New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1918-04-24
A SIGN OF PROGRESS

A SIGN OF PROGRESS
Governor Whitman, of New York,
has taken note of the land problem in
Its relation to the food shortage. This
does not appear, however, in a mes
sage tm the Legislature, but, like his
,sugg Is tons concerning abolition OF
poyTty. in an address to an unofficial
badly The New York State Agricul-
4uraI Society An important phase of
fhe food situation, he declares to be
''the necessity of bringing back under
rulti4atien the idle land of the state. y
The census of 1910 showed that co.
300 acres of formerly cultivated land
aas ceased to be worked, end he sug-
gests as a means to check that ten
dency, further extension OF rural
credits. The example of Denmark ap-
peals strongly to him.
In Denmark the purchaser of a
EMAIL agricultural holding can borrow
from state fund ninety per cent of
tie cost of the land, and on this loan
Il pays but four per cent annually,
three per cent being credited to inter-
Bt, and the remaining one per cent to
the principal. Such system facili-
sates wonderfully the ownership of
II g., I>,c4oo Cc hwy
sors.
Unfortunately there is evidence that
The Danish peasants have found a
lack of something vital in this scheme.
The Copenhagen correspondent of The
CRsishAa Science Monitor, made this
eIsar ID 4 letter that appeared in the
Ssue Of June 5. Tie low interest rates
enable land owners to exact higher
prices hom the small purchasers, or
make it possible for the purchasers to
exast unaarred gains when selling to
Others So TIE organized small farmers
of Denmark have long demanded the
application Of the Single Tax, con-
senIng which The Christian Science
Monitor's correspondent remarks:
Henry George would have been de-
lighted to see the attempt which is
now proposed to- apply his ideas in an
undiIuted form.
But Governor Whitman does not
hesitate to add to his recommendation
a suggestion to proceed along SINH
Tar rs. at least to some extent. He
says:
Another very wise policy which
they have followed is plan of ex-
smpting such Eoldings from taxation,
and this, too, has proved a conspicu-
ous success, and perhaps some plan
Of this character would work we'll
Eith us. 1t has been proposed for
Instance. to- exempt from taxation
Ill the man-maGe improvements of
farm land, the orchards and wood
ends, the fences, the buildings, the
-f1,n-s, the herds and machinery,
>4evvf1s' our rural taxes only on the
bags Enrre values, always provided
shat tie finnin is adequately worked.
Such d policy would OF necessity
result Tn taxes slightly higher on
Ebare and idle lard but to the enterpris-
ing working farmer, it would mean a
substantial reduction in his taxes
for any slight increase which he
might pay on his land and would be
more than offset by exempting his
buildings and his personal property.
1t certainly seems wiser to penalize
the agricultural Stacker who leaves
ans land idle and unworked than to
discouraged the real farmer, the farmer
who is rising to his responsibilities
and doing his share to feed the
nation. by penalizing him through
II q tax rvlls for every improvement
which he makes, every sign OF
prosperity which he shows, every
contribution which he makes to
meet ths' national emergency with
which We are now confronted
This plan, Governor Whitman fur
Their axplainedy was offered not for i'm
mediate action but for careful consid-
Grafton. Although this comes as an
anti-climax, it would be unfair to at
tribute it to political caution. 1t is
but little more than year since the
Governor, in his campaign for re-elec-
tion, denounced his opponent, Judge
Seabury, for advocacy Of the very
principle to which he now gives a
qualified approval. That alone is evil
,aenee of progress not only in the eco
lnomic education of Governor Whit
man, hut in general acceptance of the
idea which he suggests. And for this
encouragement Governor Whitman de-
xerves commentator.