The Washington herald., 1921-06-14
NEWARK BUSINESS MAN
UPHOLDs TAX-EXEMPTION

UPHOLDS TAX-EXEMPTION.
The trade union movement, II It
continues its growth. will lead us
into communism" declared William
J. Wallace. national chairman Of
the single tax party. at the Lafay-
ette hotel. what is to be done
about 1t. Under present conditions
the unions are inevitable and / am
strongly for them. With the indus
trial situation as 1t is, we must
have them, for IL they we're to dis
appear. the condition of labor would
sink immeasurably."
Mr. wallace, who Is a prominent
business man of Newark, N. j., be-
lieVes he has the solution to the di-
lemma. He congresses II in a word
Which he says is an improper name
Tor De remedy, but 1t iss the name
"hi,-. has somehow become attach
ed to it, namely. single tax"
The single tax is a thoroughly
American movement" said Mr.. wal
lace. 1T proposes to free men. 10
free industry In contradistinction to
the mass of laws being enacted of
late, which are proscriptive, which
seek to add thou shalt nots' to the
already overflled statute books
The single tax is a movement for
greater individualism, yet IL would
provide an indivtCualism, in which
all would profit. 1t would abolish
charity and institute justice and
efficiency. The single tax does not
condemn industry. Henry George
laid down the principle that what
Is needed Is not restriction of in
dustry but more industry. 1t is,
therefore. ESSENTIALLY in conformity
with the best American ideals.
PRINCIPLE WOULD BENEFIT
ALL LINES OF INDUSTRY,
1T is a movement for industry's
beneft. 1 have said" continued Mr..
wallace but instead of the pres
ent condition of labor, where two
men seek one job, two jobs would
seek every man after its institu-
ton. AT present. employment IL
scarce and the laborer must needs
have the union back of him, IL ne is
10 live In a fairly decent manner.
we propose abolishing ali taxes
now imposed, income, personal
property, excess profits. Inheritance,
tarins, etc, and substituting one
single tax on land values. All of
these taxes and tariffs which we
now have besides retarding indus
try are passed on to the consumer.
land value tax is the only tax
that can not be passed on to the
consumer. For IL you tax land
values, instead of raising the price
OF land. you force more of il into
use, and when this condition occurs,
when there Is more of the commod-
lty going around. the price auto
matically falls. Hence. the land tax
cannot be added to the rent of land
II cannot be added to any other
commodity. for forcing land into use
by taxes increases the amount used
Tor agriculture, thereby reducing
the price of land to the tenant
farmer land the number of tenant
farmers is growing by leaps and
bounds). thus reducing the price OF
foodstuffs.
WOULD BRING IDLE LANDS
AND RESOURCES INTO USE.
Likewise you force vacant land
in the city out of the hands of
spectators and make them build,
builders, plasterers, painters, con-
tractors. furniture manufacturers:
to hundreds Of other classes and
you likewise reduce the rent, by the
increase of building that follows.
You force the idle coal. iron and
other mineral lands out Of the hands
of spectators and into use. in or
der to pay their taxes. for idle land
would be taxed as much as land that
is doing its bit. As result you force
down the cost of commodities. in
which iron, coal and other minerals
are used. The result is to produce
vast expansion of industry. bene-
fiting everybody except perhaps one
half of l per cent who are land
spectators.
The state" Mr.. Wallace declared.
''is fully justified in taxing land
values. for such values are socially
or naturally produced. Every child
that is born. every person that
comes to Washington for instance.
increases the value of the lands
here. The state has a right to take
as its revenue the socially or natur-
ally produced values"