The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-06-24
BILLY MAJORS DOPE CARD
THE SANE CONTAINING A FEW UNBIASED OPINIONS ABOUT
MATTERS OF MORE OR LESS INTEREST TO THE PUBLIC

Not knocking on anybody, but do
wish Lincoln had about 'steen thousand
more citizens like the Woods Bros. and
their partner, Mr.. Boggs. If we had
'em there would be something doing all
the time - something calculated to
make Lincoln grow like the proverbial
bay tree l like men who are willing
tc take .the gamblers chance" and
stake their money on the bet that the
town will grow up to their enterprise.
Every time l look at that Rogers tract
and think how the people who own it
are Switching on the rest of us; and
every time l look at the young tract
and sec how the owners of that are get
ting all the benefits of a city and refus-
ing to help pay for them-when look
at such people the only thing that keeps
me from cussing until it sours on my
stomach is to turn my attention to such
bully good boosters as the Woods Bros.
and their partner Mr.. Boggs. or
course, Woods Bros. & Boggs are out
for the money, and IN hoping that
while they are boosting Lincoln ahead
they III make so.much they ii have to
haul it to bank in hay wagon. What
Lincoln needs needs right now is
number of funerals, thus making way
for generation that will do something
more than sit around like warts on a
pickle and let a lot of us sweat them
richer and richer. Elm Park, Franklin
Heights, Sheridan Place and Peck s
Grove make quartet of monuments to
the enterprise and unbounded faith i'll
Lincoln's future of the Woods Bros.
and their enterprising partner, Mr..
Boggs. Here's hoping their like and
their tribe will increase.
Glory be- Here comes the Traction
Co. attorneys with single tax argu-
ment that is unanswerable. When l
read the following from the protest of
the Traction Co. against its assessment
jumped straight up into the air and
sang the Doxology:
''There is every reason for taxing
real estate to the full limit and no rea-
son for laying excessive tax burdens
on street transportation; the real estate
of this county has appreciated in valua
in the last fifteen years approximately
four-fold; this increase is purely So
cial value; it was not created by the
labor or thrift of the individual owner,
but is the result purely of the growth
of the state and the nation. On these
unearned values the owner is permit
ter to demand an income, and high
rents based on the enhanced value of
real estate have greatly increased the
cost of living to the general commun-
ity. Because this unearned value in
real estate is free gift of the commun-
ity, the owner should in all fairness be
required to contribute literally to the
revenues of the state.''
That the milk in the cocoanut--
the men who create the values get moth
ing in return. The men who profit by
the increased values do nothing to Gre
ate them. While the great body Of
workingmen give without getting, the
few get without giving. And the only
solution of the problem, the only way
to make everybody bear their just bur-
den of taxation, is to levy the taxes on
the value of the land for use and occu-
pancy, thus putting an end to the fool
ish system Of taxing enterprise and
putting premium on sloth.
One way for the workingmen of Lin
coin to make start towards getting a
larger part of what they create is to
vote for the park and high school
bonds. That will make the big prop
erty holders come across and give back
to the public that created the values
some portion Of what the general pub
lie has created. I'm for the park and
high school bonds, first, because have
Rooseveltian family of children and
want them to have Fairgrounds and
decent high school. I'm struggling
to do my duty to my city, my state