The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-08-26
THE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
Written Especially for The CONNER
cial by Lowe Shearon, 225 East
18th Street, New York

rotary of the Single Tax Party, 201
West 18th street, New York, says all
men have an equal right to use land.
This is true, but the extent of that
right depends altogether on the
amount of diligence used by the oc-
cupant of land in producing things
| from that land. If some one else will
use that land to produce the necessi-
ties of life so as to sell them at less
price than the occupant, having first
compensated the occupant for the i'm
provements he may have made, then
the occupant should yield to his
more worthy competitor. This, of
course. is considering the matter as
an abstract problem in an endeavor
tc get at true property rights as de-
fined in Hadley's Economics where
he SAYS: True property right is
something quite distinct from the
feet of possession or from the claims
which much possession gives the oc-
cupant"
Property in legal sense, however,
means those things designated by
law as property. Thus the right to
occupy land is made a legal right,
but as such it is only a trae proper
ty right insofar as the occupant
agrees to use that land for the best
advantage of all. If we follow out
the idea of fair competition we find
that there could be no such thing as
an unearned increment in anything,
and since property in land is based
wholly on the unearned increment
it follows that land cannot properly
be called property, no matter wheth-
er that be private or common proper
ty. To say that land, per Sc, is prop
erty is an economic fallacy. True
property is wealth created by human
effort. Therefore land is not true
property. The right to occupy land
is only relative property right de-
used in making that land yield to the
best advantage of all.
If we were to incorporate this prin-
ciple of RELATIVELY in the right to use
land that right would become a true
property right. Then if we adopt the
single tax as a method for raising
such revenue as may be necessary to
meet absolutely necessary govern
ment expenses, both local and state
as well as federal expenses, have free
trade, but require fair competition in
importing by requiring the naming
of import prices year in advance, we
would have. just economic system
and fair distribution of wealth.
This is the very soundest argument
that can possibly be made for the
single tax, and is much sounder ar
gument than the single takers them
selves make. To urge the single tax
on the ground that land should be
made common property is fallacy
because land cannot be made true
property, either common or private, il
we argue from now to doomsday.
If we carefully follow out the idea
of fair and intelligent competition
which requires that employers state
in advance a rate of compensation
with which they will content them
selves, which would make it neces-
sary for them to name prices in adj
vance of a season instead of jumping
them up and down as at present, we
will find that there is no loophole
whatever left fer such a thing as an
unearned increment in anything.
Even in case of wheat crop failure
there would be no increase in the
price of wheat on hand because it
would all have been arranged in ad-
vance. That on hand would have to
be prorated among the consumers at |
the price agreed upon and the con-
sumner could not resell until he had
first obtained a license to sell and !
this license to sell must be obtained
in advance of any season so as to re-
quire that the seller act in fair and |
open competition with others instead |
of holding over the consumer the !
club of immediate need as he does at !
present. Thus we see that the de- !
plorable condition in industry lies in |
the fact that our economists have
spent more time in trying to recon-
cile errors of the past with correct ,
practice rather than in trying to ar
range fair competition which, on the
face of it, makes intelligent foresight |
necessary.
How many horse races or athletic
or even outright gam
bling games would there be If the
rules for such contests were not made
in advance? If we had as fair COM
petition in industry as we have in
sports and games of chance industry
would become even more attractive !
than sports BECAUSE industry is al
ways remunerative to all who engage !,