Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-05-18

drawing interest, but the same amount
Of labor invested in land is taxed. Is
this just measure? II unjust should
1t be adopted in Oregon?
Now, a man who has not enough
money to buy home Of his own rents
property, say house and lot, from
a land owner. The renter must pay
sufficient rent to assure the land own
er interest on his money invested in
the house and lot, besides paying the
taxes due on the lot. for this money
invested in land is like money In the
bank to the land owner and should
bring him interest. How will the land
owner pay his extra taxes and make
up the interest? The renter will have
to pay 1t. The capitalist has a means
by which he can make others pay his
extra taxes, but the man with the
small home, who is far less able to
pay the extra tax than the landlord,
must get II out Of the land. But can
he always get It? There is nothing
certain about the product Of the soil (;
they are dependent upon weather con-
ditions; but money is always sure Of
It's interest, and more than that, under
this so-called single tax it would be
exempt from taxation. In case weather
conditions were such, say famine
or something unforeseen comes
against the small farmer or land
owner and he is not able to meet his
taxes. Then either the government
will have to take the land in payment
of the taxes or 1t will be sold to the
highest bidder; some capitalist then
will become the owner, and the farmer
will become tenant. This will bring
him back to where he was In the first
place; all that he had worked 80 hard
for. all his labor, his time, aud his
energy were spent for nothing His
love Of home is ruined. Love of home
is the foundation of patriot
ISM that which our forefathers fought
for in the Revolutionary War. Why
did the early settlers bear the priva-
tions, hardships and face the hostile
Indians in the wilderness? 1t was to
get away from England, where they
were already tenants and come to this
country where they could get a home
that they could call their own. 1t was
the love of home that inspired them
to all this. Now, that same love of
home exists In the breasts of our peo-
pie today; and should we adopt mea-
sure which would destroy this feeling,
that would obliterate the most manly
feeling In the breast of man? What
inspires the heart Of the patriot? 1t
Is the love of his family and his home,
II this measure were adopted II
would lead TO the worst evils of anar-
chy. What has a man to lose when
he has no home? Take that love OF
home away and what is there left?
He becomes reckless. he becomes
an anarchist. He hates the cap
itallst, he hates the government,
for they have taken from him
that which is dearest to him. And
do you think It right to adopt mea-
sure that would bring about these
Again, for illustration, suppose our
country gets into trouble with some
foreign power. Who would have the
deepest interest in the defense Of our
country? Would It be the tenant, who
has no interests Of his own, only those
Of his landlord to defend; or would II
be the man who has a personal inter-
est who has his home to protect? The
Good Book says, "The hlrellng win
run, but the shepherd will fight" The
the tenant, with no ones in
terests but his landlords to protect,
will run, but the man with a home,
the shepherd, will fight.
Now. which would Won prefer? To