Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1903)
16 THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT. MAY 14. 190S. TUE FAIBHOPE EXAMPLE. (Written for Henry George Edition of The Independent) The story of Fairhope will not be uninteresting to your readers who are 'studying the single tax. " - There is no demonstration of a the ory so perfect as its practical opera tion. So thought a few single tax enthusiasts who had taken . up the cross of the new crusade in Des Moines, la., some ten years ago. Though few In numbers and finan cially weak, they were strong in the faith that some way might be devised to illustrate the effect of the basic principle of the single tax, viz: the concentration of all public burdens " uioii the value of land exclusive of improvements. As nowhere in 4he" United States could the civil govern ment be invoked to give the plan a trial, recourse was had to . the powers of a proprietary government, and a syndicate was formed and a body of land secured cn the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in southern Alabama.. Sev eral reasons controlled the selection of that site. Its beauty, its health fulness and its nearness to the market of Mobile, combined with the. slight first cost of the land were the chief Considerations. But it was not with out the thought that in thus seeking a locality away from the path of com mercial monopoly the undisturbed , evolution of its plan might be the ' better promoted. Though only sixteen miles by wa ter from a large and flourishing city, the resources of Baldwin county, where they located, had never been . tut slightly developed. Such ship ping facilities as it had were used to exploit -its resources rather than to develop them. At the same time the bay furnished an open -highway for shipping, and it was thought that the syndicate or association,; as it styled Itself, could soon provide its own tneans for reaching a market In 185 a very small colony of Des M bines people' began the development of its . plans by opening a small settlement in the piney woods upon the bay front Today it has grown to be a flourishing village, forming a com munity of about three hundred souls with all the advantages and conven fences that are usually present in such - communities and some that are no where else to be found. The village has two large general stores,- a' dry goods and millinery - store, a drug, store, bakery, butcher shop, blacksmith, cobbler, tailor and Carpenter' shops, a good hotel, a liv ery stable, end a rice and sawmill. It has a good school, two organized churches and a free public library of p.ver two thousand volumes. Of pub lic utilities it has a large windmill end tank which furnishes water free; a wharf 1,800 feet long; two public bath houses, and several warehouses for the handling of freight Through the kindness of friends who furnished the means Fairhope has built and eQuipDed a steamboat of ninety-three tons burden which plies between Fair hope, and Mobile and gives a quick and reasonable connection' with Mo bile. All -of these things have been ac complished by northern people work ing under conditions of soil and cli mate with which they were unfamil- lar,'upon lanl that is not subject to private ownership. "; , ... The development, of Fairhope has far outstripped that of any other com- j fnunity in that part of the1 country and has been for the most part the direct result of labor unaided'" by ; special privilege or capital.; " ; The method employed is thi3: The land is leased in such tracts as are desired to anyone who applies. -He is given a ninety-nine year .-lease which "provides that he shall pay a rental annually appraised by the executive council of the association in sfch a manner as to equalize the varying ad vantages of location and natural qual ities of its different tracts and convert into the treasury of the association for the common benefit of its lessees -all values attaching' to such lands, not due to the efforts or expenditures of the lessees. 4 J . . These rentals'; are' used to pay; all taxes levied by county, and state upon the lands of the association and the ' Improvements ; and personal property held by the lessees on such lands, and ; the remainder, after such payment is used in local improvements for .the - equal benefit ofv alii the ; lessees.- vr ; This s plans seems to- be not only satisfactory to the people, but is" pro ' ductive .of rapidly increasing benefits. I As the rents are so adjusted as to take all the unearned increment of theiand : as ; fast as it, accrues, ' a fund Is pro ; vided sufficient for the maintenance of ' such public utilities as are from time to time , required. Thus these better ments that in other communities are the occasion for the" issuing of bonds are here provided for without-' debt and interest charged to the commun ity. Indeed such a debt is forbidden by the charter of the association, and since the lessee does not bold a fee to the land he cannot mortgage his pos session. Thus the plan of Fairhope not only does away with land speculation, but with public and to a large extent with private debts. A town without a bonded debt or a mortgaged, home is seldom .found under any other sys tem. Fairhope has a beautiful situation and a delightful climate and is rapid ly becoming a favorite resort for northern tourists in the winter and the residents of southern cities in the summer. Its beautiful outlook upon the bay, its fishing, boating, and bath ing are attractions of which the peo ple never tire. It has, too, an