The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-10-20
KEPT IN BACKGROUND.
Actual Truth About the Single
Land Tax.
I0HNsoN's DEAREST PRINCIPLE
But He Hides u From the Voters-Its
Real Character AS Defined BY Its
Advocates-Wants Every Penny or
Tax on Land Alone. Taking All the
Land for the State.

Tax on Land Alone. Taking All the
Land for the State.
Parson Bigelow. Tom Johnson's Gin
cinnati shadow. who on Saturday ran
the Hamilton county Democratic con-
yention. and told the limited number
OF delegates the men picked out by the
occupied his pulpit with a stump
speech in support Of the single tax,
announcing its title as Candidate
Herrick's Lecture on the Single Tax"
II was Bigelow's endeavor TO show
that the two or three experiments yet
made with the single tax have been
q success. according to the single tax
era. The significant thing about 1t,
though. is that his performance is one
of the few times In the present cam
paig In which the single takers got out
in the open anywhere and showed
themselves for what they are really
aiming at "Just taxation" to use
Johnson's Disgusting title. is nothing
but the single land tax after all. and
while the preaching Of It has gone on
surreptitiously, they had not the man
hood to declare for II outright in their
platform. still less the nerve to pro-
claim II openly uron the stump.
In fact. the campaign In behalf OF
the single tax has been one Of sdbter-
fuee and deceit from first to last. LAST
year Johnson repeatedly referred TO
| Il as his dearest principle. as the soy
ereign remedy for all Ills" If ii was
40 then. what has made II any less
attractive now than in 1902. that Join
son should be as silent as the grave
about IL at this time? II II was OF such
supreme value as Johnson proclaimed
before he was nominated for governor
| and as Bigelow said in his so-called
sermon. It should be able TO stana
| upon its merits. without suppression
| or misrepresentation by It's advocates
One of the false statements about y
| In circulation. seemingly to secure the
support for II Of men who might be de-
| ceiyed by the misrepresentation, Is tne
fiction that the single tax means sim
| ply a single tax upon land, Instead
OF the double tax Of both the land and
the possible mortgages upon II requir'
ed by the peculiar:ty Of the Ohio con-
| stitution. The inequity of the present
Ohio plan In this respect has long beer
recognized by men OF all parties, and
there has been general agreement thai
II should be removed. This has been
impossible. however. so long as the
impossible. however. so long as the
constitution remains as 1t Is. One oi
the pending amendments has reliel
In this respect among its primary
purposes. and will be voted for ny meI
of various parties on that account
this. however, Is not Tom Johnson:
doctrine. but was In vogue long before
he appeared upon the Ohio politica
stage.
Nor is at all the genuine Henry
George doctrine of the single tax upoI
land values. That is clearly defined
in the adopted official statement OF th'
advocates thereof written by Henr,
George himself. Tom Johnson's grea
prototype. aa follows;
"we assure that no tax should b'
levied on the products OF labor. w
are In favor of raising all public rev
enues for National. State. County ant
Municipal purposes by a single ta'
upon land values. irrespective OF I'm
provements. and all the obligations o
all forms OF direct and indirect taxa
ton. The single tax can be instituted
by the single and easy way of abolish
ing. one after another. all other taxei
now levied. and commensurately in
creasing the tax on land values until
we draw upon that one source for al
expenses OF government, the revenu'
being divided between local govern
ments, state government and the gen
eral government. In assessment un
der the single tax all values create'
by individual use or improvement
would be excluded. and the only valu
taken into consideration would be tn
value attaching to the bare land"
This language ought to be clea
enough to every reader. II mean
that land. only land. and nothing bu
land. is to carry every penny OF ex
pense of the entire government from
he road district and the school DIS
rict., the township and the village
he county and the city, to the stat
md the nation. No improvements Q
Any kind are to count. and no forI
Of personal property. All the conceal
ment of personal possessions. such a
Tom Johnson practices to the amoun
of millions of tax dodglng by him per
sonally every year, his plan propose
! to legaliZe.
Further than that, all OF Henr
Georges own writings repeatedly de
clare that this tax upon land values
to be made so strong as to absorb a
J the rental value of the land. takin
all land for the good of society.
this is not socialism. plain an
straight. then the idea OF the supren
acy of society. which is the essence {
socialism. never was talked about b
anybody anywhere.
Yet this is just the taxation ths
Tom Johnson's Just taxation" mean
/, Every farmer, every owner of littl
, lot for himself, is the man that Johr
son aims at. Every vote they give
, him is a vote to rob themselves.
Johnson has repeatedly declare
a that he wants no votes from those VII
2 do not think as he does. II all who.
!. own interests are imperiled by b
proposition should not think as 1