The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-21
SINGLE TAX IN l ALABAMA TOWN Has Free Telephones and Free
 Water FAIRH0PE, BALDWIN co.
  An Interesting Community in Alabama That Is Run on Modern Idea of conomy-Started Jan
 uary, 1895.
FAIRHoPE, BALDWIN co.

bay there is a town which for 14 years has been giving, so far as is possible un der existing laws, a practical exemplih cation of Henry Georges theory. It was established for that purpose; it was built on practically uninhabited ground. and in the years of it's existence it has growr from nothing into a thriving, prosperous and happy community. Its inhabitants pay no taxes and get along in fine style without them.
 Henry Georges theory is commonly known as sthe single tax" a term coined by the late Thomas G. Shearman, not be- cause of it's accuracy, but because a short and easy name was needed. Actually the George theory does not contemplate the paying of any taxes at all. It eontem- plates the wiping out of all taxation and the support of the community by the pay ment of ground rent into the treasury In form, of course, that payment would be made a tax but the Georgeites contend that it would not be tax in the sense that a levy made upon ones personal belongings, for example, would be
 Single Taxers Start 1t.
 It is impossible completely to demon- strate the efficacy of the George doctrine to any community where personal prop erty taxation and taxation upon improve ments, to say nothing of the indirect tax ation of the tariff, exists. But in Fair hope, Ala, they have got as near to dem- onstrating it as can ever be done under present-day conditions.
 Fairhope was started in January. 1895. by four single taxers from Iowa. It is now thriving town, with a city charter three schools, hotel, two newspapers, a wharf, a steamer, several stores. a num- Der of clubs and free library It has water works system, but no water rates. It has telephone service which is free. It doesn't cost anybody in Fairhope a cent to go into his telephone room and call up anybody in Baldwin county.
 How in a state which levies taxes after the good old-fashioned way it could be possible for a community to exist without taxation of individuals might puzzle the huskiest intellect. However, E. E. Cas- ton, J. Bellangee, and the other Iowa sin gle taxers discovered that where there s d VIII lnclS d way. 4Delr ScnemG was simply this
 To found community wherein all the land should be owned by the community that is, by a corporation representing the community; to let out the land on long term leases to individuals; to take from the lesses the full amount of the ground Ehhat groufntdti ff3einft. and to pay the taxes levied by the state and county out of the same fund.
 Henry Georges theory is often called socialistic., There is nothing socialistic about it. It is, on the contrary. the ex- treme limit in the way of individaalism and George himself was the most power full opponent of socialism in the list of the worlds great writers. Whereas so- cialism contemplates the ownership by the state of all the machinery of produc- ton, George would have made absolutely secure all private property in the product of labor, would have established free com- petition without any letters of tariff or tax, and would have restored, as nearly as might be. the condition of things which existed when America was a vir- gin continent and when no man had to ask odds of the government or of private employers if he wanted work.
 Without a Tax Levy.
 That of course, Fairhope cannot do. It's exempiication of the single tax the ory must necessarily be halted and incom- plete Nevertheless. as far as it has been able to go, it has made such a demonstra- tion as must challenge the attention of the students of economies. In a far broader sphere the George theory has been tested in New Zealand, and with satisfactory results, and taxation of land values is on the liberal programme
 
 example of an attempt to demonstrate it in the face of adverse laws. The fact that the experiment has been successful in spite of the levying of taxes by the state and county is a striking bit of evil dence for those who think there may have been something in Georges doctrine.
 It is a curious fact that the only acri- monious critics of Farhope have beer men who were themselves single taxers and just now there Is raging a hot contro versy among them about it.
 Sifted down, 1t comes to the mmemoria inability of social reformers to agree among themselves about details. The op ponents of Fairhope want a democratic rule substituted for the rule of the Fair hope corporation, arguing that the run | ming of a single tax community by pri ! vate company is undemocratic. The an swer of the Fairhopers is twofold: First | lIdI us lOiS dS tlS pi cStHb oS slVill U l taxation exists 1t is impossible to run single tax community on any other basis | second, that the initiative and referen dunn are in operation at Fairhope, ant l any time majority wants a change il the system they can get it..
 l. Free Phone and Water.
 Meanwhile the benefits which the Fair 1 hope experiment confers on it's superior are big and undeniable. Originally Fair l hope. on the sandy ground which is nov 1 Farhope. was not worth a sou markee
 Now, by the presence of a hustling com
 munity it's values have risen to such
 point that the receipts of the town ar | 5000 year and still rising, and this fi- l telephone system and free water work | have been installed out of the proceeds.
 It all demonstrates the groundwork C | Henry Georges theory, which was tha
 land has no value until the presence of | community makes that value and tha
 as the community makes it no individus
 should be allowed to reap the benefit (
 it. Since the community makes it, th
 community should receive it-that WE
 Georges position.
 The statement that the telephone an
 water works systems are free should pc
 haps be qualified A Fairhoper who wan
 telephone put in his house has to pa
 B for the maintenance of the call bo
 That however, IS ms last pdyieht,
 has no quarterly rent coming due. Dnd
 an ideal system of single tax he wou
 not have to pay even that; it is. in Fai hopes case, a payment made necessal by the existing system of laws. So, to he has to pay $50 to have his water dra connected, but after that he has no rat to pay, and under an ideal single tax sy tenn he would not have to pay even U initial $50
 The Home Telephone company watch