The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean., 1918-10-02

SINGLE TAX EXPOSED.
FARMERS Can Have Shell It We
Get the Kernel"

showed Under. by 500, ,1s7
70 ee,647 In State Of
Missouri.
The sugar coated Single Tax doc.
krine proposed for adoption in the
form Of constitutional amendment. to
be voted on this fan, under the at
tractive title exemption Of farm Inn
is exposed in it's true
tight in a story Of the fight made BY
the farmers In Missouri against the
enactment Of the Single Tax. Tho
story discloses that in Missouri the
single tax, as it always does, had the
support Of the wealthy interests. the
holders of vast personal property
possessions, who. through the medium
Of the single tax, shift the burden OF
taxation from themselves onto the
land.
In discussing the doctrine the fol-
lowing is quoted from Progress AMI
Poverty" a book by Henry George, the
original single tax advocate, pages 4OS
and 4O4, as follows:
~ do not propose either to pur-
chase or to confiseate private i
property In land. The first would
be unjust; the second needless.
Let the individuals who now hold
Il still retain, II they want to,
possession Of what they are
pleased to call THEIR land. Let
them continue to call It THEIR
land, let them and sell and BE-
oueath and devise It. We may :.
safeIy leave them the shelf, II We
take tho KERNEL.
Il 10 not necessary 70 eonf'scats
land; It 10 only necessary to con-
tfscate the rent. In this way the
state may become the universal
landlord without calling. herself
| Co."
Thus, as Henry George expresses 1t,
the whole purpose of the Single Tax Is
ownership Of land by the state.
The point Of the single tax, as ap-
piled to the North Dakota political
situation, is found in the fact that the
doctrine was set forth in House Bill
"A, supported by GovernoE. Frazier,
and opposed BY Mr.. Doyle.
| In. this analysis Of the Singis F&x
letter is quoted, written BY Jewell
Mayes, Secretary of the Missouri State
Board of Agriculture. Jefferson City.
Mo-, who was in charge Of the pub
ucity campaign in Missouri when the
fight was staged there in 1912. In
part, Mr.. Mayes says:
Saddle Tax on Farmers.
sThe year 1912 witnessed the At
tempt to saddle the single tax onto
Missouri farmers.
'Four country men met one day IN
Kansas City at the office Of the late
Senator George Falcon, early in the
summer, and then sand there we de.
cidsd to call state convention at the
tcapital to lay before the people the
truth about the propaganda, which evi
dently was being finances by Joseph
Tels. millionaire soap manufacturer
and single taxer.
'.The state convention 10 Jefferson
city was largely attended, creating tht
Missouri Anti-Single Tax League,
which was organized in each eongres
sional district and every county, fo1
holding public meetings and distribut
ing literature. Funds were raised To-
state and county purposes, and stat
headquarters opened In Kansas CITY
vigorous and successful campaign
conducted therefrom.
Farmers Take Stump.
Farmers who had never made ,
speech took the stump, and many ,
nery orator was created over night
Sentiment and passion ran high
Single takers travelled over the state
financed by the Fels fund, and in man!
instances the socialistic speaker
aroused public opposition to the dan
ger point.
"Single tax was studied in ever.
home. Single tax books were bough
and read. Anti-single Tax booklet
and books were written and printed
Many lecturers against Single Ia,
toured the state. Many newspaper
gave more space to fighting the propa
ganda than they used in polttica
4 effort.
1 '.rhe State was aroused to feve
heat at the thought Of placing all tn
burdens Of taxation on land: The fe,
fafmers who ha dheld to that s,cia1
ist1c faith awakened to the seriousness
Id o. D. - - dtuatlou and turned against til
Single Tax.
"InteresEJ' Fst Il
~some Of the oerporauoas and cs
tain big interests Startsd out yer,
very favorable to the Single Tai
Certain public men who had contrib