The Oregon daily journal., April 11, 1908, Page 11, Image 11

THE, OUCGON DAILY JOURNAL. POimrAND, SAUnV'AT' EVENING, APRIL' 11, 1003.
Li" 'kiLLLiLori
Address Delivered at the Theological and
Sociological Conference at Victoria
College by W. A. Douglass, B. A. .- :
In Introducing this subject It U nec
essary to point out lorn of our social
relationships.
' A aowtr went forth to sdw. That seed
he nestled In the soil, where, nurtured
by It fertility, fanned ; by tha wind,
molatened by the rain - and the dew.
and heated by the un, It apranir up
In the activity of vitality and rejoiced
the heart or the husbandman oy return
In him tw.ntyfold, thirtyfold or bun
rrom the time Adam first stuck his
spade In the Garden or juaen to me pres
ent day. Invariably the sower has looked
for abundance where he began with
scarcity.'
At the same time another man is
standing In front of a forge. Into that
furnace he has cast the crude ore. He
naaaea It throurh the various processes
of purifying, rolling sod fashioning, and
Denoia tie reauu me punueruua iuvo
motive, the still mors ponderous en
srtnes of the ocean steamer, or the deil-
'i vmnj jMa.a wa.v... .
fr Where this man commenced with a
mii or cruae ore ne.sirov. oy every
Tjoaaihle i means that Ingenuity oould
sues at. x to produce - an abundance of
KUIuliy aasptea macninery. ... . ,
Between this farmer and ' this me
chanic there Is a most Intimate relationship.-
The farmer wants the-machinery,
and the machinist wants the crop. Each
has dona his utmost to produce In the
greatest abundance. Each has tolled,
and, therefore, the exchange Involves
toil for toll, saorlflcs for sacrifice, bene
fit 'for benefit, mutual enrichment and
mutual elevation. By each man thus
attending to the particular duty for
which he Is fitted, the combined product
Is vsstly greater In quantity andbet-
' By Mtend'lnJr' Illustrations of this kind
L could show you that It is on this ra
tion of special function, and exchange
of riches for- riches, or servlos for ser
vice, that depend the growth, the con
tinuance and the development of our
civilisation, and the possibility of the
success of religion. ;; .-.
. Do you think that this statement Is
too rash and not exactly in accord with
the truth? . Then. I sk your attention
to this consideration: Suppose we abol
ish all possibility of exchange and com
pel every man to erect his own home,
make his own clothing, provide his own
literature and newspaper, construct his
own railroad and telegraph, work out hi;
own philosophy and religion, what would
be the result! Tou know Just as well
s I do, that the result would be destl-.
tutlon the most abject, and barbarism
the most gross.- . - ' ' . ' , '
- Destroy all exchange, and ws destroy
at onoe aH civilisation. .. . .v. . i
This Is th. reason why I state that It
Is uponlh. relationship of service -for
service that depends the possibility, of
civilisation and of religion. -,,
' Aa - Ssseatial Slffsremos.
Permit ma now to call your attentlpn
to another relationship.- -
The growth of population on thta con
tinent Is -without parallel in the, his
tory of the world. Beginning in; the
VTnlta tit a tarn and Canada at aoouc ,-
000,000 at the time of the revolutionary
war. It has doubled every IB years till
It now amounts to about 10.000.SOQ. This
population has not spread with Uni
formity, but has crowded mors and more
Into the large cities, so that while the
feneral population has doubled every
& years, the clvle population has
doubled every 10 years. A Wvi
Let us now observe what effect this
Increase of population must navnun
the amount of available land. When
the first settler comes to any townslte
there are a hundred or a thousand acres
at his disposal. ilut wnen anomer "oi
tler comes there is but half tha-land
available for each. With every doubling
of the population there must be a halv
ing of the available, so that at last
where there were a hundred acres avail
able for the first settler, there are at
last a hundred or a thousand persons
crowding on to -one, acre. '
While Industry is ever striving by
very possible device to multiply prod
ucts. Increased population must Inevit
ably divide ana euoaiviae ine utuu. nam
we have two movements, one ever mul
tiplying, tha other ever dividing t and
subdividing. ;
y.-f.'.: A Crmotal' Qtwstlom -,'v
' 'Can any of you her. see-the slightest
rarallel -or resemblance between these
wo movements, labor beginning with a
few seeds and ending with the abun
dance of the harvesUand population be-
? inning with a auperabundance Of land
or each, and at last ending with a thou
sand people Crowding on to one acre?
