The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-08-27
| an In
Question al the Bottom Of the
Worlds Troubles

THE flag is what we make it,
quoted Louis L. Post from Franklin
r. Lanes famous Flag Day address
speaking before the League for Home
Rule in Taxation, August nth, al
! San Francisco 1T should be the
emblem of free men in a country
which free men own, he continued
and that is the land question. "
Continuing. Mr.. Post said:
Until you have this you cannot
ask the young men to fight for any
thing but a piece of bunting. Zach
child born in the United States
should have equal interest in all the
lag represents. The open country
must be free for cultivation, not
bound and held idle. But this is on
ly part of the land question Here
in San Francisco, 60 per cent Of the
land is still vacant when your fire is
prehistoric. And as We go East this
condition grows worse. In New York
City the mere land sites are worth
| twice as much as all the buildings,
representing untold value in human
work Indeed this question is a plan
ct question So long as a child
comes into the world without a right
to stay, without shaving, the present
system remains a world wide injus-
tice Yet this seems impossible to
many without bringing the world to
communion. The present practice of
ground rent solves the difficulty. All
we have to decide is that the increase
i'm the value of land which comes
from growth of population, shall go
into the common pool instead of in
to private pockets When this is ac-
cOmplished, speculating in land will
have to stop.
Henry George once said that he
was not sure of the beneficense Of
the Omnipotent Intelligence until he
fully understood the law of rent, for
il precludes the growing dependence
of the individual upon the whole
state. and, consequently the greater
responsibility of the State for the in
diyidual"
Frederick c. Howe, immigration
Commissioner Of the port of New
YOrk,-spealiing before the League
for home rule in taxation, after pay
ing a grief tribute to Joseph Leggett,
whose letters were an inspiration TO
the late Tom L. Johnson of Cleveland
continued as follows:
THE trouble in Europe is the land
question. The war to-day and the
wars of the last twenty centuries
have been land wars. Land monop-
oily is back of the ruling classes in all
militaristic countries. In England,
twenty-five men own half the land;
i'm Russia and Austria, forty per cent.
Of the land is owned by the AristOc-
racy; in Germany the Junkers hold
land in greater proportion.
On the other hand France, with
100000 land owners, is a nation of
peace lovers. The same is true of
Denmark and Switzerland.
The solution of the land question
will be the solution of the interna-
tional question for when fortunes in
land values are not allowed to accum-
ulate, there will be no over seas in
vestments. England has Gibraltars
all over the world for the protection
of privilege; England has never had
a foreign minister who has not been
of the Tory class,
So far the ruling classes have been
able to make the workers bear the
burden of taxation. With those who
hold the land in their clutch cOmpell-
ed to pay the cost of their criminality
we have an end of war, a universal
prayer for peace.