Evening journal., 1913-02-10


etc, but the right to hold land for
speculation affects all who are alive.
for none can live without directly
or indirectly using land
"All Of this class of property is
pure privilege Its value Is due to
the fact that no adequate return is
made TO the community by those pos
sessing Il. II 10 brought into exist
ence purely by the act of a legisla-
tive body. IL does not minister to
human needs. and is but a lien which
its owners hold upon the labor OF the
industrious. enabling them to take,
without return, the results Of indus
try. The more of this class of pro-
perty a community has (other things
being equal the less prosperity. for
privilege is but a holdup or check
upon industrial growth
Our natural perceptions OF equity
do not warrant our regarding privi-
lege as a private property
when a person OF company engag-
ed in trade can, as the result of some
law, get higher prices than would
be possible without this law. the ex-
ira profit is not the legitimate earn
ings Of industry but is the result of
The absolute power of the government
unjustly taking money from some
people and giving IL to others.
Would anyone advocate having a
law passed compelling every ono in
the country to give, say. a dollar a
year, to one man or group of mel
In return for nothing whatever
And yet all the laws which boil
ster up privilege are merely this in
a disguised form.
would any one argue that because
the government once passed such
law IL should forever continue the
wrong in order not to disappoint
those who believe they will always
receive the money?
And yet all of the arguments
against the abolition Of privilege are
only this argument put into smooth
sounding and deceptive words.
while the title of ownership Of
true wealth always descends from the
honest labor of those who produce IT,
the title Of ownership Of privilege
always flows from a misuse of power
This is so clearly acknowledged
by common consent that no intricate
system Of recorded deeds is required
to maintain the ownership OF true
wealth.
"A man may buy a 100000 auto
mobile and whether all papers relat-
ing to the transaction are lost or not.
he feels perfectly safe against It be-
ing wrested from him by process Of
law, but II he buy a $1,00O00 lot he
is not safe unless a search of the
title be made and documents recorded
and preserved in freproof safes.
I'm the one case the basis of owner
ship is I'm accord with our natural
ideas Of justice and would be ackow-
lodged in peaceful community
whether there were any government
or not. In the other basis Of owner
ship will not bear examination and is
only safe when traced so far back
that the original injustice by which it
became private property is lost in the
mists OF antiquity.
I'm the one case the money paid
represents mainly labor performed in
the manufacture Of the article and
services rendered in its distribution.
'ln the other case It represents on
ly the profits OF spectators plus a
small amount Of taxes and is not
paid for any actual services rendered
"The difference between true wealth
and privilege may be summed up as
follows:
True wealth Is produced by labor
from the materials freely offered by
nature.
Privilege results only from the
act of a law-making body.
"The title Of ownership of true
wealth descends from the producer.
THE title OF ownership Of privilege
is based on government favoritism
"In a peaceful community no gov
ernment is required to maintain the
ownership OF labor products, but the
only thing which makes privilege
private property.
True wealth nearly always depreci.
ates I'm value from the moment it IL
produced by becoming old or worn
out. by being superseded by newer
models. and by the natural tendency
OF things to decay.
Privilege nearly always increases
in value as time goes on. because Of
the power It gives to take advantage
Of the needs of growing communities
because of the difficulty Of forsee!ng
at the time Il is granted, what IS U
be the future value OF privilege, an(
because of the influence which its
owners exercise over law-makinl
bodies and courts, whereby they are
able to fight with more or less success
all efforts to increase taxes or privi
leges.
"True wealth enables men TO hell
each other for its acquisition by SOM
does not. per Sc involve loss by others
Privilege sets men at enmity on
with another because the profits o
privilege come only from the losse
of active workers.
THE more true wealth in any com
munity the more prosperity. Th'
more privilege (other things beinl
equaD the less prosperity.
Good public policy would be to en-
courage the acquisition of true wealt
and to discourage the holding 0
privilege
IL think / have said enough to sho'
: that there are vital reasons for IN
, classification of property, and it
Z next in order to discuss the true basi
! of taxation.
! True Basis Of Taxation.
5 I'VE now come TO the crux of on
discussion. Is there or is there no
5 any standard Of right and expedienc
Y by which we can measure tax an
e say, this would be right and tha
s would be wrong. this would be goo
J. policy and that would not, this woul
{ increase the wealth of a communit
0 and that would decrease IL? Is ther
such a standard. or is taxation pure
c ly arbitrary expedient which the gov