Evening journal., 1908-03-30
HARD TIMES,
BUSINESS DEPRESSION
contInued from Fourth Parel


one million dollars. Now everyone
will be taxed according to the land
value he has, and no one will be tax
ed on their buildings or industry. Thus
we Will encourage them to build ana
be industrious.
Suppose you have a building lot
which is worth one hundred dollars
your tax would be two dollars a year.
another man has lot worth two
hundred dollars, his tax would be four
dollars a year; another man owns one
worth one thousand dollars, his tax
would be twenty dollars a year. and
1t would make no difference whether
you have a building Of any kind on
the lots or not, for there would be no
tax on your building
But how would it work on the
farming districts? Well let us see.
The farmer has plenty Of land, but not
much land value.
II we take the value Of a farm we
Will find that the house. barn, fences,
and other improvements are much
more valuable than the land.
Now look at the farm as though
there were no house, barn, fences or
improvements of any kind on IT.
Now what would be the value Of
the land? Tax Il according to this
value, and no matter how much the
farmer improves it we should not tax
him one cent on the improvements.
The county can do just as the city.
Figure up the amount il will need and
set the rate and tax all alike accord
a he al
spective Of whether they use It or not
Now everybody viii be paying ac-
cording to the value Of his land. which
is the only fair way to tax them.
What difference should it make to
the community whether you use your
lot or not so long as you are paving
your tax according to the value Of il?
Well, some say If you use it you are
getting an income from 1t ana should
be made TO pay more. Well, that is
the reason you have a lot, for il YOU
could get nothing from it you would
not want IT,
Now II you do not make all pay
alike on their land value why you viii
have to make some pay more thar
others, for the revenue has to bC
raised and If you will not tax the mar
who has lot idle why you will hav,
to pay the TAX for him, and of cours,
your building win have 10 be taxed
to get the revenue.
Now let us tax all she lots this wa,
and then if you think the man who
holds his lot idle should not be taxed
as much as you are on yours, why yot
can pay it for him, and no one vii
or I1f o
TO be so charitable, why you viii know
just how charitable you are, and yol
will find plenty Of people who viii
accept your offer. In fact. you viii
find it a great field into which yol
may extend your charity to you
hearts content and the whole com
munity will get the benefit Of II.
How foolish our present system o
taxation is will appear at once If wi
lconsider how many different kinds O
| Industry we call on when we build
house, a barn or a building of an
kind, for they cannot be built withou
labor and material You cannot carr
on any kind Of industry without call
ing on the products Of other industr,
but still we tax industry and the
wonder why we have business depres
sion and hard times and men out {
work, and starving, and charitable OF
lganizations trying to take care Of IN
poor and needy, and in many citi.
soup houses. Just think it over. Ho'
is it that labor works so hard and ha
so little, and the manufacturer work
so hard to keep his plant running an
pay a dividend on his capital an
] ma IL l.
lup expenses, and in many cases IA
and have their plant sacrificed unde
the hammer, a ruined man after year
Of hard toll and many nights Of worr
without sleep.
Have you ever stopped to think q
what We do to a man who wants I
build a factory or an office building
The first thing he does is to buy
piece of land, and he has to pay fo
having the deeds transferred. The
he has to get a permit TO build, an
the building inspector must kno'
how much he is going to spend an
he charges him according to III
amount and gives him a permit to g
ahead. The newspapers come out wit
a big headline telling us what a IN
builing i= to be built and how it wi
help to build up our city, and no
many men it win employ and how n
Board of Trade should be encourage
and should be given credit for 4
work in securing such a fine industI
for our city. Wen the factory is bui
and the labor got wages and the col
tractor is paid Off, and the owners al
ready to start TO manufacture the
goods. 1t has not cost the city OF
cent for the building or anything eli
about It. Now what happens? WI
the assessor comes along and observ'
that someone has. been doing som
thing and he says, Il have TO so a
ter that fellow" and he does.
How dare you come into this eli
and make a contract with labor al
capital to build this factory, and a.
men to engage in production with yo'
You have done this city a great il
jury and you will have to pay for
That is what orr present system
taxation says to him who owns q
factory. Is IL any wonder 1t is
hard for the Board of Trade to g
! manufacturers to come here when tn
know what we have done to those
ready here. but IL would not be fa
= Ito let new ones come in free of {
: taxes and still tax the old ones,
the only just way to do is to aboli
1.-THE whole system Of taxing improv
ments and tax nothing but land a
, cording to its value. DO this and y
m i'll