Is not the difference Between these two
things just as great as th. dlfferencS
Tcjte -No322 oir.the ballot.
LANDLORDS REAPS
THE BENEFIT
x The Increased ' Production
' Dy-iuvenuons is ausuiucu
' f ' . . - i T.' J'Tl X ;.--X
; - : in uanu item. .
' & V
J V,
Th productiveness of labor has. been
Inoreased, a , hundred fold by the intro
duction ' of labor-saving devices. Yet
tha worklngman receives but the same
as-his roreratners Dare' - uvui aura
business snterprlses .fail, v""
If labor still receives but A bare sub
sistence and capitalised enterprises fail,
who gets this -great dlf f erene. . In the
productiveness of labor and the labor
saving device ror capital"? The land
lord. " Increase the productiveness of
labor a thousandfold and who will get
the whole benefit? v The landlord. In
crease, the , productiveness of .land a
thousandfold nd-who .will get .the
' whole benefit? The- landlord. Both
the Increased productiveness to .labor
and the increased productiveness of land
' will always go to the landlord. f The
wages of the one born to no estate save
' that-of a toiler will remain thesame
as before. Contradictory though It may
eem, yet It Is none; the less true that
. to increase a thousandfold he produo
' tiveness of land or the productiveness
,( of labor. Is only to increase a thpu
v sandf old the- huge volumes of the
. streams of wealth pouring annually Into
the pockets of the Jtockefellers, Astbrs.
Carnegles and Morgans the great land-
v lords of our high civilization. - -
The general profits of capital and
wages of labor go on practically ,; un
changed, even In the midst of all our
' ; rogress In mechanical inventions. Work
. as they will and plan as they may, there
are wiley plotters above them who get
the' cream. The margin above .-"bare
subsistence"- "the bread line" Is - all
C absorbed by the unearned Increment Jn
the form at royalties and . rents. t No
power, , no.. Invention, no -. Increase.;' of
economy or skill can help the landless
' man. Nothing but a free access to na
ture can save him. Otherwise his doom
Is fixed from birth.' Here are chains
he csnnot break, writhe and twist as he
- will. Neither science or art nor re
ligion dan alleviate his condition; Equal-:
j ity of opportunity to live will -remain
' everlastingly a myth without equality
msim
between north and south, food and poi
son, debit and credit or liability and
"now. what could wo think of the
navigator who would ignore tie air
ference between the north and the south,
the physician w!w would ignore the
difference between food and poison, the
accountant who'would disregard the dif
ference between debit and credit, or
the preacher who would deny the dif
ference between good and evil? Would
we not at once declare that this was the
most utter madneas? - - - - -
And yet in our legislation for taxa
tion ni rxmrnltlan Of the TlShtS OI
property, we treat ths multiplication of
goods and the division of land as though
they were one snd ths same thing. The
iifrrnca between the re
sults of the energy of individuals in
ths raising of crops and the bulldln of
k.... . .. tha tivialon of the land
caused by increase of population, are
treated aa though they were one and the
same thing.
:. Who ihould On us crop.
' wt.. .pmra make crops abundant.
when builders make buildings abund
ant, and other loners sinve oy jneir
energy to maae oiner iwn un
it la universally conceded that these
tniira h rlrht to a share In this
abundance. But as population Increases
in any center ana thus mates uno rn-
atlvely more scarce. Is It in accordance
with Justice that ir I noia tne -uw aeea
to that land I should be enabled to aay
to thess tollers, "A urge share or that
abundance belongs to me... and only a
fraction of that abundance . belongs to
you"? Do you think that Is the wsy God
Intends us to dlvifas ths wealth of ths
world r that those who produce every
thing should receive In many cases only
a fragment of what they produce, and
that those who produce nothing .should
enjoy in many cases overflowing f or-
tUlf"thers Is any hesitation In your
minds as to the answer thst ought to
km inni a that aueatioif. let me call
your attention to what must be the ef
fect on society If we adopt that method
of dividing the products of Industry.
