Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-02-15

/ WISH 10 O1SIs u SHUT 'GOu11AS4AtzOAt
Mr.. Marshall,s article, not in crit.
ical, but in a :.get-together" spirit.
AS the space for my article in the
: Leader was limited, it was devoted:
mainly to. showing the: injustice and
economic unsoundness Of. the single
tax, .".. i 81 81
1: j. had no space to state fully my
views of. taxation, but wrote that the
graduated land and income tax;
which is substantially the-$ same as
Mr.. .Marshall's plan--Was the only
Just and scientific method Of: taxation.
to prevent dangerous concentration7 Of
wealth and Industrial control. Altho I
consider public own ership of public
utilities and natural monopolies the
ultimate and necessary. goal Of indus
trial. and economical reform, I agree.
with Mr.. Marshall that the. graduated
land and property tax Will. cause the
big fruit combinations to- break up in.
to smaller concerns, thus permitting
a fairer competition, and bringing a
more even distribution OF wealth and
industry. .-.....-ss -. tsg IL.
7 think it Will some time be possible
to: have the benefits of large organ
izations without the evils caused BY:
present autocratic control-it Will be
possible under, cooperation, or public
or government ownership. But at
present, MT. sMarshall,s plan Isl: one
that every progressive can and: oDght
to support, will venture to- say, now
ever, that, Mr.. Marshall will not be
able to get the support of the Manu-,
facturers and Merchants assn aud Mr..
Lord, their publicity agent, Mr., Eug-
enc Frey, Mr.. Jorgenson. Mr.. Keller
and all other. hackers Of the single tax
whether completely applied, or par
TALLY, as in the Keller bill. The two
theories-the single tax theory and
Mr.. Margha!l's-- are entirely opposed,
their principles are irreconcilable.
The single tax, completely applied,
would be equivalent to confiscation of
private property or land: the rental
value of all land would be taken in
taxes, thus making the title worthless.
It would be new form Of feudalism,
the man next to the soil paying the
whole cost Of government, while an
other class would be practically ex-
empt. ~. -'..~s
| Mr.. MarshaM's plan would preserve
and protect moderate holdings of land
and improvements as private prop
erty. -
! y1r1,e 1s,.j@ of :, civ ,ry1o TO v
is that land values, and land values
only: are created by society as a whole
and rightly can be taken by taxes;
that all wealth other than land should
be exempt wealth such as improve
ments, bonds, money, etc, no matter
how much an individual may have, no
matter how. acquired or used. =.
Mr.. Marshall's theory is that: lex
cess profits subside into overproduct-
ions: and become inutilable."
Il entirely agree with him. The ex-
cess profits are that part Of created
wealth which is the difference be
| tween the social value of labors pro
duct and the purchasing power Of la
boris wage. -: '.- -. II
! If Mr.. MARSHALL can get any single
taxer or single tax advocate to admit
the truth of that theory-or rather sell
evident, fact shall be greatly sur
prised, for in that admission, the sin
gle taxer would have given up his own
idea that land rent absorbs almost all
labor: value and it is the only cause
of our social evils. &c ~...@
J.. B. BOSCH.