Taxes And The Ownership Of Land In Prussia

Frota " Student Rambles"in March Lippincott. Tbc tazes in Prussia are very heary, but are perhaps more equitabl levied and colleoted tban in anjr other oountry ia tbe world. The peopl are devided iuto tix olasses, accordiog to the amonnl of their property, and the rate of taxation is different for eaoh olass. Tha urn-total of tbe taxes collccted Ín the monarohy in 1867 averaged 56 10 thalers ($36.75 in specie) for evety man, womiD, and child wbioh is mor th&n a farm-laborer earns in a year ábottt Wittenberg. In Hanover, before it was annexed, the direet taxee averiged only $34 a head ; in Hoese Cassel, $25.50. In Bavaria, in the same year, the direöt tax was ouly 80 oente I In the various eaatern proviface tho site of farms averages as follow ; Prueais 113 acre?; Pogen, 96 ; Pomerania, 114 ; Brandenburg; 82. Aa a basis óf com pariauD, farms in the United States average about 75 acres; in Texas alone; 500 ; in England, 475. From thii ïi may be interred that tbe condition of the Prussian peasantry is far better than that of the English. Of the 55,687,049 acres in the ábove proTÏnces, the nobility own only 19,704,506 acres - the peasantry, 35,982,543 According to the ceinus of 1883; tbero were in tho wbole Prussian monarchy - Independent landholders, 762,157 Hentcrs of land (independent), 33,218 Persons owiiiug land as a secondnry business, 421,944 Total; 1,216,919 The number of sefvant, apprentioe, day-laborers, and arüsans of various soi ts employed on farms (not independent) was 1,911,861 - a number oonsiderably greater than that of tbe independente given above. Tho relation of independent landholders to the agricultural laborers of all sorts variea in different distriots. Thus in Stranlsund the latter class is to the former as 5-40 to 1 ; in the Berlin district, 3 32 ; Potsdam, 2 58 ; Königsberg, 2-73; Magdoburg, 2-06; Erfurt, 1-24; Cologne, 1-05; Aix-la-Chapelle, 0 82; Sigmaringen, 0-41. The point which is iuteresting in this is, that the proportion of independent landholders in South Gurmany (of wbich the district of Sigmaringen may be oousidered reprosentative) is much largor than it is in Prussia, where the dependent laborera prevail. Tbis accounts in part for tbe stronger Democratie proclivities of South Goruuany. Auother notable and apparently paradoxical fact íh, as the above figures show, that in the Westphalian and other fertile provinces along the Rhine the proportion of laborers is comparatirely less than in the sterile eastern provinces: in other words, in those fat provinces where the Gatholics are mostnumerous and wine abounds the number of dependent laborers is smaller proportionately than in those sandy barrens peopled by a grim, .Puritanic, beerdrinking populatiou. This appears to be contrary to the usnnl state of affain in such regions respectireiy in other nations. The explanation ecems to be, that these eastern provinces have been longer under the hard rule of Prussia, and that the oneroun taxes whioh have been necessitaied by her military system have foroed many farmers to sell their littlo propertics and become laborers for tho nobility. If eo, it is the hard and bitter priee which Germany bas to puy for unioa, beoause nothing else in the worl.l but the grim military syBtem of Prussia oould ever stamp out the infernal jangliogs of the prinoelings of Central and Soutbcrn Oenrany, and make one great nation respectable and strong. Tbe world will never know, until it is lully set förth in history, the infinite indebtodness of Germany, to those few, early Puritanic provinoes of Pru-bi, and the mighty burdens they have borne in building up, in npito of itcelf, the greatnessof the Uerman uation. When Germnny is fully united and stroDg externally, the will become liberal to het own citizens. As Bismarok saxa, "None but á eompleted oommonweaftb. can afford tbe luxury of a liberal gove.ru-. ment.1'