Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1912-08-15

dice and jealously marked the path
way OF his unceasing labor He
tricd to be fair but with such OBJ
stacles In his way il was impossible
His solution OF the problem was
elusive, baseless and clung about
the hatred which called il into
being 1t is mere political agitation
and not scientific reasoning for
amellorating results.
This scheme will not even accom-
pllsh the purpose Tor which il was
devised The founders ofthiS device
have sough, To east away the bur.
dcuS from the .olr To do this
they have placed all the burdens Of
the state upon one claSS-the land.
owners because Of their false theory
Of value They forget that while
they are eXemptlng thousand from
carrying their share Of the burden
that among them are some who are
most able to bear a. And they also
forget that among those on whom
they east the huri are many who
are least able To bear il. While
they seer 10 drive poverty away
they only iipiIcc il into places
Tree from it While striving to aid
the helpless they increase helpless.
ness The plan is not only haseleSs.
i, is unsoundaadlcal md revolution.
AIRY
The history Of all nations reveals
nothing more clearly thin that queS
tons of taxation are the most deli
cate. the most difficult aai the most
dangerous that ever cnnirouIei the
public mind The greatest problem
hes In adjusting taxes equally among
the different classes No one class
will carry all the burden /, Is no.
Surh in beginning and unsuccrsSiully
always with one class carrying all
the burden there Is constant turhu-
lence. faction and rebellion History
repeats itself here IN every nation
from ancient Rome 10 the Bnstilc
the murierous guillotine. the reign
Of terror aud the bloody evolution
Of modern France and pr laims a
against class taxa n. The
single tax heaps an unlim ri bur
den upon the landholder while il
releases the burden from the rich
the coal taron. the railroad king. the
industrial deSpoI II makes the
farm the only contributor 10 the
needs Of the state while the rich
man OF the city enjoys what the
farmer YEARLY and painfully strives
for II is not only revolutionary II
is inqiuitlonS destructive, chaotic
The farmer will not stand for il.
History will again repeat itself for a
deserving class Of civilization will
rise up in open rebellion against a
system which fosters the destruction
Of their independence. their rights
and their general we'll being.
This brings us to our final and
most important point Of conSidera-
ton Is the single tax JUST We
have ALREADY found that If viewed
on the grounds Of social expediency
i would be inconsistent with the
principle OF equality and would neces-
sarily result In GROSS injustice But
lei us view il from another stand
point In his Wealth of Nations,
Adam Smith, the venerable father
II English political economy, out
lined four canons of taxation. The
asst and most requisite OF these laws
$: The subjects of every state !
,ught to contribute toward the sup
port OF the government as nearly as |
possible in proportion TO their re-
,pective Abilities that is in proper
ion to the revenue which they re- !
'pectively enjoy under the protection
If the state" This principle of /
axation has far to great sisniti- |
,ance to be dealt with lightly, view
d in the light of it the justice of
my form of taxation can be ascer-
aimed And where inconsistency
$ found with this principle the sys-
em falls helplessly to the ground.