East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-09-23

ants farm much of the fertile lands
that are cultivated. One-tnird the
land values of the state are in town
lots and corporation franchises.
! A single block OF land in Portland
Is assessed for $1,s40.000. Many of
them for over $3.50. 900 each. There
are several counties that assess their
ltillable lands at less than this one val-
liable block.
The workingmen in the cities own
but little of the land values. Few of
them own any whatever. That 10000
of them in Portland own their homes
is a most liberal estimate. Their lots
are of little value. At $500 each the
assessed values of five business bust
ness blocks would exceed the total
VIM. BouclS, master of the Wash
ing State Grange, in his report to the
Grange last June states the following;
IF all idle acres and speculative
wealth had been taxed as it should
have been during the war, there need
have been few bonds" "All
unearned Increment must be taxed out
of real estate.'
Let us not forget---let us get into
our minds-that taxing industry is
taxing labor. And taxing labor is tax
ing the bread and butter of the nation.
and taxing the bread basket is always
untaxing special privilege that much,
and building up the great wealthy
class who do not work but reap where
others SOW"
: IF we taxed unearned land values |
in Washington, as they should be, they !
would produce, at present values, |
more than all the taxes levied in the !
state. This is the doctrine levied in /
the state. This is the doctrine of the |
Washington State Grange. Let us
make it the practice of the state"
Taxes will be collected in proper +
tion to benefits received. Land vail I
ues scientifically register the privilege +
tse individual enjoys from the COM
munty. BY taking rent for commu-
nifty purposes. the individual is allow
ed full possession of the product of his H
labor, since he is not taxed according Fl
to ability to pay. The community of q
which he is a member is a stock COM
pany and will receive that value which
Is the joint product of all. The Sin II
gle Tax will estop the community from
confiscating the property of the indi-
Vidnal and estop the individual from
the property of the COM
nunity.
OREGON SINGLE TAX LEAGUE
BY Christina Fl. Mock, Secretary.
316 Stock Exchange Building,
Portland, Oregon.
ON OFFICIAL Ballot, Nos. 3O6 and SO7)
ARGUMENT (Nesative)
Submitted by Oregon Chamber of :
Commerce, opposing Single Tax Con-
stitufionai Amendment
Admitted Purpose Is Confiscation.
This amendment is Intended to car
y out the Henry George single tax
hoory. which is to confiscate all value v
ut of land. so it wilr have no selling n
Forth, but may be entered upon or oc-l 5
upied without paying a purchase D
rice, simply by paying each year its $
ull rental value to the government as s.
landlord. Mr.. George clearly. and f
rankly explained this purpose as fol-
ows:
'It is not necessary to confiscate
ind; it is only necessary to confiscate II
snt. What / therefore e
ropose is to appropriate Il
ent by taxation. In this way the state n
lay become the universal landlord n
-ithout calling herself So" t
Weakness of the Theory. \
The beneficent purpose behind this ie
neory is to make it possible for peo- W
lie lacking means to acquire sites for n
omes farms, factories and places of o.
usiness. The sites to be SO acquired
ould be such land as was urrendered Il
the public by present owners, who u
ould be unable or unwilling. tc pay u
$ fun rental value each year in the g;
'rm of taxes.
1t is reasonable to expect that much
nd ould be given up by its present a
yners were it's rental value all taken cc
lch year by government. 1t is un- al
asonable to expect that those who be
,quired it without purchase price III
ould be better able to improve the lin
nd so as to pay it's full rental value m
.ch year in taxes. Therein lies the sit
eakness of the single tax theory, Oh
ide from its immortality in repudi- pc
ing governmental guarantees as to VIZ
ivate property in land by extracting no
the value from private ownership. pls
Take Full Value Yearly. rel
Under this single tax amendment, a or
cant lot would pay identically the ret
me tax as a lot next door to it con- fin
ming an apartment building. A Gle
zee of raw land would pay the same wo
( as an adjoining piece of land that nu
$ fenced. drained. planted with sui
Iitful trees, contained barns and
$ highly improved and productive j
all cases, the amount of the tax ma
uld be fixed by the taxing authori- no
:, and after July 1. 1925, this tax all
uld be fixed at an amount to abb by
b the full rental value of land, pro
hout improvements as clearly set a h
tn in the proposed amendment lam
ween now and 1925, only such tax loai
would be collected as were required A
operate government: after that date rem
full value would be collected uo
ether 1t was needed or not for exist mer
governmental purposes. the dispo-
On of the surplus to be "as the peo- "
may direct' land
A I,ftiless Landlord. vall
wners of highly improved prop cert
probably would continue to be mig
TO pay the fun rental value of due
r land in taxes, for they would ines
E the benefit of the earning power that
heir machinery, their business gift'
ctures and their farms. or the Thrift
III of their homes as dwellings. 1t mon
oubtful whether they would add man
leir improvements in any costly or farm
nanent manner for thew would 1t