Evening journal., 1913-02-10

tiuhlAe pilNlltBe pIONlue0 ne pay 10
the rest Of the people. just what it is
worth TO them to be without it,
I'VE may now proceed TO examine
the various taxes in the light OF this
axiom OF justice.
"The poll tax and the voting tax
have been already examined. but It is
necessi ry to reconsider them on ac-
count Of the almost universal ten
dency to leave out OF account the land
question and in this way to reach
conclusions which are not true.
1t is customery to argue that since
a man enjoys such benefits as public
school education for his children. good
roads, police protection, etc, he should
pay for these things whether he owns
property or not
This argument to him who does
not stop to think would seem to show
that these taxes are In accord with
the principle of justice which | have
pointed out
But it must be remembered that
the law provides that all Of the land
may be held by a few OF the people.
BY this very provision the law de-
clares that all homeland holders are
trespassers. They must walk the
roads. or leave the country, unless
they become the servants of those in
whose behalf the government by the
power of its military organization is
intercepting all of the gifts Of God.
And yet each of these trespassers
or servants is called on to support the
government
"He can only produce wealth by
permission of the employing class, but
whether this permission be granted or
not, he is called on to pay a tax.
"To conform to the obvious principle
of justice referred to above, the gov
ernment not only should give these
people free schools, etc. but if It is
going to stand between them and the
God given opportunity to work. II
should pay them damages for the loss
of this opportunity.
81 am not advocating any system Of
doing this, but only pointing out that
instead of the great mass of the en-
ployed class owing the government
anything, the obligation is entirely the
other way.
"Thus the argument for the poll tax
seems plausible only when the land
question the most important of all
political or economic questions, is left
out Of account
Taxation of Property without Classi-
ficatlOn.
This system resulted from a genu.
inc effort on the part of the found
/ ers of our republic to institute a just
! government, and to prevent the
| growth OF landed aristocracy. Thomas
! jefferson had a clear idea of the land
question His immortal utterance
Equal rights to all. Special priv.
! leges to none," would, If realized, in
clude the complete solution of the
land question. In the early days oi
our nation property values were rep
resented by unimproved land values
more than at present. and the burden
of the government rested mainly on
/ these.
"Aristocratic ideas we're firmly fix
cd in the minds of the Influential
class. The majority of the large
landholders believed in a landed aris
tocracy. and easily saw that If thel
had to pay taxes in proportion TO thu
value of the land they owned, the.
could not become rich from the labo
Of the many.
They. therefore. resisted with al
their might the increase of taxe
which would have made their grea
estates loss profitable. AS a result q
this resistance the government wal
greatly in need of funds.
Alexander Hamilton advocated tn
scheme Of tariff on imports. Thil
scheme met with no opposition from
the powerful classes and brought II
a large revenue Immediately. II load
ed the burden of supporting the gov
ernment upon the great mass Of worl
ing people who did not know the!
were paying a tax because they pal,
It, not directly but in the extra COS
of the necessities of life. II pleased
the large landholders because the.
could hold vast tracts at mere nom
inal tax.
This made it hard for the working
people to get land, and the increase,
cost OF the necessities of life mad
them poorer, and therefore more will
ing to work for low wages.
"The large landholders finding tha
in addition to lessening their take
II gave them cheaper servants. wer
pleased and did all they could L
establish the system on a permanen
) basis.
This is how the tariff helped I
produce poverty and misery alongsid
Of idleness and luxury in a countr
which had been founded on principle
Of justice, and upon which the gift
OF God had been bestowed in super
abundance.
GAS the state and city government
became more expensive, the increas
ing tax burdens which rested partl
on the value of land, Offset. in a meas
ure. the effect Of the tariff and di
, prevent the growth of a landed arie
tocracy in its worst form. The ei
feet Of the confused system in whic
, the distinction between justice an
T injustice in taxation was lost sight O
was to produce a scramble in whic
: men of exceptional foresight accun
. ulate immense fortunes by specull
! ton in land. This condition. bad a
) it is. is better than that of a lande
aristocracy which results from n
taxes or next to no taxes on land
r when land is tax free those ow
I IL will hold It forever, and if they q
y not need to use IL, will let it 90 vii
I for game preserves. etc.
{ Those who are born into the worl
4 from others than the aristocraC
d Clandholders) have to walk the roaC
y or die from want Of food unless Il
G aristocrats happen TO need servants
+ In short, Il may be said that taxi
= tion of property without classificatic