The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-07-28
ASK TAX ON LAND
TO PAY WAR COST
AND HELP PEOPLE
Committee On High Cost of Liv.
ing Urges Congress to Levy
on Values.

NEW YORK, July 26.-LeGisiation
is to be presented to congress soon to
levy federal land tax of l per cent
on the assessed value of all improved
land and of 2 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 &C
QUESTION by the federal government of
all natural resources to be owned and
operated by the public at least for the
duration of the war. The principle of
compensation to the private owners is
to be a return on the actual, honest
investment and nothing for the ficti-
Gus values" of good WILL" etc.
Confer On Problems.
The committee on the high cost of
living, inwhose name the legislation
will be presented. has held exhibits
and recent conferences before and
since the war came to the United
States. Another still larger confer
ence will be held in the Raleigh hotel,
Washington, July 80 and 81.
From statement prepared by Ben
jamin C. Marsh, executive secretary
of the committee, the following ex-
tracts are made:
1.-The committee includes in it's
membership, drawn from % states,
John Fitzpatrick, president of the Chi
cago Federation Of Labor, G.. B. keg-
, ley, just elected for the twelfth time
master of the Washington state
grange, Mrs. Joseph Fels, Commission
err 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.
Land Kept Idle.
1.-The committee estimates that the
aggregate unearned profits of land
spectators, owners Of natural re-
sources and natural monopolies is ap-
proximately $500, 900 this year, while
the producers of the country have to
pay nearly $2,25O,O00 in taxes, because
land owners are permitted to retain
most Of the ground rent. Despite 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 produce or let some one
else produce"
Commissioner Howe. in an address
on Taxation, Land and Liberty, de-
:: clared for the taxation of land values
: as the rallying cry of democracy.
Charles H. Ingersoll, advocating the
liberty tax, said:
Make Rich Finance War.
Every one of the huge incomes re-
ceived in the United States is derived
from some special privilege. We must
pay more Of the cost Of the war by
current taxation. 1t is inequitable and
undemocratic to conscript our sons to
fight this war and to conscript our
grandsons to pay for it.
Democracy can not be attained in
the United States, however noble our
purpose in entering the war, unless
we afford the working people free ac-
cess to the land, and stop undemo-
cratic practice of farming out the
! workers to land speculartors We must
have liberty taxa tax which will
pry the land spectators off the back
of the producers, release the land to
the people, open opportunity for all,
and leave every man free in the pos
session Of what each produces"