The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-02-25

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Editor independent The mortuary
statistics of the city OF Berlin show
that among the wealthy aristocracy
the death rate of children under tive
years is 81 per thousand, while among
the poor it is S57 per thousand. This
would imply that among the poor
three children out of every ten die loI
no other reason than that they are
poor.
WHAT q commentary upon our
Wanted material progress. Our
boosted twentieth century civiiiza-
ton out-Herois Herod, for it kills so
per cent of all poor children under
five years Of age, while that cruel
king murdered only 50 per cent OF
those under two.
In New York city $4,000 infants die
annually for want of fresh air. Yet
there are in tile United States 1,700,-
100000 acres Of unused land, or more
than enough to give an acre OF breath
ing. space to every human on the face
of the EARTH
Labor today is Is times as produc-
tive as in our great-grandfather's day.
Yet never child in that day died Tor
lack of fresh air.
Here is a problem: Why is 1t that
labor producing Is times rs much,
with the same effort, as century ago,
there is ever deepening poverty: Evil
IDENTIFY 1t Is not on account OF mans
lack Of industry or productivity.
Manifestly, the law of distribution
must be at fault.
Manhattan Island was bought from
the Indians for s24 worth of beads,
knives, tomahowks, etc. Today the
site OF that Island. exclusive OF i'm
provements, is assessed for taxation
at three billion dollars. And who
will say that the assessment repre-
sents the true market value? All the
agricultural land Exclusive of inn
prov ements) owned by all he farm
ers in the United States, would not
sell for as much as the assessed value
Of Manhattan borough, in Greater
New York.
TIE 100000 residents of Manhat-
tan borough pay to the 10000 owners
of that borough the proligious sum of
100000, 900 annually as ground rent
for the bare right of living or doing
business on that little patch Of earth.
The bulk of ii goes to the descendants
of those wooden-shod Dutclmen WHO
cultivated the land in the early days.
Five per cent of IL is appropriated by
the Astor family alone.
Do these $4,000 owners of Manhat-
tan borough produce this 100000, 900
annual ground rent? IL all Of them
were in insane asylums, or peniten-
tiaries, or in their graves, wouldn't
the site of the island be quite as val
liable? If these owners do no more
toward producing these values than
do the millions Of their feliow-citi-
zens, why should they be permitted
to appropriate them?
Barely one-half of M lnhattan bor-
ough is built upon. Within radius
of 20 miles of the city are hundreds
of thousands of acres of unused lands
sufficient to afford ample dwelling
room and breathing space for all OF
New York's congested millions.
If the $20O,000,000 ground rent now
contiscated annually by New Yoril's
10000 owners, without any equivalent
whatever, except the bare PERMISSION
to live On the earth which they did
me- make, were appropriated by so
ciety, in place of taxes, and if this
plan were extended to the remainder
of the state and nation as we'll, nc
land inside or outside of New Yorl
city would be held ont Of use fol
which there was demand. This vas,
sum would meet all the requirements
of p1blic revenue and enable the city
to take over al public utilities. sup
plying water, light and urban trans
portation at cost. Unused land in ant
around the city could be had simply
by paying the taxes (annual grount
rent on II.
With cheap traction service and ac
Cessible lard, thousands would built
their own homes In the suburbs. Rents
would drop and people would no long
err be obliged To live In human rook
cries, whole families In q single, bad