8uppose for argument sake that one
Or my ancestors nau n(uiniu yvmrnr-w
alon of a few acres of land In the cen
ter of New York city a hundred or two
hundred years ago. At that time, when
population was sparse and land abun
dant, ha could ssy to those who wished
to occupy that land, "Pay me a dollar
a year. As population Increased he
could say. "Pay roe 110 a year." "As It
still further Increased . be could say,
-Par ma tlOO a year." After another
Increaee he could ssy, "Pay me 11,000
a year, $10,000, $50,000. 1100.000,' and
If I were heir to that estate and the
land were well altuated for business. I
could claim from ths occupants 600,000
yearly for every acre In the estate. ,
We would witness eventually this -.
( , Monstrous Development,
Ths mors these people paid men. ths
more they would have to pay: the moro
they paid, the greater would be tbelr
debt, . the larger their -obligation. . It
is a debt that paying never pays. It
is a debt that continues year after year,
generation after generation, and age
after age, to the end of all time. It la
a debt that ever grows, becoming larger
and larger with, every Increase In the
ropulatlon. ana every improvement in
he mechanical arts.- It is a relation-
snip insi sevens mcnif twain, ytau
lng on one part the whole burden of
maintaining civilization, ana wn al
lowing that part but a fragment of its
advantages,-while I - would bs relieved
from all its obltsraUons. -1 need do
nnlhln. a nnMrt mrulf OT to SUDDOrt
my fellows, and I would be free from aU
obligation to do anytning lor "i ""im
port of government. I would be wholly
exempt from all taxes. . .
. It Is a relation that ever drives the
two polea of society further and fur
ther apart: tabor always striving by
. TUvtr-a to anhleve . fortune, but
ever urlven back close to the border
land nf , nenurv. . crowoea aown iniu
stuffy tenements, lowly hovels, , sweat
v. .in,a till ah the sweetness
snd Joy Is pressed out of life, while I
would do cameo, up io KT"" t ul
greater fortune. , During bitter nights
of winter thers may be , seen ai mo
ma- mnmant the 'rorcreous revelry or
a Bradley-Martin ball, with Us extrava
gance so wasieiui. um , ,'
. th wnrM With ItS Wlck-
edness. and at the same time a file of
men standing on wroaaway inruum. v
long hours awaiting the toll of the
midnight hour, that they, may secure
a loaf of stale bread to carry home to
their famishing children. What a sight
in a professedly vnnsuan nawont in
justice enthroned, rignieouBneBs
trampled beneath our feet, the brother
hood of man nullified, the right oftho
child of God to the gifts of Ood lK-
norea. the right or rw w
, hia tniiuatrv denied, the es
sential claims of religion set at naught.
is it any wonder mat we see sucn mjr
palling failures In our civilization?, -t
.. - .. -Row "shall Ws Ssoapa :
from ' this thraldom.' of injustice.' ! and
how shall we replace , the presence or
severance and hostility by the unity of
harmony and gooa-wuir-
. .Behold the multitude of tollers Oh the
farm, in the factory, at the forge, and
see them striving with every possible
ingenuity to f illj up the storehouses
with wealth to the point of repletion.
Note the millions of value these tollers
thus produce. Then note again the vast
amount of value that comes to the land
in our large cities and which Increases
with every addition to ; the population.
The first value is duo to the energy
of Individuals, while ths second value is
dus to the combined presence - of , the
multitude. . t ' '
Here we find two distinct - sources of
value.- What Is the appropriate des
tination of these yaluesf When a man
puts In the seed, fertilises the soil,
fights off th weeds, the cut-worm and
the weevil, to whom should belong that
crop? in tne name oi a mw nviy,
should not the - product belong to the
producer? And as the value, of the land
Is due to the presence- of the commun
ity; doei It not 'belong honestly to the
community, and la. not Its appropriate
place the public treasury for public pur
poses? Ji:-'yi,'''"fi- V i -V' "''""-';''.
Let us once adopt th simple exped
ient of avoiding tha , taxation of im
provements and of confjning taxation
(n th valuoa -caused bv the communal
presence, then what would be the effect
On- society r ; eto iongr vuuiu i
use land as an agent "of extortion. v: No
longer could -one man use land for the
imnnvariahment of his fellow. Instead
of one man being able to say to his fel
low:. - "You must surrender the abun
dance of Ayour ; product to me," hs
would be ' compelled to produce some
oommnrtltv or to render some service.:
and then ho would meet hls fellow, with
an -exchange or oeneiu ior oenexit,
and riches for riches. - . . - ,, .
