The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-29
RICHES FOR FEW:
POVERTY FOR MANY
CONTINUED from page ~

OILS, with only about one 'twenty-sev-
enth Of the total acreage In the coun-
try and one twenty-f fifth of the farms
Is worth nearly, one-ninth Of the total
value of farm lands in the United
States. ''.'''' a''' '.'' $40"
NEARLY five per cent Of the 'popu-
lation own nearly all the value of land
and nearly all the acreage. ~-~'''--
"Commfssioner Davies, OF the late
bureau Of corporations reported, in
1914, that 1854 timber owners hold
in fee over oneetwentieth of the land
area Of the United States; from the
Canadian to the Mexican borders-a
total Of 1O5, 100000 acres-while is
holders own nearly Lalf of this or
47,S00,0o0 acres.
''The United States Steel corpora
available Lake Superior ores of the
cent of the stockholders of the United
States Steel corporation own 81 per
cent of the stock.
''The known Standard oil concerns
marketed in a recent year. 1877 per
cent Of the Illuminating oil.
This concentration Of revenue pro-
ducing properties, even though some
of it is not producing an income at
present. because being held merely
for speculative purposes, explains the
enormous concentration Of income"
Taxation to Break Monopoly.
Mr.. Marsh asks how this monopoly
can be broken, and answers. -
''Taxation will be the most effective
method Of breaking up the monopoly
of farm, urban and timber lands, etc.
To break up the monopoly Of mines,
oils. railroads, etc. taxation is Alto
gether too slow method. The gov
eminent should take over these mo-
nopolies, paying those holding title
to them only what they have actually
put into the properties, whether that
be one-tenth or one-twentieth of the
present selling price.
"A triple tax is needed to reach the
monopolizers of urban, rural and tim
Der lands, and to break their power
to exploit the non-land owners.
'Many people who bought land for
a trifle have sold it for several times
what they paid, clearing millions
These people cannot be reached by
taxation Of land values. TO reach
with rapidly progressive. rates upon
large incomes or fortunes, are essen
tial, and will be effective. A tax rate
of four or five per cent, upon urban
rural and timber land will effective.
ly abolish the profits of monopolies
therein.
Any program Of real preparedness
must include the use Of the funda-
mental weapon Of taxation to secure
for the people Of this country the val
ne of the natural resources and to
prevent the beneficiaries of devise, OF
often plain robbery, from controlling
the natural resources and exploiting
all those who must use them.
monopoly can be- broken in the
two ways suggested above and any
talk as to regulation Of huge cor.
porations Is futile until this Is done.
In the speech above quoted, which
was entitled Real Preparedness
Against Monopoly" Chairman Walsh
described the condition which should
exist and indicated the economic and
political action which should be taken
to bring in that condition as fol-
lows:
This country will be really pre-
pared when its land for production,
J when its industries for manufacture,
when its highways for transportation
and it's natural deposits Of natural
resources are worked or controlled, or
are of access to all the men and wom-
en- Of the nation. That real prepared
ness can be brought into realization
only through the action Of free men
and women working together and. act
ing together, in a citizenship which i.
intelligent and we'll informed by a
press that is controlled not by private
persons promoting their own private
fortunes, but is owned and controlle
by these working masses of the PEG.
ple.'