The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, June 25, 1903, Page 6, Image 6
6 THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT The Philosophy of Freedom An Open Forum for Single Taxers , EDITION OP JUNE 11. Editor. Independent: Single taxers have reason to congratulate them selves upon the substance and amount cf criticism in the June llth issue of The Independent By far the larger proportion emanates from socialistic nources, to whom as yet "The Phil osophy of Freedom" , appears only as an enemy which must be attacked, however unintelligently. Engrossed as they are. in devising some human fccbeme to supplant the Divine order ing of the human relationship, simple propositions to conform tne social life to natural .laws, seem to them as su perstitions For the individual that ' can mentally follow the growth of society, from the first man to the vrell-matured republic, nothing be comes simpler than the philosophy of Henry George, for it is nothing more nor less than the application of nat ural laws to the needs and deeds cf men. It is in no part arbitrary, nor complex, nor insufficient It predicates the establishment of a government recognizes its functions and its re quirements, distinguishes between the rights of the individual and the rights ot the social whole. Securing to the former the full product of ' his labor, and taking for the benefit and sup port of the latter the values which arise and txist entirely by virtue of its being. To do this, by the process of in duction aDDlying the principle of "equal rights to all and special priv ileges to none" discriminating between "ours" and "mine and thine," you will discover that there arises neither trusts nor money-power, nor the men ace of class-struggles. For those who have but slight knowledge of the sim plest principles in economics, and who refuse to acquire It, It Is useless to at tempt an analysis of the great evils that spring from monopoly. One might with equal success attempt to account for the forest by ignoring the phenomena of plant growth. Yet to understand the Standard Oil com pany we must first be able to recog nize special privilege. . Sooner or later the socialist must sclve the land .question. Those who plan the course this great mass of discontents must follow, are alread" half , through "Progress and Poverty." When, asked how 4hey were going to insure to each his natural right in the natural opportunities a prominent socialist of Denver exclaimed: "We may have to adopt the single tax plan." So . they may, for there is no other in the book of justice. E. O. BAILEY. Central City, Colo. land values. LAWSON FURDY. New York, bZ William st REPLIES TO HARDY. Editor Independent: A clipping from an unknown newspaper has just been given me which states that H. W. Hardy in the Nebraska Indepen dent says: "The state of New Yor' has now got a law for taxing all re corded mortgages, which is more than just It so ought to be in every state. The money loaners of New York plead it would drive money out of the stats or else raise the rate of interest. The same argument will hold against oth er property. If we tax land it will induce land renters to sell out and' Invest in other states, or else raise the lent of farms." Such a law has been proposed and advocated for three years, but has never become a law. Mortgages in the state of New York are taxable as personal property in the hands of the holders, but the taxpryer may offset his indebtedness against, his taxable personal property. As a practical mat ter very few mortgages are taxed in New York today. The liability to taxation maintains a higher rate of interest than would be the case if mortgages were exempt Objection to a tax on all mortgages without deduction for debt came prin cipally from borrowers, not loaners. By the terms of most New York mort gages the borrower is required to pay any tax which may be Imposed here after. The experience of California was referred to as proving that the borrower must always pay a tax on nort gages. The same argument does not hold against an ad valorem tax on land. Such a tax is not shifted to the user, but must be paid by the owner because land is a fixed quantity and taxes cannot reduce the supply as in the case of loanable money. Mr. Hardy says that if land is taxed land renters.-by which I suppose he means landlords, will sell out. Doubt less some would do so. This will In crease the supply of land offered for sale and reduce its price, the Invaria ble effect of an Increased tax upon ANSWERS McCUISTION. Editor Independent: In your edi tion of June 18, H. M. McCuistion of Paris, Tex., says: "I fail to see any thing practical in socialism or equit able in the single tax." I am sure he has not acquainted himself with the single tax principles. If he has ever read anything on the subject he did so with a prejudiced mind. No one has ever been able to point out the least inequity in "the theory. I have never knowta an objection to the sin gle tax that was not founded upon a misconception of its principles. . He then suggests a graduated land tax, "very light on the first 100 acres and increasing on each succeeding hundred." Would he tax 100 acres in Chicago worth $a,000,000 per acre very lightly? He is not aware that the so called single tax i3 not a tax on land, but on land values. The land values of Chicago are five times as much as all the farm land in the state valua ble as farm land is in Illinois not withstanding. - - Then a light tax per acre on 100 acres and a. heavy tax on 1,000 acres would be inequitable. The single tax in not a mere fiscal measure to dimin ish large