Having thus established relations of
harmony, between man and! man, hav
ing removed the temptations which now
rouaa the cucldltv In extortionate spec
ulations, having established conditions
which would tend to develop tne oest
ihra la In man instead of the worst, as
we do at the present day,. -what, limits
should we place : to - the rapid advance
of our civilization? With plenty , for
all, with leisure- for the cultivation of
the hisher faculties, with Justice en
throned and man brought into harmony
with . his environment, would we not
be wsrranted In- looking for'ther speedy
advent of that time of which . poets
have aung, for which martyrs have died,
and whose consummation will. be the
THlr EXEMPTION
- 'AND MECHANIC
llOW the Exemption from
wwm sr A .
Taxes of Improvements
Benefits All Labor.
The mechanic has much to gain from
ths proposed exemption of dwellings and
furniture, liveatssk and . farm impls
ments from taxation. . It .would place
mors taxes on land values and less on
ths eroducts of labor.
Ths mechanlo Is pot Intsrested In
protecting ths land monopolist from his
folly In supposing .that ths community
will always giv him the land values it
(the community) creates by Its own la
bors and enterprise. The higher taxes
are on land values ths more iana win
be used. Either the owner will use
it himself or the man ho sells It to will,
for the more taxes on land, values the
less It will pay to hold It Idle. When
a nsretorore luie piece vi
the mechanlo ,ls employed. The. more
who are employed the fewer idle msn
and ths higher ths wages. ' .
You ars asked to vote the tag bur
den off your home and furniture. .God
and the state helps the man who helps
Himself.' . .
It is tbs small noma mat is jumu
on by the deputy assessor everywhere.
Some years sgo it was ascertained that
In several targe cities homes worth
less than 11,600 were assessed pretty
close to their real values, while Idls
lots when held for speculation In targe
tracts by millionaires were assessed for.
a rougn average oi aooui isi w
and other property of millionaires fre
quently escaped aitogetner.
Th. nanr.la nf Dreaon ars- oemg
cinched on their little household dun-
der and will be cinched more u tneyito rob me of my land au the time, uang
do not vote for the amendment that ex-lnja ornery picture." x
empts them. The cottage of ths la-1 At this point Single Tax came briskly
hnn. ahnuM not ha taxed, i The dwelling I farwavrl anrl a-raanail old Oreron HiVMcd
of the producer is ooing no narm u
community. To exempt It from taxation
encourages mors homes, which is what
we wsnt.. Let the lots absorb the bur-
dm shifted from the dwellings. There
are aeven Idle lots In Portland to one
that Is used. Let them pay mors taxes
and ths user would pay lese.
Tha manufactlirinar .establishments
aside from the tand . they occupy,, are
assessed at about I per Ctntol tha
total assessment of the state, Ths pro-
posed exemption exempting tnem rom
taxation would also exempt the farm-
ers livestock, amounting to twice the
..In nf tha manufacturing DtantS. In
addition the farmer would escape tax-
atlon on his implements and Improve-
ments. househoia rurnuurs ana orcnara.
which amount to several times the
value of the nanufacturlng r Plt
some people tell the Oregon . agricul-
turlsts that this scheme would allow
the rich manufacturer to put his taxes
on tne rarmer. it in i pi y
a majority of the farmers of Oregon i are
fools, who cannot read or write ana ao
not need any facts but only assertions
in order to vote as they ars .told, Some
of them are from "Missouri
In morel
ways than one.
VOte NO. 322 OH the ballot
NATION FOLLOWS
HENRY GEORGE
Dr. Lyman Abbott in Speech
Declares Kooscvelt
Sets Pace. , ;
Br John 2. XiStnroD. --
Washington. V. c. Feo. 14. At tne iiinW over Cashmere. The
end of the grtat Natfonal Religious Ed- f"1 ,fv?r 5 SJI 2f flcted to be stag
ucatlonal oonvontlon here the other day "l0!1 .? rfrSoosftion He was unabls
the address of Dr. Lyman Abbott of f81?1 ."BJJlfi nredenta to war
New York, editor of the Outlook., was to find rtjntovi "r
.pok.of th th8
It wasT therefor., occasion for iom
surprlse to hear him select ths appear- prem owner ana "'-"""i -,;""-
ance of the late Henry George's frog-ln his iomionnotutZ 'but for In
iwaa mn iw.rt.'. i. im . kI brief, erratic span of lire, out ior an
f2?i h "Covsment for th. proper
tlon and the now oowerful Dronaeanda I
for the conservation of th. natrons rs-
VVUI VCBh I
A few weeks aro a -close friend aaM
to- me that President Rooaevelt , r-
n.. .u , ,t.i. j . . i
a permanent Ap!ac In history. Ir would
oe tTeoaussO oi ma advocacy or tne pur-
SAa,u L. I.U.J 4. l.av TL 1 -
eUn arVlnk laa I.a. a. I
change ths methods of disposing of the
puuuo lauuB, largely along im line aa-1
vanced by Henry George that the na
tional resources, those given oy ins Al.
