The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1912-09-05

ITOuDl0u. Anu SdCu VI ILSoS dl luSl :
had One Real Woe.
Each Had Troubles.
The Kansan had had his Farm
almost Ruined by Grasshoppers and
he was Determined to Move. A
Raging Flood had wasted the Lands
of the Louisianian and he, too, had
decided on a Change. Cyclones it
was that Worried the Farmer from
Oklahoma and the Nebraskan Never
Could Stand a Sandstorm. The Man
from Maine was Tired to Death from
Dynamiting the Little Rocks he said
were all over his Farm. Impover-
ished Soil was the Pet Trouble OF
Him from New York.
Each came to Oregon. with Many
Others, and Each owned Ten Thou.
sand Dollars in Cash.
They Admired Oregon.
They visited all over the State.
They were Delighted with the Gil.
mate. They thought the Soil Superb,
They Learned that Anything could be
Grown. The Wheat Raise could be
Bigger in Oregon, while Fruits Grew
as if the Lord had Made Oregon
Specially for Fruits. The Land
seemed just Made for Vegetables.
They thought it Peculiar that Peo-
pie should Chortle with Glee, par
ticularly the big Corporations.
Soon they Knew Why. 1t was be-
cause these farmers were to Pay All
the Taxes.
Missourian Is "Shown."
The Missourian found this out. He
was Shown. In Oregon he learned the
Single Takers ruled. Men without
Land made those who Owned Land
pay All the Taxes Taxes on Farm
Lands were High, SO High that it did
not Matter that the Improvements Es-
capped Taxes on City Lots were so
Great that it did not seem as if the
Lot Owner could hold Body and Soul
together after Paying the Tax.
Once all Property Owners divided
the Taxation. Now the Man with
Land had to pay All.
"This is what will happen to Us"
said the Missouri Farmer in this Fa-
BILE. I'VE shall Spend our Ten Thou
sand Dollars for Farms. Some Day
our Crops May Fail If we do not
Pay our Taxes, as Some do not Pay
their Taxes now, our Farms will be
seized by the State. Thus every year
more Farms will be seized by the
State and the Taxes grow higher for
the rest.
State Needs Money.
For the State must have Money.
"Tn a Few Years we should all lose
our Land. The State would be the
great Land Owner. We should Pay
Rent to the State Then the land in
Oregon would become Poor for a Ten
ant never cares what he does to the
Owners Property. We should just
Get Enough to Eat after Paying the
Rent. For me, am Done. l shall
go back to Missouri even if l have
to brave Storms and Floods"
Now Capital Is Timid. Capital is
Nervous. And those 100 Farmers were
each Scared that the State of Oregon
was after their Wads. So they Fled.
And, Then They Fled.
The New Yorker would rather Work
on Poor Soil than not own his Farm
and Pay Rent to the State. The Kan
san thought Grasshoppers were not
so Real a Woe as Single Tax. The
Maine Farmer bought more Dynamite
and said that Stones were Nothing If
a Man could Own his Own Land.
I can Improve My Farm, said the
Man from Nebraska, but Then shall
Own 1t. even II have an Occasional
Sandstorm Floods worried the Chap
from Louisiana less than Taxes that
would Eat up Everything the Honest
Farmer would Raise. The Oklahoman
said he intended to Live in Land
where the Man who owned Property
OF ANY Sort Paid Just the Same as
the Man who Owned Land. No Ore
gon for Me, was his view. / shall
Keep my own Ten Thousand Dollars.
There Is Moral.
Maybe Single Tax would only do
this in a Fable. But the Farmers
would act the same IL Single Tax
were Real and not a Fable.
There IS q Moral to this Fable and
the Moral is:
II is Better to have Everything
Faxed and Not Frighten the Farmer
AWAY than TO have Single Tax and
Frighten Away Everyone Who Wants
TO own Land for Himself.
There is another Moral, too;
Thus would Oregon lose 100 honest
farmers and 81, ,o0O, 900 10 cold cash.