land holdings, though the effect would be that no one would hold more land than he could put to a good use nor .is it essentially for govern mental purposes. The underlying principle of the single tax Is, that all If nd values are produced by all the people, and therefore should belong to all the people, even though it had to be distributed per capita among all the people. The single tax is a misnomer, used for want of a better term to concisely express the modus operandi of . col lecting the economic rent or annual value of land. The so-called" single tax means an abolition of all taxes and a taking in lieu thereof the annual value or economic rent of land exclu sive of all improvements, or all wealth on the land. Wealth or prop erty- is the product of labor and of nght belongs to the Individual pro ducer and not to the public. To com pel a person tq divide up every spring according to his accumulation of wealth by industry, as we now do, acts as a fine on industry and makes wealth scarce just as a tax on dogs makes them scarce. What an indi vidual produces by his Industry, or what he saves by economy, should be- 'ong to him and not beshort to him if is bis property it is proper to him nnd no one else and what all tha community of a state, county or city produces should belong to all who produce it There is but one thing that all the people do produce that is , land val ues not land, for land is a creation by nature and not a production by man. It has been accurately determined by Thomas G. Shearman, the great statistician, and published in his lit tle brochure called "Natural Taxa tion," that the economic rent of land in the United States is exactly ade quate to all the expenses of nation, state, county and municipality. - The so-called single tax is not a political Invention, but a great dis covery by Henry George of how to equalize the earth to all. Columbus discovered a continent, but it re mained for Henry George to discover the earth for all, and how to equalize It and its opportunities to all to pro duce and live at this opportune time in this cycle of: the world's history when every outlook seems so dismal and our civilization seems to be threatened with a destruction like that of previous civilizations. I hope Mr. McCuistion and other readers will get Henry George's works and learn all about the great reform with a fiscal name, the single tax. J. C. BARNES. Hindsboro, 111. . talk? Think It over. We will sell your eastern farm for you, and assist yoa in making the best selections that can be found in these cneaper lands. We have choice lands with plenty of timber, running water, close to school and church, as well as market Come and see us, or write us, making your wishes known. . ... v No. 03 Model Farm and Ranch- Located In the south part of Custer. county on the Middle Loup river, and consists of 1,280 acres; much, of this is the best of alfalfa land and has very good improvements; it is being closed out by the owner, he being a non resident This is a bargain at the price; only $6.50 per acre. No. 91 Here is farm land that will produce anything. 2,040 acres, lo cated, in Logan county, and has plen ty of ranch land with it; of this amount 1,500 acres are as choice farm land as any one would ask for; it can't help ; but make , money for its owner. Price, $5.50 per acre. No. 540 An opportunity for Invest mentHere is an opportunity . for a good investment that will get better each year, as this land will increase in price, and such opportunities will not exist one year from now. It is 1,280 acres of good Nebraska land in Lincoln county for $3 per acre; don't let this get away from you. No. 502 Farm in Harlan County. Has 440 acres, 140 acres In cultivation, 180 acres in pasture, all fenced an! cross fenced, 40 acres in hog pasture, 80 acres in meadow, new frame house of 3 rooms. Here is a home for some one as cheap as dirt Price $12 per acre. NEBRASKA REAL ESTATE CO.' Special subscription- rate to single taxers. 5 months 25c. Hotel Bargains For Sale or Trader-First class hotel property doing fine business. Address Box 943, Lincoln,- Neb.; . v Independent School of Political Economy TO THE MAN WITH "A SMALL FARM IN EASTERN NEBRASKA OR IOWA. . Your land is, worth from $50 to $100 per acre, your sops and daughters arc growing up. ana possiDiy some or them married now, and not able to buy homes. Why don't you sell that farm and buy cheaper lands that will pro vide homes for all? We can furnish you land that grows good corn, wheat, rye. oats, barley and - the finest of alfalfa, -,. well Im proved, from $10 to $25 per acre, and you can engage in dairying and stock raising in connection with your farming. Is this not good, sound .sensible MONEY. The Director acknowledges receipt of a copy of "Money" by Daniel Dc Leon, editor of the New York People (S. L. P.), being Vol. 1, No. 3 of the 'Buzz Saw Series" published by thfr New York Labor News Co., 2-6 New Reade st, N. Y. (Pamphlet, 30 pp., 5 cents.) This is a reprint of an editorial in The People by Mr. De Leon, February 7, 1903, and to which he referred .in The People of May 16 in a letter-box note to H. S. A., Lincoln, Neb., say- ng: "By the way, why do you notfur- nish the editor of The Independent of your own town with a copy of the Weekly containing the article on Mon ¬ ey. (Bad proof correcting makes the next sentence unintelligible, although one can make out that "The man is floundering in a dismal swamp on the subject"). He seems not yet to havt; grasped the two distinct functions of money a payer of debt and a medium of exchange, and, hence, he cannot distinguish between the