The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-03-30
Unjust Taxation
(Article Two.)

tlCle on ,tdXatlOn i nave SHOWN TIE
fundamental idea of our tax system to
be the endeavor by those owning in
dividual special privileges on the land
itself TO shift the burden OF paying
the cost of government from the eco
nomic earning value Of the land to the
economic earning capacity OF all MEM
bers of society. 1t is essential, in or
der to understand our faulty system of
taxation, that you fully realize the fact
Of this shifting of the burden from the
private owners. of the earth's surface
20 the people at large, most Of whom
do not own or control any special priv
ileges whatever. This shifting, simple
and apparent as it seems TO those who
have given this matter diligent
thought is as an abracadabra--a rid
dle-to most men. They all feel the
logical effects of this shifting in one
way or another; feel it in our present
imperial trust civilization; feel it in
the pinch of want or perjury; feel it in
the periodical lack of work in coun-
try, rich in natural but as yet undevel-
Oped resources, with population
sparsely occupying the land and in
many other civic and pOlitico-economic
ways. But while they realize that
something is wrong fundamentally,
they do not know where the wrong is
located.
There is an underground unrest
among the masses, which appears on
the surface as political action. This
political means of correcting abuses
is our American way of trying to cor
rect them. AS soon as certain num-
Der of persons are personally realizing
an abuse or what seems to them an
injustice, they join their issues, start
party and, when successful, pass laws
to correct as they fondly imagine, said
abuses or injustices. Please note,
however, that in passing laws they
leave the fundamental economic con-
ditions and our feudal system of taxa
tion of personal thrift untouched. Con-
sequently these laws are "a mere
patchwork on an old wineskin,' as
somebody explains this short-sighted
policy in the new testament. They do
not realize that a new brand of civili-
zation like ours is based on a general
education of the masses, who now
have command of the previously I'M
known forces of steam, electricity,
compressed air and the results of
chemical and technical research, calls
for an entirely new wineskin for the
new fermenting wine. ,s
In short, our fundamental mistake
in dealing with the problems of our
day, of which taxation reform is top
most, is that we approach these prob
lens on political lines exclusively, not
realizing that they are economic prob
lens and can only be handled for the
greatest good of the greatest number
/ by economic action.
It is aawell-known fact that our la
boring men are in the large majority
ignorant of this. The burden of max
ing them acquainted with the eco
nomic primary reasons of their trou-
bles is borne by very small number
of men, 1t is thankless job, too, con-
sidering such thanks as expressed in
dollars, or even in good will or fame.
However, men always appear, as his
tory throughout the ages clearly
shows, who will take up voluntarily
the burden of blazing the way. They
often blaze the wrong new way, but
they do something because that is in
them which compels them to do it.
Another well-known fact is that
whenever AN institution is hoary with
age, such as our Roman feudal tax
shifting system, then somehow, the
majority assumes. without rhyme or
reason, that it is mark Of supreme
merit. Is that not foolish, superficial
conception? 3fN
The majority wants to be left alone,
even if by continuing a system of tax
alton which underminess our demo-
cratic institutions by building UP a
privileged class among the owners and
exploiters of our land and its economic
resources we suffer individually a
great loss of the products which we
ourselves produce from the land ge-
sources, which in turn are controlled
absolutely by few.
Under this system we workers do
not reap the fruits of our labor in full.
We have to pay a part of the economic
and commercial values We create as
a tribute to the owners of these land
resources by monopoly. That is the
lot of the unprivileged masses.