The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-07-20
(By Dante Barton)

TAX OF one per cent on the assess
ed value of all improved land and
of two per cent upon the value of all
unimproved land. The proceeds are
to be used for the war in place of
further taxes upon industry and
workers.
Along with the land value tax.
laws are proposed for the immediate
acquisition by the Federal govern
ment of all natural resources (such
as coal and oil lands, iron ores,
timber, water power sites, etc. to
be owned and operated by the pub
lie for the public at least for the
duration of the war. The principle
of compensation to the private own
ers is to be return on the actual,
honest investment and nothing for
the fictitious "values" of "good WILL"
etc.
This Legislation is part of the
constructive program to abolish priv
ilege in America and to set free
the manhood forces of the nation.
1t connects directly with the war
only as the added costs and stern
er duties of the war emphasize the
need of a new democracy in Amer
lea.
Naturally, the legislation is not
proposed by the two per cent few
who own the majority of the wealth
of the country. But as nothing
constructive or good for the coun-
try has ever come from them it
is not to be expected that any
thing good will come now.
What is proposed is one concrete
proposition in the general assault
upon system of privilege. which
was crumbling when the war came.
The Committee on the High Cost
of Living, in whose name the leg
islation will be presented, has held
exhibits and recent conferences be-
fore and since the war came to the
3
er conference will be held in the
Raleigh Hotel, Washington, D. c.,
July 80 and 81.
From statement prepared by
Benjamin C. Marsh, Executive Sec
retary of the Committee the fol-
lowing extracts are made:
"The Committee comprises in it's
membership, drawn from twenty
eight states, men and women like
John Fitzpatrick, President of the
Chicago Federation of Labor, C. B.
Kegley, just elected for the twelfth
time, Master of the Washington State
Grange, Mrs. Joseph Fels, Commits
sioner Frederic C. Howe, Frank P.
Walsh and Amos Pinchot. The
Committee also favors government
ownership and operation of natural
monopolies, such as railroads, in
the fight to cut living costs.
1.-The Committee estimates that
the aggregate unearned profits of
land spectators, owners of natural
resources and natural monopolies is
approximately five and half bill
lion dollars, this year, while the
producers of the country, have to
pay nearly two and a half billion
dollars in taxes, because land own
ers are permitted to retain most of
the ground rent Despite the short
age of crops, nearly half of the
arabic farm land of the country is
held idle, most of it for speculative
purposes. To secure more food the
slackers who held land idle, must
be heavily taxed, so they will pro-
duce or let some one else pro-
duce."
Commissioner Howe, in an address
on Taxation, Land and Liberty"
declared for the taxation of land
values as the rallying cry of de-
mocracy in the New World.
Charles H. Ingersoll, advocating
the Liberty Tax said:
Every one of the huge incomes
received in the United States is de-
rived from some special privilege.
We must pay more of the cost of
the war by current taxation. 1t is
inequitable and undemocratic to con-
script our sons to fight this war
and to conscript our grandsons to
pay for it.
Democracy cannot be attained in
the United States, however, noble
our purpose in entering the war,
unless we break up monopoly, af-
ford the working people free access
to the land, and stop our sinful and
undemocratic practice of farming out
the workers to land spectators. We
must limit the power to tax to
properly constituted government.
We must have a liberty taxa tax