The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-09-19
GRADUATED SINGLE
TAX ABLY DISCUSSED

| tlOn OF single tax. his remarks were
listened to with considerable interest.
and he made clear many things about
the proposed graduated single tax
measure not generally understood by the
public. At the conclusion of his re-
marks he was asked a number of aues-
tions by single tax advocates, which
brought out discussions, and while the
answers of Mr.. Shields did not appar-
emily satisfy them, they were generally
satisfactory TO the audience.
A. 1. Mason was present and stated
that he had arranged a joint :debate
between Mr.. Shields and W. S. U'Ren
at Pine Grove grange hall some time
In October, the exact date to be an
nounced later, when both sides of the
question will be discussed.
That graduated single tax and the
various single tax measures offered in
Multnomah, Clackamas and Coos coun-
ties were nothing more nor less than
plain single tax was one of the earliest
statements Mr.. Shield made.
"You will find" he said, 'in every
communication that Mr.. Cridge, one of
the Fels paid workers, has sent out.
has declared this statement of mine
to be untrue. However, can back it
with proof, for not only do the single
takers stand whole-hearedly for Henry
George, who declared that the purpose
OF single tax was the absolute and en-
tire confiscation of land by the state,
Dut can also prove my statement by
W. ). U'Ren. Rather heediessly the
other day in letter to the Oregonian
he admitted this to be true. This is
what U'Ren said:
The single takers have presented
two single tax measures, one is the To-
cal county option law for Multnomab.
Clackamas and Coos counties. The
other is the Graduated specific tax ex-
emption amendment.
This is the first time MIR. U'Ren has
ever made such an admission, and while
he admits writing this letter, every
other paid single tax worker saws his
statement is not true. leave you
gentlemen to judge for yourselves.
Mr.. Shields first told of his work in
Seattle and declared that his private
business under single tax would escape
paying $1,000 year in taxes. His was
matter of principle, he said. He had
come to Oregon because he had told the
Seattle single takers that he was deter
mined that Oregon should know the
truth OF the case, and misrepresenta-
tions. he contended, were never true.
Henry George" he went on. in his
book Progress and Poverty, SO years
ago have the source of single tax. the
abolition of private property in land"
The speaker gave the history of the
single tax movement in Oregon. He
told of the SIG, 900 spent here two years
ago in putting through the tricky home
rule measure.
"This measure was offered" said
Secretary Shields, because the single
takers saw straight single tax de-
feated. and it was their idea to get the
favor of the small land owner and the
small home owner by the exemptions
offered in the graduated single tax
measure. This is purely single tax
measure. The graduated expression
used is just a trick. Single tax is
offered to you as tax reform, as
system of taxation that will relieve all
the ills of society. AS matter of fact
1t is not system of taxation at all, |
and far from being tax reform. 1t |
has but one object, that of restoring
privately owned land back to the state. |
''The taxpayer" declared Shields,
should he the man with the ability to |
pay. Graduated single tax ignores
this, and its purport is to make the |
man pay who cannot pay. And when
he cannot pay, it will confiscate his
land to the state. Graduated single |
tax is not revenue getter. My single |
tax friends will tell you it will break
up large land holders and thus reduce |
the price of land.
This may be true. 1t may not be |
true. We can only tell by experience. |
But, if it be true, the revenue which |
the single takers figure will come from |
the land owners will then not be forth
coming, for you remember they say |
large holdings will be broken up. In |
the meantime you have exempted per-
sonal property. Still your taxes must
be paid. Who is left to pay them?
Just the small lot owner, the small
home owner and the small farmer, and
when they cannot pay, their land will
60 to the state"
The speaker went on to point out how
for this reason the single takers fig
ures are unreliable for the simple rea-
son that the large revenue exempted
from the large land owners would not
be forthcoming.
He continued, "All land values under
graduated single tax must and will de-
cline in value. The selling value and
the rental value will be destroyed.
When the full rental value is taken by
the state. the states means to raise
funds will be leasing, for there will be
no value on which to place a tax. To
you, ladies and gentlemen, it will be a
case of pay your taxes or get out.
''Do you want to get out? IL so,
vote for single tax. U'Ren, of course,
promises you that if you don't like the
law, you can repeal it. This argument
does not appeal to me. Does it appeal
to you? Do we want failures? Do we
want an era of depression, for that is
what declining land values and no
market for your land will spell. AS
land values decline, the mortgage
will foreclose your mortgages. An
era of land communism and land social
ism will be upon you. In my belief it
will be before you ever have the op-
to repeal the U'Ren single
tax measure. No progress was ever
made under law of this kind. No
progress will ever be made. Egypt
saw system of land communism and
Egypt fell. Greece and Rome fell too
in their turn, when they applied the
test. Barbarian races everywhere
have land communism. Is that what
we want? these measures are prom
sed to cure all evils.
81 am not sure whether graduated
single tax is promised to cure rheuma-
ism and gout, but know it is prom
sed to cure crime, want and all social
evils. Personally, | doubt this.
never did have faith in quack doctors.
'On the ballot in November, went
IN the speaker. ''you have offered three
measures by the State Tax Commission
Nos. 304, 800 and 30s. These will give
'ou fractional system of tax reform.