The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-08-13
LET TIERS FROM
"A ORKINGMAN

Land monopoly led to the settle
ment of America. d It is the landless
citizen of the fatherland who comes
to this country as an Immigrant. It
was not so much the form of govern
ment which sent him forth, as the in
ability to- earn q living. The free
land of America was q louder call
than Its democratic form of govern
ment. But the opportunity to obtain
free land in America has now gone
by. The three million square miles
in the public domain of the United
States cost the nation SAT an acre..
In the disposition OF this immense
area the nation has become almost.
land impoverished,x The Pacific rail-
roads alone acquired one-twelfth Of it.
In addition to a right of way across
the continent of one; hundred to four
hundred feet wide, with, such land as
was needed for sidings, stations and
yards. q subsidy Of every alternate
section Of one square mile on either
side the right of way was added as
an aid to construction. It is said
that the grants to the Northern Pa
cific, railroad alone were worth one
thousand million dollars. The deal.
ings of the Pacific railways with
congress with regard to land trans
actions have been tnotoriously scan
dalous.
Following the railways, came the
land grabbers and : ranchmen, who
have appropriated. great tracts of land
which they are still holding unlaw-
fully. One individual became the
owner of fourteen million five. hun.
dred and thirty-nine thousand acres
of the richest land in California and
Oregon, an area three times as great
as the state of New Jersey, with its
population of one million and half.
The public lands commission ap-
pointed by - President Roosevelt re-
ported that in the acquiring of the
large number of estates which they
Investigated almost without excep-
ton collision or evasion of the letter
and the spirit of the law was in
volved:"
Land values are increased accord
ing to the demand for land. d There
fore, with the increase of population
land values in every part OF the
United States are bound to advance.
1t has been calculated that by the
mere fact of his arrival each immi-
grant increases the value of the terri
tory of the United States by about
four hundred dollars. Others have
said that the figure is nearer one
thousand dollars. When the .immi-
grant lands upon the American shore
he practically makes contribution
of years earnings to the value of
the land. But atathe same time he
makes. the ninety million, people al
ready living here poorer by his com.
Ing, because. the burden Of rent Of all
the people is increased in. conse.
quence.
Scarcely a century ago the ances-
tors of the Astor family invested q
few thousand dollars in farming land
lying about the outskirts of what was
then mere village. In. less than fiji
ty years time the: crowding of five
million people. around Manhattan isl
and has given a,,Yalue: to the ;Astor
estate of $450,00O, 900. And this great
increase was brought; about not by
what the Astor family has done but
by what society has accomplished.
Meanwhile those who actually Great:
ed this great fortune have been com.
PEELED to pay the. price in, increased
rentals. y
in New York :, approximately one
hundred million dollars was raised by
taxes on real estate out of q total
budget in 1908 of :'$143;0o0, 900; in
1910 about $106,835 900 out of total
budget Of approximately $3.50 100000;
or about Is of the total is raised by
taxation upon real estate. The ten
ants unquestionably pay the greater
part of this tax and. the question OF
rent for the poor is an almost unen
durable burden. New York is merely
typical Of every other city in this re-
spect.-Rev. Chas. Stelzle: