The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-02-21
Failure Of Congress to Enact Law to.
Raise Revenue Through Land Value
Taxes Results in Serious Housing
Problem in Washington City.
OWNERS HOLD UP INDUSTRY.
Passage of Crosser Bill Would Relieve
the Situation IN Cities Where Mon
opoly Causes the Poor to Herd in
Crowded Tenements.

eague Of, the United States point
ut some disastrous results Of neglec
Y Congress of an important duty. A
n example, $4,000 an acre is beinl
sked by the holders of vacan
wamp lands in Philadelphia, wort.
OF more than $1,000 an acre, wher
now proposed that the governmen
rect dwellings for shipyard employ
5. Thus, values which might hav
cen made an asset to the publ
reasury become a heavy liability.
"Gentlemen:-We respectfully
call attention to the fact that had
Congress passed the bin Of Mr..
Crosser, Of Ohio, to raise federal
revenue through land value tax
es, the serious housing problem
that now perplexes the city Of
Washington, and every place
where labor is in demand, would
not have arisen. That bill pro-
posed to levy $2,0O0,0 100000 di-
rect tax upon the value of land,
irrespective Of improvements
thereon. It would have made it
Improbable for owners to with
hold. from use valuable land in
the city of Washington, Sparrow
Point, Md; Bridgeport, Conn.,;
Newport News, Philadelphia, and
other places where there is now
housing difficulty. Because Com
gress has refused to pass the
Crosser bill, and any other
measure for taxation of land val
ues, owners Of vacant land enjoy
the peculiar privilege Of being
the only profiteers exempt from
federal taxation. They lose this
privilege when they build; they
then become subject to the in
come tax. A
As a result, Congress has en-
couraged Withholding Of land
from use on speculation; and
scarcity Of dwellings, exists in
new industrial centers. Landown-
ers are taking advantage of this
privilege to hold up industry.
They ask prices which evidently
cannot be paid without great risk
Of loss. Now, instead of taking
from this interest its power to
levy toll on industry, the Senate
has passed, and the House is con-
sidering, the Fletcher bill, ap-
propriating $50, 10000 from the
public treasury, part Of which
is to be used to pay landowners
what is virtually legalized black
mail, that their permission may
be had, to allow industry to pro-
coed. Not only is no public rev
enue to be derived from landown-
ers, but money raised by taxation
in industry is to be paid them.
Even if the ur-.ent needs Of the
moment make any other course
inadvisable, why persist in refus-
al to prevent more such holdups
in the future?
It is not only relief in new in
dustrial centers that would be
given, by passage Of the Crosser
Bill. It would relieve the situa-
tion in all cities where land mons
opoly has driven the poor to herd
in crowded tenements, and levies
its toll of disease and death, as
well as exorbitant rents. It
would relieve the situation in the
mines, where production is check,
ed by holding vast mineral re-
sources unused. It would bring
relief in the rural districts where
land speculation BY concentrating
ownership Of farms into fewer
hands, has already made tenents
or mortgagers Of majority OF
American farmers, and is largely,
responsible for the shortage in
the Food supply. It is hard to see
what excuse there can be for
further neglect. It is only 9
question of time until land specu-
lation, unless checked, must again
bring on 3 terrible industrial de-
preston. Il IS certain that there
will be more labor troubles in
mining districts and elsewhere,
ia which the struggle will be be-
tween men seeking just return
for their labor, and individuals
and corporations ia control of the
opportunities they must use. And
it Is certain that home seekers
On the farms and elsewhere will
find their way blocked by the
land speculator. Is land mono
III such q blessing that Il must be-
subsidized and at such " cost
Can We not secure your help q
reunoying this incubus from
American industry &
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