.J"
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT
JULY 2, 1903.
The Philosophy of Freedom
An Open Forum for Single Taxers
BILLY RADCLIFFE'S BUILDING FINE.
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v-ri,:-f-l,"' ',5' 4 5
ANY PERSON EPCTtNC A
omth?s st.yll mm
: $icoo a year.:
3r
I X54 p. V
F' W - - - - - J.
51,000 FINE FOR PUTTING UF A $50,000 BUILDING.
As Per Laws of Ohio. -.
What does this mean? Is' this a
new law, or is it an old one? That
Is the question and here is the an
swer: If a man employs labor to
build a $50,000 building, he is required
to go to the court house or report to
the assessor what he has done, be
cause the laws of Ohio, article 12, sec
tion 2, says:
"Laws shall be passed, taxing by a
uniform rule, all moneys, credits, in
vestments in bonds, stocks, joint stock
companies, or. otherwiset and also all
real and personal property, according
to its true value in money; , . ."
, Notice the-law says its true value
in money, but as it Is the common
thing to lie, dodge a little, you will be
exacted to turn it in at about $35,000
and the tax rate in , Youngstown is
$3.04 on each $100 valuation. Now if
you will just pretend to be exact about
it and put it in ai; $32,894.74, your tax
or fine will be $1,000 a year. How do
you like this fir- on industry? If you
don't build, no tax, no fine; if you
do build you pay the tax or fine. "Fob
a chicken house they fine you once;
build a chicken house they fine you
every year; get drunk they fine you
onte; paint or improve your home
they fine you every year; a man
turns a desert Into a garden we fine
him by an incrcae of taxe.s; a man
turns .a garden into a desert we re
duce his taxes; verily, we are a great
tcople." Here the people have been
all these4 years making laws, taxing
and fining people who employ labor
and Improve their homes Shakespeare
was right when h, said: "What fools
these mortals be."
A little study of the tax question
will show that a tax on any thing that
labor makes is a Jine on incustry and
increases the price the user has to
pay for use. For example, with a tax
on houses, no man will build unless
sure of a tenant, and the tax is added
to the price the tenant pays to use
the house. It is plain that a tax on
houses is paid by the user as user
and not by the owner as owner, for
if I had a thousand houses, the poor
that can't own but mu3t use will pay
the tax. I pay only on the one I use
and those that may be empty.
A tax on land values is paid by the
landlord. It is paid rut of the sum
he receives for ground rent and an
increase of tax oi. land "alues will not
raise ground rent, but will lower it,
because the supply Is fixed, you can't
ma!;e more land. Any system of tax
ation Is unjust that taxes a man more
for improving his land or property
than for holding it in idleness.
The main reason for building boom
in Ohio in 1881 and 1882, In 18S1 and
1892, in 1901 and 1902, is that the
land of Ohio, especially in business
centers, is inqreasec' value for tax
purposes every ten years.
Read up on the single tax and let
your thinker think.
Pintle tax literature pent to any
address on receipt of 2-cent stamp.
BILLY RADCLIFFE, S. T.
Youngstown, O.
other and collect all taxes from land
values only, or That is kno-vn as the
single tax.
Capital would then remain in the
hand3 of those who produced it the
workers.
The horrors of capitalism would
vanish and with It the whole social
istic philosophy would fall to pieces.
P. CULLMAN, Jr.
521 Larrabee St., Chicago. 111.
OHIO SINGLE TAX LEAGUE.
The Ohio Single Tax league recently
held Jts seventh annual conference at
Columbus. Resolutions adopted were
published in The Independent of June
li. iuk luiiuniugvu iu6 ocvi c wi j -
treasurer's report:
The Ohio Single Tax league asks
your attention to its work of the past
year and its plan for the future. In
the Colorado fight, attracting wide
spread attention and giving the. great
est hope of success, our efforts were;
directed towards furnishing funds for j
the final struggle. The greater part of
the $550 shown in treasurer's report,
was sent during the summer and eirly
fall of 1902. The Colorado friends
made a gallant fight; we did our best
to help them; but we lost, not alto
gether by the lack of votes, for we
w?rp counted out whorvr w Md
f cough strength to be dr gerous Who
ever expects ti e "IIuse of Privilege"
to surrender easily, should learn a les
son from the "forestalled" of Colora
do. They knew what the Bucklin
amendment meant to monopoly, and
were early in the field to protest
against this measure, and to raise an
hundred times as much money to de
feat it as the friends of justice could
raise for it. However, in the words
of our dauntless leader, "Truth loses
some battles, but no wars."
