The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-07-27

Soon now an effort will be mad
to swing Bellingham back into Tn
wet" colum. The booze advocate
will point to empty stores and stag
pant trade and will blame 1t all t
the dry town.
Let me tell you now that Belling
ham is dull. Bellingham isn't doini
half the business it ought to be do
ing. Bellingham is dead city. Ana
| want you to believe me it is no
a bit deader or dull than it deserve.
to be either.
Bellingham's misfortune Is not me-
lack of saloons. She would be deade
than she is if she had the saloons
she had last year. Bellinghams mis-
fortune is her soft heart. If Bell
ingham had the nerve to kill of
some of those scrapping newspapers Q
their publishers, and to hang a few
of the yellow agitators to the yard
arm. she would find she wasn't hall
as dead as she might be.
What do you want to make pro-
gressive city?
If / understand rightly you want
men and money. Well, l want 10
tell you few Bellinghamites who
read the Tribune that you are get
ting mighty few men and very little
money and you will keep getting
fewer men and less money until you
have house cleaning.
Don't you believe it? l can prove
it to you. but l doubt if you want
me to do that through the columns Of
the Tribune. 1 know where 100000
In two punches has passed you up
within the past six months. / know
a man here in Lynden who has made
a success and who says he is soon
going to a city. He told me he
would rather stay in the Northwest
but he couldn't stand for Belling-
ham.
You have the location. You have
the tributary territory. You have
the money, or can get it. All you
lack is the spirit that builds a city,.
and that sort of spirit will not stay
where yellow dogs bark day and
night.
Kill off your agitators and get a
home paper.
Gnats and little wriggly things are
more pestiferous than real enemies
Acquiring money isn't nearly &c
ESSENTIAL as acquiring morals.
/?
There has been a great deal Of
talk about tax reform, but l doubt
IL many of us have given that sub.
ject enough consideration to know
what we want. We do know that
we are dissatisfied under present
conditions. We are demanding 8
more equitable assessment Of taxes
We want system that will make
the other fellow pay his full share
even IL 1t let's US off bit easy.
When I first heard of 1t the wilt
land or unimproved land tax scheme
appealed strongly to me. l think i
did to most people. 1t does seen
unfair that Jones who is living OF
his logged off land, gradually clear
ing it up for the pillow, and thus in
creasing the value of his neighbor
hood, should pay proportionately thu
same taxes as Smith who is holding
his land as a speculation. But
after all isn't it going to be rather
hard to get Smith by that method
without hurting Jones?
Jones has 40 acres. How much o
1t is cleared? If he bought 1t fiv'
years ago he has done we'll II on
fourth of 1t is cleared. Outside o
of right in the immediate vicinity o
Lynden l doubt If the portion o
cleared land is more than a quartz
all Of the land of Whatcom-yes,
doubt If it is twentieth doub
II any one township has a quarter o
its area cleared. Well then, II we in
crease the taxes on wild land, aren'
we going to increase the taxes o
the settler as well as Of the spec
ulator? 1t looks that way to me.
1t strikes me that SO long as W
want to change our system the trie
plan of New Zealand would be ia
better than some untried plan o
nobody's. Assess the taxes equitabl
on all alike-and allow each pro
perty holder to himself fix the valu
1. his property. In event Of anyon