The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1908-03-26
TALK TO FARMERS

y.
Hon. Tom l., Johnson, Mayor of !
Cleveland, before ali audience com
posed almost excl, siyely of farmers
Alter speaking on the issues in
state end county for some hall
hour, the Mayor, as is his custom,
called for questions. A venerable
gentleman. with long white whi,k
ers, arose and said: "Mr. Speak !
er, have IA suspicion, from VIVA: .
have read in the papers, that
Mayor johnson desires to place all I
taxes on land. Is this c,nrtc p
Someone else in the audience then
called out: Tell us about the
Single Tax" Replying to theI
eJd,rly man, the Mayor said
: Most emphatically, Mop He
paused for moment, then con
tinulng said: "But if you mean
that have a desire to place All
taxes ON land values, | answer
most decidedly, yes! If you want
to hear about the Single Tax, |
will stay with you and let my tent
meeting in the city wait, while |
say that if it were not for this idea
called Single lax, would not be
here tonight. This is the reason
that an what | am, and making
the fight which we are now in. A
tax on land would be an unjust
and iniquitous system, but tax
on land values would be the bes
and iairest system that the world
has ever known. Laws which
would bring about the taxation Of
land values would be Of more SER
vice to humanity than any legisla-
til ever vet enacted. Farmers
are large owners of land, but not
! OF land values. We have land in
our city that sells at the rate of
five million dollars per acre; have
any of you farmers land AS vi.lun-
bile as that? In New York City
there is land that sells for fifteen
million dollars per acre; is there
any land in this neighborhood at
that price? To answer my friends
question, | will relate a little talk
had one day with Congressman
Piersop, of Tuscarawas county,
WHEN we were in Washington to-
gether. Pierson was-a farmer and
he said to me one day: Tom, |
cannot go your single Tax, as it
would be a hardship OH the farm
ers, and they already have more
than their share of the burden of
taxation said: Look here,
Pierson, if l thought the Single
Tax would increase the farmers
burden l would not stand for it
one minute. In fact, if l did not
know it would be the greatest
blessing to the farmers and TO the
workingmen in the city as we'll, I
never wo | advocate it again. l
can show you that the Single Tax
will tighten the farmers burden as
compared with the present method.
Let me ask you some questions,
to see if we can get at the facts OF
the matter. How much, Mr. Pier
son of the present tax burden do
you think the farmers bearp
Well he answered, the farmers
constitute over ha f The population
of the United States, and ! should
say that they pay at least go e.
cent of all taxes. very well, lie 8
call it 80 per cent to be safe n, ,
no. said Pierson, that's too low i.
They pay more than 60 per cen,,
rather than less' All right, but
to be safe, let's call il so per cent
Now, Mr. Pierson, | want YOU to
tell me how much of he valne OF
land the farmers have in tie
. United States? Please take intp
, considers ton all the valuable coal
J lands. he iron, silver, gold, copper
! and other valuable mines the
water power privileges, the rail
roads and their rights oil way and
terminals, including street rail-
, roads, telephones and teiegraphs,
for these are built on the most val
: uable lands; all the gas al d ele, :
trio lighting rights of way, built on
land OF great value; all the city
( lots, some of which are worth more
$ than whole county Of farming
: land. | want you to take all these
/ into consideration, and then tell
I me how much of these values in
5 the United States the farmers have,
) Mr.. Pierson replied: We'll,
5 should say, less than 5 per cent.
| said, call it 10 per cent 10 be
2 safe oh, no, no; that's entirely
I too high; that's double Well We
t will call it 10 per cent, anyway
: New, don't you see that If tie
e farmers are paying so per cen,
that il all the taxes were raised by
Single Tax oi land values the
farmers, since they have but iC
ner cent Of these values you say
I . per would pay less; thai