New-York tribune., 1907-08-03
v,:aicipaI O5cnership IN the Light of
British Experience.


rrere IS always some disadvantage in the
.,bjcat.au I'm book form Of papers that have
1IreyiousIy appeared separately DR. Howe's
ssI,-5+isli CITY is 10y no means exception to
.tfs rr,1e Each one of its twenty chapters has
-be appearance of having been written as a
.lfcau.alu,E article. and Of having very little
,--e--i.u with the chapters preceding and fol-
toe;ng II. There Is thus no continuity TO the
,-orr,ae. ans there Is also much irritating repe-
,tion. Nevertheless it is impossible to take up
,te book without being interested. not only in
rr H0ac.s descriptions Of English conditions.
INT also ,n his emthatc and outspoken theories
and co1.'usl"ils
~Ren- and wages are reciprocal They are de-
-enlenc upon one another. For wages are high
est uhan rent Is low, just they are lowest
when rent is high" In these sentences DIR.
Howe sums up not only the grounds OF his ad-
voCasv of Henry Georges single tax. and OF
,eror-a through an appropriation 10y the nation
Of tne social value Of the land. but also his in
6ic-r.ent Ct the land system of England To the
nor Fpolizarion by the few Of the land Of Great
Britain. and the conversion Of these landowners
INTO a privileged class governing the whole ma
7sar, Dr. Howe attributes every III that affllcts
the English people. The squalid poverty of the
cities great and small: the depopulation of the
,cDrtrs and the degeneracy Of the nation gen.
lily IS shown by the statistics Of military
e-lfsrr7e-5. all traced by him TO the system
= which the land is held idle. Unoccuped and
,r-axed. while people are crowded into unsani-
.ar, -enernenrs. and great tracts Of land which
s-f7 he producing the food Of the nation are
,serz-ed as the Fairgrounds OF the aristocracy-
Non rtose broad estates have been built upon by
--.,lons towns. and who enjoying prinCely in
L,os from ely rent rolls car afford 10 use their
S-e-as a. s-..-S their fancy. They can treat them
. -Iaz-lsrEs even though thousands OF persons
Frae.~ --rf OF an [-1El q
IT, United kingdom Is covered with great estates
r5vsr over l. such frivolous uses Former pros
rsrous VILLAGES have been permitted TO decay.
Farmers whose ancestors occupied the land slong
Win 1re -a-aueror have been driven the cities
because tie lord Of the manor desired q more ex-
rsrs:ys s-no-5-E preserve breeding plantation
During tie Ias- century tine sturdy English yeo-
men once the pride and defence Of the nation. have
beer slowly driven from the soil. Many English
villages contain none save aged persons and those
7--atle 10 leave All the others have gone 10 the
80 There are fever sa6der sights than the de
cay.-E British village. filed with detected. hope
less ard fast diminishing residents. who loaf about
- e-ltl-s and the public houses and end their
6srs in Il vorkhouse. Human life Is Of trivial
-l1r---i IL comparison with the hounds. the heroS
a.. an lrohslr4ctel Outlook upon the land
i the towns. even more than in rural Eng
rama, is the tyranny Of the landlord the chief
cause = The sGualid Poverty Of the landless
And here Or. Howe points out the great dis
advantage of the system Of local taxation tnat
the privileged classes have imposed upon the
nation. All local taxes in England, he reminds
the reader ave borne by the tenant, and are
assessed on the rental value Of the land and
buildings combined; not, as IL New York on
the capital or selling value. As q rule also,
the owner Of the land is not the tenant-he
$ not even the owner OF the buildings. He
has leased the land for term OF years and
the lessee has put up the buiIdIngs-blll-dlras
which when the lease runs out, Will fall TO the
landlord, who has the right to demand that
thev he kept in good repair. The landlord
.seE not improve his land He may hold Il
vacant and unused. TO matter how great the
demand FOR K may be II may be IN the very
heart II a city. and lie there idle-a bare va
car lat. without blade Of grass to beautiiy
q and Offering nothing but a dirty and untldy
Tlavsrs1.rG- dotted here and there with pud-
dies Though I would lie worth fortune II
Il were sold al auction. the landlord can wen
afford l. hold il Idle. He pays no taxes for IL
+3- I'm rs r.~asent condition it has no rental
value and the appreciation Gf its value year
~ year viii vel compensate him for ms IoSS OF
-z,----e during the time that he IS holding UP
the citizens until they give him the PIlce 1ilit
he is pleased 70 dcmarc
r ss because the British city has thus come
into 1fa-.5 conflict with the privileged classes
II Cir-ar Britain that there has grown UP ill
ir q r-sl democracy Tor the government anu
ar-f-s-fez Of English and Scotch municipalities
T,- Howe has a genuine admiration He mas
The s..,-ra of much of their good government
and The sensitive responsibility Of Ulelr couN-
ciiy 10 the electorate in the fact mat II Is INC
ratera ve--rat he rnan-ETho elects IilS ss9.
-ar- - r.,--f,.z- on the electors the burden OF
az -,a l,,.a-.-ez incurred by the council gives
asrt7 efa--.- a definite ard keen interest IN the
6cfrg- 81 The council hut II also leads TO a
certain rtguarJll5usss- il gives a soIald -ii
generous tone 70 al discussions ol ihuiieiI iIi.
polite and is. in DR. Ho|e's opinion oIie y,
tbe worst things in British political ne
with ss" he continues. IN contrasting u4l'
<as---r. ,r british municipal life with lie III
A17e~.rs.r cities the suffrage is q personal
thina. II has no reference TO 1ile o" o"i. M,
of ,.r-r.-rv Ia consequence. democracy -
Nor generous more hcspitable to new IDEAS
more ready - be liberal with It's parks I.'
kchr,- Is libraries its provisions for the PooI,
Thes= are costly IUxuTies. They are not iee1S'
tysthe zyeIl-to-Go. We have peeh 10 I'd 'iSIi a.
n most instances wise N the pedI'IiiC AN'Dt -
cur cities. There IS a big generosity about our
6er-,oral,. -9.af Is not found in Great britain
Ne a~a not 81, cheeseparing. We are even VIII
Ing 70 l.e 7vastefuI 10 get the thlhgs We "al
The American ideal, in 50 far as such an dII - -
existe IS 70 make the city helpful The brush
deal is 70 make its enterprises pay 'heAI Ny ~
some means. or at least 10 be very % ~.
The tax rate The one is democracy; the otheI
is d.raocrarv. subject 10 the curb OF the TAX
paying class
L Goes not seem TO strike DIT hove t1ia' ~
the change IN the basis Of taxation which Ne 50
Strongly 7,rges the good features Of the kngnsh
Eys,er. might be combined with something more
q the laraeness and generosity Of the American
city democracy. For. as he clearly s'ate'' -
rate payers do not reap the prohl from inc ii--
noveTnents which the city makes III i'9 S'i'e
.n its TRANSFORMATION system. IN It's parks us
lGraries its rlblic buildings and It's schools In
the long run the advantage inures 10 the owners
G. the land. and IS reaped by the Iaiioioi Us -.
the form of rent from the enhaiiceu Nd-uS
their property. Whatever makes the ci'S -.
TO live iI, benefits the landlords Dy eiie
Of their rents Were ownership more genera
and were -.ree r,5id on capital value. the uiK-