Press enter after choosing selection

The Single Tax

The Single Tax image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
May
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Our readers will be interested in learning whether the ideas of Henry George are growing in favor, and what is the prospect of their adoption in our government. Briefly stated, Henry George claims that the general adoption of the single tax scheine would remove all poveity, or it would so cbange affairs that all able and willing to work, could find employment readily ; and there would not be such chances as now for the acquirement of wealth by monopoly. His scheme is to collect all the needed levenue of the state and national governments from land values, and then gradually increase the rate of taxation until the government takes all the rental value of the land. He would, of course, bring this about very slowly. Ifthis plan of taxation werein use, of course no one could keep more land than he could use, and specuhition in land would be impossible. Such a thing as the landed aristocracy of England would fade away.and the Corporation control of thousands of nnused acres of coal iand in Penneylvauia would be a thing of the past. No man could get wealth merely by holding land which other people wanted. ïhey would have to go to work at prodnctive labor themselves. There propably are not over 40,000 persons in the United States who are as sanguine as Mr. George concerning the benefits to be derived from the adoption of this plan of taxation. But the real growth of the single tax movement cannot be measured by this. The vital and starting point of Mr. George's philosophy is gainingground among practical, business men and among thinkers. The Chicago and Minneapolis papers have been interviewing many of their leading business and professional men concerning the single tax, and nearly 50 per cent. understood and approved it. The reasons they give are various, and we will state a few of them: 1. Il would bring unproductive land into uee and stop crowding and speculation ; 2. It is impracticable to tax personal property so that all shall bear their just share: the rich and the unscrupulous escape, as a rule, and the poor and unfortunate pay their full proportion ; 3. It would be the means of inciting the production of houses and other forms of wealth. It is .well known that taxing anything tends to lessen the supply of that article: take the tax off, and the supply will increase. When they taxed windows in Europe, the houses were built with as few windows as possible ; but when the tax was taken off, the number of window6 increased. Those who readthe daily papers carefully know that Mayor Hewitt, of New York city, advocates the adoption of a modified form of Henry George's scheme of taxation. The movement is having a wonderful growth in Texas, where the legislature will be urged by a powerful influence to consider the subject. The most significant of recent newspaper utterances in regard to this jr scheme of taxation is in the New York Evening Post, a paper which usually sneers at Henry George. In discussing the overcrowding of cities which is so painfully feit in New York, it says : " George thiuks that if more taxes were put upon ground-rent and less upon improvements, the available space would be better utilized, and great many men who are not followers of George in his extreme theories agree with this proposition when stated in its moderate form. Within limits, it t undoubtedly true." This is a very great admission. In the opinión of the Post, the single tax would somewhat relieve overcrowding in cities. It raises the objection, however, that the better utilization of space would cause a greater rush to the cities from the rural districts, and thus neutralize the good that was done. This mlght be true if the tax scheme were applied to the cities alone, but if applied over a large area, such as one state, we imagine that the objection would be found to be without good foundation. Thebelieversin the single tax scheme are arranging for a convention in Chicago in the near future. Their idea is in the range of actual discussion by practical men, and whatever is right and practicable about it will probably be adopted in time. Kansas leads all the states in the Union, in the prominence it gives to woman in municipal aflairs. Mrs. Lowman, recently elected mayor of Oskaloosa, is supported by a female council chainber. She was bom in Pennsyhvania 49 years ago, and has lived in Kansas 20 years. Her husband, Mr. Lowman, is now and has been for raany years register of deeds at Oskaloosa, and for several years Mrs. Lowman has served the public as deputy county clerk and deputy register of deeds. Mrs. Lowman's political faith is Republican ; her religious faith, Presbyterian. She began her active life as a school teacher and continued to teach long after marriage. All her life she has been a very busy woman. She is said to be both motherly and wise, in spite of her liking for office. Hertwo children, a son and daughter, are both grown, and her time can be liberally given to the public service. We don't believe in women mayors, but will teil what is supposed to be the truth about theni. Last week, the great Methodist conference in New York city decided, after a long debate, that women should not be admitted as delegates. It was shown that without the women members, onehalf of the Methodist churches would cease to exist, and the better half, too ; vet ths women were denied the right of representation in the council.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register