Today,, Ohio is the center of the
coming struggle, and our league is
pledged to use its best endeavors to se
cure only the most able and trust
worthy candidates for all public of
fices, and while not neglecting our
propaganda work, to become active
political Workers in caucus and con
vention, to the end that we may have
some part in carrying forward the new
era in Ohio politics.
The continuation of our distribution
of literature throughout the world; the
support of the Bigelow press bureau;
the more thorough organization of our
newspaper work; combining of our
friends into an active, determined
force for the advance of the right
ideas in taxation; the holding of par
ty nominees to personal, pledget and
party platforms, calls for your ; sup
port, v- '
To whomsoever it has been given to
pee the truth as shown by Henry
George, we make this call. The hour
for doing your r art is at hand, and
Ohio Is the battlefield of the new
crusade. "
Kindly fill out the enclosed card and
mail to the secretary, together with
any advice or suggestions as to how
the work may be best advanced. Fra
ternally yours. J. B. VJNING,
Secretary.
76 Harriet ave., Cleveland, O
CAPITAL.
Editor Independent: The socialist
who complains bitterly of the private
ownership of machinery by capital,
vould do well to explain how capital
got its advantage. Why is it, that
the worker in this country, not 0
many years ago, owned the tools he
worked with, and why not today? How
did It come about, that the worker
ceased to be a capitalist?
But before answering that question,
let us see what capital really is and
where it comes from. Capital is
wealth produced by labor from land
and used in the production of other
ufialth. but land is not capital. Ma
chinery, tools, factory - buildings are
capital and are the products of the
worker. Why must he part with this
capital now, and cease to be the owner
where years ago he could retain it?
If his hands and brains produced it, it
surely ought to be his.
The reason for this can readily be
seen and explained. Owing to the im
mense amount of land in this country,
land for many years was cheap and as
a consequence rent was low. The
worker, then, was not compelled to
give up half of what he produced to
the land owner in ground rent, as he
does today.
That is the chief reason"why th-?
worker ceased to be the capitalist and
the owners of land became also the
nf ranltal. But should we for
. that reason abolish private ownership
of capital and land as t socialist pro
rospq? Or should we abolish priva1
ownership of lani only, by which cap
ital is confiscated from its ngntiui
There is absolutely nothing wrong
in the private ownership of machinery
or tools itself. It is most natural and
just, that the man who by his labor
makes a machine should be the owner
of it. He has a perfect right to use
it himself or let others use Jt, or sell
it But there U something radically
wrong in the private ownership in
land. '
Did the present owners of land maks
it by their labor? Or did they buy it
from the makers? If they did not
make it or do r- L possess a title deed
from the Creator, what right have they
to own it? They have no moral right
to own it,, and never had any. Pri
vate ownership in land is robbery, it is
a gigantic institution based on fraud
and injustice.
Now. if some men through private
ownership of land, an institution
based on wrong and Injustice, are en
abled to confiscate the capital right
fully belonging to others, private own
ership in land ought to be abolished
nnd not private ownership in capital.
Would you propose to abolish private
ownership in "tches, because some
highwayman robbed you of you.-
watch? Or would you propose to abol
ish highway robbery?
Any man who can reason right
would propose to abolis:. Lighwav rob
bery. but the socialist would propose
to do away with the private ownership
o4" watches. In order to abolish the
injustice and robbery growing out of
the private ownership in land It is not
eren necessary 1 1 make knd common
property, as the socialist proposes. We
need pot even dispossess the present
owners of land. All that is necessary
Is to abolish the tariff, the license and
personal property taxes one after the
INDUSTRIOUS PROPAGANDISTS.
Probably no class of men work so
enthusiastically and industriously as
the single taxers not even the social
ists, and they are very earnest. For
example, Mr. Snediker whose article
on public ownership appears else
where in this paper, has printed on
the back of his business envelopes this
legend; .'
Read and Think. If all public rev
enue were raised by a tax on the prod
ucts of labor, goods would be higher
in price harder to jet. And if there
were no tax on land vclnes, land
would be higher in price harder io
get, for then it would not cost the
speculator anythiug to hold land idle.
Conversely it is manifest: That, if
wealth produced by labor were frse
ot all taxes, f nes and restrictions,
things that tend to supply human
wants would be cheaper -easier to get.
While if all public revenue were
raised by tax on land values, exclu
sive of Improvements i.. or on the
land: land, the so-jree r" all wealth,
would be cheaper easier to get, for
then it would cost the speculator as
much to hold land idle, as others pay
who use like vnmable land.
Which proposition do you favor?
in a greater ratio than' population.
This shows, beyond doubt, that the
primary cause of these symptoms of
unhealthy social adjustments is yet
untouched. And no good can como
from blows directed at an apparent
cause which is, in itself, an effect of
a more remote cause.
