Denver labor bulletin., 1915-02-06
The Open Forum,
Wisdom from a Widow.

nationally as a philanthropist, has been
arrested by Maclay Hoyne, states at
| torney. accused of dodging taxes on per-
sonal property. Attorney Hoyne is try
ins TO do what others have failed to do
in the past-bringing criminal indict-
ment- against tax dodgers. Mrs. Mary
Fels, widow OF the late Joseph Fels. re-
GENTLY wrote the following letter, from
which extracts are made:
-l)ear Mr.. Rosenwald-For the oppor-
tunity 30 uncercmoniously thrust upon
You to fight iniquitous tax laws of Illi-
NOS you are to be envied. ! hope you
viii not allow it to pass The charge
ON which you have been indicted is, if
tHle, something to your credit When
the state tries to rob an individual it
deserves as much respect as any other
robber, but no more. When it asks a
citizen to declare what he has in order
that he may be robbed in as efficient a
manner as possible, its request deserves
the same attention as a similar one
from an illegal thief. Your indictment
proclaims you as one who has refused
TO submit to such injustice 1t is a
mark OF honor l congratulate you.
4 wonder now whether this expert
enee has not opened your eyes to the
| truth that Joseph Fels endeavored to
show you. Newspaper accounts report
| you as speaking Of the injustice OF
! tax ON stocks when the property repre-
sented by those stocks is already taxed
i hope that you see further than that.
Why should the property represented
by the stocks he taxed if it consists OF
wealth created by individuals. Your
stock represents. l suppose. the merchan
die you have for sale, the good will of
| your business, your buildings and the
land on which those buildings stand.
Your merchandise you have obtained
through various Intermediates from the
| persons who produced it. Ii was not
| purchased by the state of Illinois and
the state has no just claim upon any
| OF it. II has no moral right TO take
any of it from you through taxation.
The tax upon tangible personal property
i great a robbery upon intangible
personality The same applies to taxa
tioH Of your buildings, which are also
labpr products. The good will OF your
Business is something created by your
sell and your associates. II represents
the value OF service which you have
shown yourself able to perform, and
which Your patrons, for reasons suffi-
ciei TO themselves. would have from you
| in preference to obtaining from others.
| That also is something that belongs to
you and which ii is robbery for the
state to tax either directly or in the
form OF a tax on your stocks, or in the
form of an income tax.
These taxes are not only unjust. but
| are harmful. In taxing labor products,
such as personal property and buildings,
we check production and lessen oppor-
tunities for employment of labor. We
thus increase the number of unemployed
and necessarily reduce the wages of
those at work, while such taxes at the
same time increase the cost OF produc-
tion and raise the price of what wage
/ carners must buy You undoubtedly
3Gsow that the taxes on your business
must be included in business expense,
and must in the long run be paid by the
| purchasers of your goods. Were il not
for these taxes you could sell your mer-
ehandise as somewhat lower prices. But
It is not only the taxes ON labor prod
ucts assessed directly against you which
your customers must pay. Before the
| goods come into your hands they must
| pass through a number of hands, in any
one of which, wherein personal property
taxes are levied. some tax was added TO
cost of production. This accumulation
| Of taxes you must pass on to your Gus
| TONERS. Great as your business un-
dcubtedly is, You do not supply as many
wants as you would were you not re-
| quired to do so much tax collecting. And
even as your business is restricted by
this system OF taxation. so are business
cs of thousands of Others less able to
stand the restrictions. This is not mere
ly hardship on consumers and bust
ness men. 1t is a hardship on the
workers, who but for their taxes would
have opportunities open to them that
are now closed
The writer goes on to say that tax
of 3 per cent on the value of vacant
lots will force most owners either to
use them in order to get revenue to pay
the tax. or to dispose of them to others
who will use them. \ tax on land val
ocs cannot he shifted onto the user like
taxes ON labor products. since it cannot
reduce the supply OF land. but by fore
ing unused land upon the market the
available supply would be increased. No
man made the land, while its value is
created by the whole community. Tax
on land values will not only relieve In
dustry and enterprise from the burdens
imposed on them through taxation of
personal property, but by forcing into
propev use all unused valuable land
will open up such opportunities and cre-
ate such demand for labor that we
may confidently look for an, end of pow
crty and all the evils resulting there
from.
Joseph Fels left large fortune In
the hands of his widow to carry out the
single tax system. His widow is faith
fully performing this trust TO redeem
the people from cnslavement, pcnury,
Unemployment and want created by land
monopoly. As this question will proba
bly, be presented to the people of Colo
rado soon il bchooves them to study
the Henry George and Joseph Fels taxa
tion theories diligently and conscien-
tiously. OSCAR LANGFORD.
Colorado Springs. Jan. 20, 1915.