The Detroit times., 1913-03-08
ON BOARD THE GOOD SHIPEARTH"
Aruck No. so
By HERBERT QUICK.

Copyright. 1919. by Herbert ouick). nm
Ana now We have come by so ways to the greatest
question Of ALL
rms great gobuar airshp which en-
parked In our voyage from birth to death, but to
possible shore leave Decentralization, has been
sdered IN these dssolvng views relations At
and 10 each other, the thing OF prime import
ance 10 the race. We passengers on good ship
Earth but we are also portions Of the ship. Moth
ing is so important 10 us as our relations to 1t. The
woman yet to become methef-is essential
TO the unborn than is the earth to human kind. How
shall live with reference to 1t Is almost all there
is the material side OF human life individual and
collective. The wick or dynamo is more vital
TO the light than is the earth to us-and to every
other animal and plant
Just spoke of the Assouan Dam and the
way its bnehts have been seized upon by landlords
Sir Charles w. NIAGARA, returning from congress
devoted the question OF the promotion OF the grow
ing OF cotton. recently interviewed In the Man
chester Guardian and said OF this irrigation
project: 1T is of little benefit the general COM
munity if OF the profits are swept in the shape
Of rent. into the pockets OF land SPECTATORS.
| wonder il Sir Charles NIAGARA would have recog-
nized in the everyday life of Great Britain. IL the
reader will detect in that OF his city town. village
or rural township the same universal presence the
same great evil which appears so strkngly In the
case OF the Assouan Dam? 1t is more difficult to see
the thing close to eyes, but. once seen, this
thing can never be forgotten. The man who is able
TO collect pay the of land always reaps where
he has not and eats his bread in the sweat OF
other mems brows 1t makes no difference how hon
esty he may have come by the land or by how much
hard work the is the same. Land values are al
derived labors and the presence OF the
community and never from the efforts or the owner.
| am not speaking OF his improvements. his FENCES,
his plowings, manurings. DRAWINGS or paintings
mean the charge he is able to make for the use OF
the land God made II.
Rent has always been the only permanent basis
for a hereditary aristocracy a leisure class. When
the first enclosed the best bit OF land and
This is mine.' II begins to turn unearned wealth
into hands OF nonworkers and take earned wealth
OF the hands OF workers. Through all history II
has steadily worked to heave high the House of Have
and TO press low the House Of Want Its power to
Cypress the masses is obscured by corporate
ganizaton OF wealth and befogged by the increase OF
tools and factories but such things railways. ship
ping trusts manu- fac turing trusts and mining and
numbering trusts will be found based land
ship so far believe. they have much power
Cypress.
When land falls into that absolute form OF private
ownership OF which speak. a wedge is at in
serted between the land-owning and the landless
classes which every days progress drives in farther
lifting laad-owning classes higher and higher
and tending to press the landess lower and lower.
It Is an economic truth which is selevdent and un-
deniabe that as society Is developed the use OF
land pushed nearer the limit OF the absolutely
useless that which is available for In city
country. becomes higher in price IL bought and sold
and higher in rent II leased.
may rent for ten dollars per acre annually
some of II does. ! remember when that same land
rented for one-tenth Of that ! have II
leased for a quarter Of the crop-now II cannot he
obtained for the half Yet the land will not produce