excep tionally ulgu altitude - for a southern coast, being the highest between New Jersey and the River Grande. These are some of the main details of the features of Fairhope that ,make her development unique in the pio neer, life of America. As an object lesson in the principles of the single tax her history and pros perity will be invaluable when some state shall give its inhabitants local option in taxation. .The lesson will be the more valuable because her plan secures the full appropriation of ground values to public purposes and is not hampered by any opposition in practical application. To her own people the material ad vantages which her policy affords are by no means her only benefits. The freedom from the corrupting power of the land monopolist and the inter est gatherer, and the educational in fluence of a "system that is avowed ly based upon the principle-of equaliz ing the opportunities of her citizens gives to .Fairhope a spiritual atmos phere that cannot be : estimated in dollars and cents and which will in crease as her increased prosperity gives emphasis to the value of her plans. . ,. J. BELLANGEE. . $3,600 Buys Choice i60 Acres No. 706; 75 acres pasture, balanca under, cultivation. Good bottom land with creek running through the farm; bottom land and will grow very best alfalfa some now growing. In Har lan county, two miles from Huntley; close to good school and church. Pos session given March next one-third of the grain vcrOp goes with the place if taken at once. Will give Imme diate possession with all the crops in at $4,000. Weber & Farris, Lin coln, Neb. , ". ' ANARCHY AMD SOCIALISM (Written for Henry, George Edition of The Independent) Impressed by the fact that both so cialists and anarchists used some ar guments which were irrefutable in support of diametrically opposed the ories of social justice, I yet could find no solution of this seeming paradox until full comprehension of Henry George's system of political economy caused it to flash through my mind that he had found the whole truth, of which socialism and anarchy each had found the half; that socialists were right in reference to social things and anarchists correct In re gard to personal matters. Socialists erred in applying social theories to personal matters and anarchists in applying personal rights to social ones. - Mr. George's nhilosoDhy of freedom fully, reconciles the opposing theories or anarchy and socialism, saving the true and good In each and rejecting their errors. Guarding personal rights and natural freedom as jealously as does philosophical anarchy, he yet socializes social values and functions as completely as do the socialists, and more-r-he shows that the former Is rendered possible only through the latter that freedom with monopolized social values and functions is impos sible; that socialism with the govern ing power of. politicians in office (all there is of government) supreme over personal rights, production, enter prise, and initiative, would be a de lusion and a snare; that it would be the present system augmented by the increased powers of those in posses sion of the offices. Mr. George recognizes that man has a dual nature, one as an individual and another as a member of society, even as a cell of the human body has an entity, a life and functions as a cell, yet millions of these cells unite to make the full man. Vigorous, healthy, well nourished cells, mak9 strong, efficient men and womej, dis eased or poorly nurtured cells pro duce " the weakling, even as . healthy, Intelligent citizens make a strong state, " ignorant, degraded, impover ished ones a weak nation. While the cells nourish the Indi vidual, they can do so efficiently only so long as the Individual by good hab its keps the cells healthy and well fed.' So, while Individuals sustain the state, they can do so efficiently only when the state has dealt wisely and Justly with them, giving them the nourishment, the vigor, to render it good service. A man that starves his cells, impoverishes and inflames his blood, by intemperance and debauch ery, cannot 'be assured of that suc cess in life that the temperate, virtu ous man expects, nor can a state that deals foolishly with its cells, giving what should be their nourishment to enrich the idle and vicious, thus pro ducing social and political parasites and carbuncles instead of healthy, well circulated blood, expect to be a strong and lasting state. As nature distributes blood (strength) impartially, sending most to the organ doing the most work, so Mr. George's economy would send most wealth to the man who had beat served the state by producing wealth. This is true democracy, social jus tice, real freedom, Christianity in ac tion all synonymous of each other. To have a good society, a strong state, we must have strong persons, intelligent, honest individuals; but to have such individuals we must have a state that does not rob the work ing bees of all the honey and feed it to the drones, as we now have. Let the state give to each its own to ev ery one his own full product, to none a social product, but keep the latter for social uses. W. H. T. WAKEFIELD. Mound CityJKas. EXEMPTION OV ASSESSED VALUES (Written for Henry George Edition of The Independent). One reason why, under a Just sys tem of taxation, such as the single tax will prove to be, large-hearted landlords of Boston would cheerful ly offer their necks to the tax yoke is the fact that so far as concerns their investment in land - they are now privileged to be entirely exempt. In other