Denver labor bulletin., 1915-02-27
The Open Forum
The Farmers and the Single Tax.

The Farmers and the Single Tax.
To the Denver Labor Bulletin:
The single tax proposition was de-
feated in Missouri last November, it is
said, by the almost united opposition of
the farmers of the state. The capital
istic press, subsidized by land monop-
olists aud Spectators so misrepresented
the facts of the system as TO delude
them with the idea that their taxes
would be greatly increased by the adop-
tion OF the tax on land values. The
same argument will be presented to land
owners of every description-to holders
of large or small estates, when the ques-
tion il submitted in Colorado, Most of
the largest and best farms in the state
and nation have gravitated into the
hands OF absentees by the mortgage
route, and also the best blood, bone and
sinew have been drained by the cities,
where nearly all special privileges are
concentrated. Monopoly knows no
bounds except the limit of population
and improvements. Now We have the
unchailenged report that the average
yearly income of. the farmer is less than
that OF a common laborer.
This is not a question at all Of what
the sum total of taxes might be. 1t Is
altogether a question of how they are
levied The monopoly of land is mother
of the whole brood If all taxes were
levied upon the consumers OF land va
lues instead of upon wealth production.
taxes could be exacted from those who
are getting the earth's increments for
nothing. Two-thirds of American steel
and Of other principal corporate stocks.
all the paper value of railway and other
public service, and nearly all the So
called -watered stock" is purely a land
value. John ID. became the worlds rich
est man by controlling one of natures
great resources. The heat and fuel COM
panie-. like the Colorado Fuel and Iron
company have menaccd the country by
safeguarding the coal deposits. Hardly
a sky seraper in the large cities is worth
a. mnch as the land under it. Every
where the value is most easily ascer-
tanned with the exclusive tax on land
values private foundation funds and or
ganized charity would beunnecessary
IL has been estimated that less than
one vsar'- rental value of the land would
paw our national debt. besides meeting
current public expenses. Social and pol
iiieal equality would I've conserved by
this simple grant 81 equal human birth
right, and thereafter the public revenue
growth ot population.
And ihcrr would be no unemployment
problem for the unused land and all
mcdaniel vocations. whose property i
founded on unimpcded access to the land
and uIou untaNcd labor and improve
mcnts. wousd find work for both the
skilled and unskilled workmen every
where.
.Iudgc T.. W Cunningham. who Is on a
tour to Porto Rico. stopped en- route at
Houston. Texas He writs to the Fl
Peso County Democrat from New Or
leans a. follows: Houston claims .
population exceeding 100000. and many
attribute it, growth in part to the mod
flied form OF single tax which Tor several
years hs- been in force there. Under
this system hank DEPOSITS have in
errsee-i Slu.0pO.c coo. and interest rates
have becn reduced: bank deposits mort
gage and household furniture are not
taxed at all. while improvements upon
real estate and stocks of goods are taxed
at p TO 30 per cent. respectively. Of
their actual value Land is taxed at s5
per cent OF its value. II the Henry
George commissioner of finance and tax
alton and his scheme are not popular
in Houston. it Is difficiiclt to explain the
fact that he r now running for third
term without opposition. Under Com
missioner Pastorigei's administration the
valuation cf improvements apon real es-
tate have increased from SS.5Oo.Ooo TO
slI.so6ooo: personal property to SIS.
ooo0O. while real estate valuation has
been increased by him from S20ooo.ooo
to s77.oOo.ooo. ! give the figures sub
stantially as they appear. emitting the
thousands. In signed article Pastor
gci says that but 80 out OF 1900 tax
payers have protested the valuations as
fixed by him
Judge Cunningham is not known a
single taNer and adds that he will in
dulge in no argument for the Houston
method of taxation, but sets down the
facts for what they are worth. He is
well known member of the Colorado
Court of Appeals from Fl Paso county.
This statement directly contradicts ru-
NOR through the press that the Hous-
ton taxation system is failure.
OSCAR LANGFORD.
Colorado Springs. Feb. -, 1918.