Manifestly, our first duty is to con
vert reformers by sho . ing them that
their efforts are vain while the fear
of want is driving men to deeds which
are repulsive to their natural in
stincts; that while the injustice of
private property in !and stands, what
ever of evil flows from it. must also
remain; that even those ills uncauvi
uy it, uiut by it be "strengthened: for
one wrong will endure longer in th9
presence of another than alone. -t
Is to these earnest men that we mu?c
look for our most effective support.
The masses of men, of whom they are
the leaders, often have not the time r
the means to investigate these ques
tions for themselves, and therefore it
13 of the utmost importance that those
who instruct them and labor for the'r
advantage' should' be in touch w'th
the - truth and not prove "blind lex
ers of the blted" When '-'the -single
tax movement has enlisted the ser
vices of the active reformers we may
hope for early victory and realization
of the dream of the brotherhood of
man, FRANK JACKSON.
Metamora. 'Ind.
' Fiiimcre Comity
Fillmore is one of the very best
counties in Nebraska from the view
point of a farmer. Here is found the
same chaarcter of soil as in Richard
son, Otoe, . Saur Jers - and other rich
farming counties, including Saline,
where land sells up to $100 per acre.
Fillmore county is also in the rain"
belt and a crop failure by reason of"
drouth is unknown.
Fillmore county offers tempting op
portunities to the homeseeker who
v an ts the very best land, as the prices
of land are not so high as in othe
counties mentioned. However, prices
are advancing rapidly. Weber & Far
ris, of Lincoln, Neb., have a 160-aere
farm three miles west of Strang that
I?, offered for sale; all very choice
land; 100 acres under cultivation,, 40
acres pasture and 20 acres in hay land.
Good 7-room house, barn for 10 head
ot horses, hog house, chicken house,
coal house, granary, corn crib, some
alfalfa, fine ash grove, some fruit,
good hog and cattle lots, etc. On free
nail delivery route and telephone in
the house. Price $45 per acre. $2,
000 of this can run four years at 5
per cent if desired.
Any one desiring to buy a first
class quarter section farm will do well
to investigate this property. It is of
fered at a very reasonable price and
ia a few years will command $75 tD
$100 per acre. ri aere is no better laud
in the state of Nebraska. It is a com
fortable home, a good farm and will
prove an exceptionally good invest
ment.. Weber & Farris, 1328 O St.,
Lincoln, Neb.
Socialists have the opportunity to
edit the Karl Marx Edition of Th-3
Independent (July 23, 1903) "just as
the single, taxers did the Henry
George Edition.
The readers of The Independent
should remember that one of the best
methods for favoring the paper is to
examine the advertisements carefully
and make purchases from advertisers
when possible, always mentioning ths
fact that the advertisement was seen
in The Independent. Write today for
the several catalogues advertised and
look them through for what you want.
KEEP SWEET.
MUST ENLIST ALL REFORMERS.
The task which devolves upon sin
gle Tax workers is not fo much one of
arousing and stimulating reform ef
fort as of organising and directing
what already exists. There Is no
rlenrth of effori exerted in the hope of
benefiting mankind, but much is fu
iile because of its misdirection. While
the schools, churches, reformatories,
charitable Institutions, and philan
thropists in all parts of the country
are working to eradicate various forms
of evil; crime, insanltv, and other
indications of social disease increase
TO INDEPENDENT READERS:
HONEY in It-lb. cans 4 or more cans
1 each. A. No. 1 article. F. O. B. here.
Address - ,
F A. SNELL, Milledgeville, III.
NOTICE TO REDEEM.
To Whom It Mny Concern:
jsonce is nereDy piven that on the fourth dav
of November A. D. 1901, Charles Hammond
bought at tax sale from the treasurer of Lancas
ter county, Nebraska, the lands as described be
low, all situated in Lancaster County, Nebraska,
for the delinquent taxes of 1000 nnd all prior
taxes and taxed to the names of the persons here
inafter set forth and that the time for redemp
tion will expire on November Mb, 1903.
Southeast quarter of southwest quarter of sec
tion 11, township 7, range 5 taxed to P. firist
linerer. Northeast quarter of section 2, township 11,
range 5, taxed to Robert Inhster.
Southeast quarter of section 1, township 12
range 6, taxed to II. De Butts.
Northwest quarter of northeast quarter of sec
tion 17, township 8, range 7, taxed to J. W. Miis
ier. Sonthwest qnartnorthwest qua rter of section
36, township 10, range 7, taxed to Lute C. Yountr.
West half northwest quarter of section 22, town
ship 7, range K taxed to Warren B. Pickett.
Dated at Lincoln, Nebraska, this 1st dav of
July, A. D. 1903.
OTARLES HAMMOND.
fas- 1etlH-v-sa