The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-10-25
EouaIizcd Taxes and Resident Owner
shin of Land.

resources of wealth, is the heritas;
Of the Deople and should not be mon
opolized for speculative purposes.
The United States Government recos-
nized the truth OF this statement III
her early history and through the
! homestead sysem of small fr3e-hold-
ers let out the public lands to actua'
settlers.
The object of the public land sys-
tenn of the Government was that O.
home-making. This wasa wise ponce
on the part Of the Government as =
ss Impossible to make the hlghest
type Of loyal, patriotic citizens undef
q system OF tenantry. It las been
said that any man worthy the name
would die for his home; but no one
was ever known to die for a boarding
house.
But the Government made no pro
vision to insure the continuanc .
vesident-home-OWnership. The resi-
lent small free-holder was given less
protection han the non-reside nt large
free-hOlder.
The small farm was taxed at a
higher price per acre than the large
farm. This is true in North Carolina
today. AS a rule the small home
teader has 10 other source of In
come than his farm. The large free
holder has diversified interests. The
policy Of the national government,
and to a less extent the State govern
Mkants, mas been to guarantee the
large Interests" q reasonable prontN
rather than to help the small man
make q living. AS a result OF 'nese
special privileges and protection
against outside competition, the rich
have grown richie while thousands
Of the poor have grown poorer. rms
is attested by h fact that according
to the census of 1906 the farms or
one thousand acres or more had in
, creased more than fifty per cent, while
| the small homeSteads were passing
out OF the hands Of the actual settler
at the rate of sixty thousand every
! year.
Today We have alien ownership OF
lands to the extent of millions OF
acres. Men who are not citizens OF
! our country and have no interest II
our institutions, or in the welfare or
type Of our citizenship, are draWins
millions of dollars of tribute every
year from the labOrs Of a people sup
posed to be free. Corporations and
wealthy individuals. who did not earn
their wealth according to the Divine
Edict given to our Father Adam,
have acquired hundreds OF millions
Of acres Of our lands, n individual
owning over four million acres, while
more than half our people do not
own a home.
This is not right and if our govern
ment had been in fact what It is IN
name, "a government of and for and
by the people, such a cOndlIon would
never have obtained.
The government having aided IN
imposing such unjust conditions on
our people, be it said to her shame.
would be making poor amends to the
masses who have produced the wealth
Of the nation, to take steps at once
1 - or4o Tic i,Fc1iaa or6 nn1Tj%v Stn2y1oJ
rights to all special privileges to
none." Instead Of helping the strong
to prey upon the weak. why not re-
strain the strong within reasonable
limits and help the weak to grow
stronger? How can it be done? BY
taking from the rich their power to
to tax everybody, and especially the
poor, and then by renting some OF
the burdens Of taxation from the com
mon people and place it on the rich
who are able to pay it There is any
way only just basis Of taxation.
and hat Is ability to pay.
Let Us go a little further and men
ton a few things that can be and
should be done; and here the State
government can take a hand.
Alien ownership of Ian should be
absolutely prohibited. The lands now
owned by aliens should be purchased
by the national or State government
at 8 price fixed by the State govern
ment. It Oul then be divided W
into small farms of from fifty to two
hundred acres, according to the lay
of the land, and sold only to actual
settlers, at a price not exceeding cost.
No corporation should be permitted
to own any land. as a corporation
except what was actually needed in
the conduct Of the business Of the
corporation.
There is still another remedy. and
a very potent one. 1t is a graded
land tax for wealthy landlords and
a~bsentees. A small homestead should
have the lowest rate Of taxation and
as the holdings increased the tax rate
should increase. This would deter the
wealthy from m~onopoiizing the own
ership OF land. Absentee landlords
should be required to pay an "absen-
tee fax on land A cnrci|o~oy% ! -,-4