So far is Fairhope fror
,e being o socialistic community that thrift
lie energy, enterprise, self-reliance and ind
m vidual initiative are the conspicuou
r qualities that give tone to the settlement
III An especially interesting phase OF tn
he colony,s prosperity is its effect on SUI
lie rounding lands. There is no demand fc
= them because Of the superior inducemer1
,g to- settle in Fairhope, and land speculate
a In the immediate neighborhood has bee