supply an-.i demand of the material that coin is made of, and its social function. Get him that copy. If he then should still disagree he will be more con crete. To now grapple with him is like trying to cut through a tangle ot underbrush." v The inspiration for Mr. De Leon's monograph seems to have been an editorial In the Midland Journal, Ris ing Sun, Md. from which he quotes for the purpose of showing a horrible, example. A good deal of the Jour nal's editorial, as , The Independent views it, is just as faulty as part ol "Mr. De Leon's assertions. But to clear away the "underbrush." The power of "tender" exists no where in the United States outside of "the public offices and the courts." It has nothing whatever to do witi exchanges. The seller has the right to determine what particular thing he will accept for his product or ser vices, and if the buyer cannot or will not furnish it, the "stuff's off" and there can be no exchange. "Tender" has nothing whatever to do with ex changes. It has to do with paying taxes and cancelling judgments rend ered in the courts. Legal tender coined money is a commodity, manufactured properly by the .state or government (and improperly, by private persons under unlawfully delegated author ity) to perform just two official acts and no more: To protect the' indi vidual's property against the levy of a distress warrant for taxes, or th. levy of an execution issued on a judg ment rendered in court All othr uses of legal tender coined money ar-? merely voluntary adaptations. Coined money is no more a medium of ex change' than is wheat or corn;- but being a commodity capable of per forming two highly important offices, which no other commodity can per form under our present laws, it is much sought after. The Director denies m toto Mr, Dj Leon's "undeniable principle that la bor is the sole producer of all wealth values." Labor, which The Indepen dent would define as man's expend ture of force In overcoming nature's adverse conditions, whether of form or location, produces utilities or more accurately, things possessing utility. The captious objection to this that 'i man might dig post holes and fill them up again is really a powerful argu ment against the socialist conception of value. The man had some sort of reason for digging the post holes, and filling them up again and the utility of the holes consisted In the satisfac tion he received In performing th? seemingly senseless labor. But ths holes-could hote' valuable for no body would give anything in exchange for them. . : '.- .. -, ; v.. Under a. system of government which protects men in the peaceable possession and enjoyment of v things possessing, utility (produced by some human etfort, greater or smaller, in overcoming the form or location o nature's gifts), men, instead of re porting to physical ; violence, engagM in a more or less severe mental strug gle with each other to obtain" and re tain objects of utility, -which results, not in labor-products, but in the fore of demand for things possessing util ity. "Value"-is an estimate of the quantity or intensity of. the force of. demand acting upon these objects of utility. t can only be estimated by making a comparison of the quantiV or intensity of demand acting upon one object of utility with sucn quan tity or intensity acting upon another object - It cannot be expressed or ut tered until a word is devised by which to name, or say, or speak, the quan tity of demand chosen as the standard unit. It may be "pecus" or it may be "dollar," but whatever it is, it b3 comes, used with the numerals, the "money" system "of the people usihs it No necessity ever arose for a "mon ey" system until some form of gov ernment was established which re quired revenues for its maintenance. A "money" system is absolutelynco essary for even the faintest approach to an equitable exercise of the taxing power and taxation and "money' have grown up together in the evolu tion of human society. So long as taxs are paid in kind, no "coin" is necessary but money, "the system ol accounting," is. "Money" facilitates exchanges be cause without some sort of system of counting there would be no way of speaking or expressing the quantity or intensity of the force of demanV-' But "coin" is not at all necessary. , la fact, the bulk of exchanges, today ar made without sight of a coin. The necessity for coin consists in -its ex clusive power to protect the individ ual's property from the levy of dis tress warrants and Judgment execi- .Hons, as before stated; and that nec essity being imperious and universal, the reasons for an adequate sunnl? are manifest. But that, in the manu facture of this commodity, the govern, ment should be obliged to use a sub stance difficult to obtain, seems ridic ulous; and it goes without savins that the right to manufacture sucn a much- wanted and much-needed commodity should never, be placed " in privatV hends. The fetishism regarding gold, which socialists and republicaus snare alike, nas grown wonderfully since 1666, when the goldsmiths of England pre vailed on King Charles to delegate t t them the sovereign power of issuing coined money, by giving "free coin age." Modern peoples, affected and afflicted by their environment, are daft on the -question of "metallism ' and its twin, "intrinsic value." They confuse utility with value, and money witn coin. Small wonder that the Journal knowing the power of "legal tender" in some directions, should im agine it could ftpply to exchanges. CHARLES Q. DE FRANCE. f History Precious !,?; Hist, Monev . uic Monetary Crimes. 75c; Science of Money, f 1 ; Hist. Money in America.