words, , the present tax of $8,480,000 upon Boston land is not a tax burden upon them, though even this fact is not to their prejudice. One "simple illustration of this point, and we leave it to the contemplation and judgment of the readers of The Independent If you would pay. today $800 for a lot of land, it is because that land would net you $40, or 5 per cent on $800. If that land were relieved of a present tax of" $10 you would give $1,000, because it would net you $10 morer$50 instead of $40, " or 5 ! per cent on $1,000. If landlords would pay today $573, 000,000 for the land of Boston it is because that land would net them $28,650,000, or 5 per cent on $573,000, 000; If it were relieved of the pres ent tax of $8,480,000 they would pay $742,600,000, because it would net them $8,480,000 more $37,130,000 instead of $28,650,000, or 5 per cent on $742, 600,000. m This present exemption, however, is not offered as a reason for addi tional taxation, but it is offered as a pretext and a Justification for taking the opportunity to transfer the pres ent load from the head and the tail to the back and shoulders of the. horse. The necessity for. government and the value of land are both the result of population, and the revenue of ground rent should be used to defray the cost of administering public af fairs. W. L. CROSMAN.- Boston, Mass. iao Acre Farm for $a,aoo No. 708. Three miles from Orleans. Harlan county. An ideal hbme and dirt cheap. Large two-story 7-room frame house and other out buildines all in good repair. Large shade trees ana nowermg Drusn in the yard. Small : bearing orchard; walks from the house to all buildings and to the road; large barn, 2 cribs, granary, 2 wells, one at house and one at barn, 2 living springs in the pasture and these supply two nice fish ponds; 10 acres in alfalfa, 8 to 10 acres of choice ash timber; 60 acres in pasture and balance under cultivation. All fenced and cross fenced. This farm is in the famous Republican valley. Price $2, 200. There is a mortgage of $800 on the farm that can be let run, so only $1,400 cash is required. Must be sold quick best of reasons for selling. Weber & Farris, Lincoln, Neb. Bare land In New York city has been sold at the rate of $16,000,000 per acre. This is equal to 160,000 acres of fanning land at $100 pe.' acre. Do not ba led Into an economic muddle by confusing rent and inter est . All money paid on real estate mortgages is rent and not interest The loaner i3 a landlord, not a capi talist; the borrower a tenant to the extent of the loan. Interest on the money paid for land is not Interest at all, but perpetual rent paid to the seller. W. H. T. W. COLORADO FARM LAUDS FRUIT FARMS GENERAL FARMS STOCK RANCHES - Colorado Climate Coras more invalids than all the physi cians in the world.' The Grand Valley, Mesa County, Colorado, is the garden spot of the west a land of sunshine, a sanitarium of health a poor, a sick or a rich man's paradise where every invalid is cured or benefit ed, and those in health enjoy life and pros perity to its full est extent. Uncle Sam's Largest Irrigation Canal will be Built in the Grand Valley. Land under this canal can be bought now for $10 and $12 per acre and will be worth $30 an acre in two years. Choice farms, improved and unimproved, now under perfect system of irrigation, can be bought at very reasonable prices. Great opportunity to buy homes where crop failures are unknown. , Get a Farm in the Grand Valley where the .winters are mild and short; the summers cool and pleas ant; where crop failures, cyclones, blizzards, tornadoes, floods and drouths are unknown; where every kind of fruit grows in abundance and perfection; where land is in creasing rapidly in value; where farmers get more dollars to the acre for all kinds of farm products than in any other part of the Union. - For literature giving fall information of the . Grand Valley, descriptions ana prices ol wop ; erty caU on or address WEBER & FARMS 1328 0 St. Lincoln, Ncbr FREE fSS BOOK new 1 PROCESS OP CANNING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Mrs. W. T. Prl, 1424 Pann. Ave, N Minneapo lis, Minn. , Live Stock CATTLE SHEEP Com mission Nye & Buchanan Co., SOUTH OMAHA, HBBBASKA. Beet poMible aeryice in all depart meats. Write or wire us fox markets or other information. - Long distance Telephone 2306 GRAIN, FRUIT, AND ROOT CROPS. The best land investments In United States are to b found In the Big Bend ountry of Eastern .Washing ton. rite for Information. '".- ' WASHINGTON LAND CO., Waterville, Wash. Plumbing and Heating Estimates Furnished JV C. COX ' 133 Nortk i4th 5tret. Lincoln, Neb. Tha Handy Pocket Account Book. A 8ki,7-insteuctob in keeping private accounts In systematic form, a bcsinrss bbfkrbncb and account book combined, for pocket use. Firmly, nicely Hound Pocket and flap. 0O0 postpaid.. Send M. O. or 2o stamps. If unsatisfactory and returned at once un. damaged, money refunded. Address f. O. Johnson Pub., Marlon, Iowa. . -.- Dr. Mitchell's Lumpy Jaw Curs Dr. Mitchell's Lumpy Jaw Cure It guaranteed to cure or money refunded. f One application is enough. One bottle is sufficient for 4 head or more. You can buy.it at your druggists or he can get it from his jobber. If he won't; write us direct and we will send you ft bottle for , $1.25 delivered. Marshall Oil Company, sole sale agente for the United States. Marshalltown, la. God's ordinance : . "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread." Land monopoly enables some men to eat their bread by the sweat of othes men's faces.