East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-02-01

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Editor East oregonion:-A recent
editorial in your publication calls at
tention to the land question in a man
ner that shows that the writer thereof
has realization of the deplorabe
candition to which the people are be-
ing reduced by the multiplied horde
of land grabbers that have sequester-
ed from this coming generation the
| element without which none of us can
| live. Many are aware of the evils of
land monopoly to some extent, and
the recent enactments concerning the
irrigation projects, together with the
comparatively speaking energetic ac-
tion of the federal government in the
prosecution of some land frauds, in
| dicates that statesmen of high rank
are aware that evil has resulted ami
| is bound to result in still greater meas
ure, from the wanton waste of the
public lands by our legislative solons
of past decades.
The remedy for the speculative mo-
nopoly of land is being discovered by
New Zealand and other Australian
colonies, whose legislation in the past
enable an artificial land famine to be
created wheer there is an abundance
so far as nature is concerned. The
remedy is what we OF America have
not sought very diligently, the phrase,
Uncle Sam has land enough for every
man farm" being still accepted by
|
In New Zealand the taxing power
of the state has been used to destroy
speculative values, and by a graduated
tax on land values, together with the
local taxation in many counties, cities
and towns being placed exclusively on
the land (all improvements and per-
sonal property being exempt,) the
land grabber has been compelled to
loosen his grip upon industry, thrift
and progress to a greater extent than
elsewhere in civilization.
Compulsory purchase.
This has been supplemented by the
compulsory purchase of large tracts of
land from owners, whose ideas of
value differed from that of the pub
| llC duu IL was llltll ltdSeu W
home-builders on a system of perpet-
ual lease, amounting to ownership.
The land question Is pressing heav-
lily upon the people of England and
the remedy proposed by those who
have taken the matter up lies along
the same lines as already successfully
tried by the commonwealths of the
antipodes. No amount of legislation
will do more than shut the door to
further depredations unless the taxing
powers are invoked to reduce the
holders of idle lands to reason and
give the homeseeker and home
builder chance. Any steps in this
direction will be resisted in every
manner that can be devised by the
naughty house of Have which has
always trodden rough shod over the
greater, but more humble and Justice
loving house of Need. The intelli-
gence of the people and the pressure
of land hunger will ultimately solve
the problem in America as other prob
lens have been solved in the past.
Here in Oregon the people do not
have to depend upon ignorant, big
oted or corrupt legislators to take up
the matter. Whenever their intelli-
gence upon the question, and their re-
alization of its vital importance equals
that of New Zealand they can directly
enact laws and constitutional amend
ments that will go to the root of the
iniquity and restore to the people the
gift of the creator of all men, namely
the land.
Some Scantly Known Facts.
| When the Oregon farmer finally re-
alizes that he does not own the land,
and that the greater portion of land
values lie in the cities; and further,
| that of the land values outside of
cities and towns but a small portion
actually belongs to the tillers of the
soil, he will not be so afraid of any
special taxes levied upon land values.
His ignorance upon this simple fact
will not always remain bulwark of
defense for land monopolists.
| Meanwhile, the various political
questions of the day will be put for
ward by the politicians, but ever and
anon the public interest in the land
question will rise higher from time to
time until like the politicians of Eng
| land, the land question will be taken
up by the political leaders of America.
If we have too many dogs in a COM
munity we tax them to a desirable
point, ana whenever the people in
any country have too many land mo-
nopoliSts they can tax them out Of
| existence. The land cannot get away,
and the more it Is taxed the less the
farmer will have to pay.
One acre of land at the corner of
Washington and Third streets, in
Portland, is worth more than all the
farming land in Umatllla county. |
When that fact soaks far enough into |
the public consciousness there will be
something doing In Oregon.