mighty to the race, should not be bud.
Ject to the taking from th. people by a
jew vo oo neia . rorever as- a means
wherewith to -extort tribute from those
who otnerwise . compose society.
Sr. Abbott's Wea -." ;
In Dr. 'Abott's address, he made
most powerful plea to the nation to
gain appreciation of th. rights of the
who profits merely from something that
nv.v m m uiiuiigui.uni iiuiu un uiw I
uoa maae ana wmcn ma man . naa ao.
propriated. s.v t
it was tne - suojecc or - common re.
mark after th. Abbott speech had been
ended, that a generation ' ago, when
George's ".Progress and Poverty" was
so fiercely discussed, tand referred to
em as sk AhlmAM Bksva. a frVilvi v . ImnaalkU I
been predicted that In 108 so great a
sor would bs heard in the nation's can.
Ual city tracing directly from that book
in. lunountnui ; reionn
wrought out -
'.".u,5"1 """..-.I- .a...,.
ated . that President Roosevelt, W. J.
1Z . . " . . Ai I o'.V.u t
Bryan, and Senator- lm. Follett. have I
?hk.d, their keynote utteranc. along
line exactly in keeping with Henry I
George's ones , excoriated beliefs. . and
that th. whol. program, on whl5h the
inland waterways commission Is - work-1
la'Ji.ffi
logia ....
- . Kaaifl Idea.
The basic Idea, as set forth by Dr.
Abbott, Is that nature stored the nat
ural implements and materials- for the
whole race, and that If the race Is not
to s be . industriously enslaved, 'society
mmt.liiva tha current fruits Of those
natural resources, the holder having
only his own product, ana paying to
society his toll of what - he uses but
does not himself, produce. -
Dr. Abbott's address produced a pro
found impression In Washington, and
is said to have been noticed by eminent
men in the congress, on account of his
position as an exponent of correct eco
nomic thought", . . :y " - ;
Dr. Abbott .ven went "sofar as to
assert that most of the ills now afflict
ing the nation arise wholly or ar. re
ferable In. large, part ,to the method
heretofore pursued in disposing" of ths
FubliO lands and resources,- which has
astened as a leech on th. nation's In
dustrial system aggregations which fat
ten on others. Dally Journal. ; . -
Vote No. 322 on the ballot.
;t;'..;;;:c notice.'" , : nvj
Keep this paper 10 years
and collect the unearned tn ,
"crement fronv,it, sach as ac- s
'ernes, to land. t ','
Oregon Tax' Reform Association, 704 Marquam Bulldlnr, Port-
; land, Oregon, ,-v- ' ; y
Dear Sir One of the most eerlous handicaps: to business Is
found la our local tax laws. The manufacturer especially realises,
I
thla fact. Taxes are laid upon
J product, hl machinery, bis buildings and everything elae enter-
I
lag Into his business. The removal of thls heavy burden would
undoubtedly be a great boon to Industry, and I am glad to learn
of the movement In Oregon to amend the state constitution so that
this relief may be granted. Should this movement be success
ful, a large number of manufacturers from other states will sure
ly locate In' Oregon and the benefit to all classes of .the state's
population will be enormous. As a purely business proposition
the proposed amendment will be a paying Investment for the
state. It would not be possible to devise any better plan of in
suring employment to Its labor and Increased patronage to its
business men.".', ;v ' , ; .v .; '. :'.".f '
. Its defeat would be the worst kind' of a business blunder.
Yours truly, . THE F. H. LAWSON COMPANY,
'FENTON LAWSON, President. , . ' , ' . '
OLD HAYSEED AND
MR. SINGLE TAX
Well, ril bo dinged. If hers Isn't 'old
Single Tas coming down ths road,? said
I uregon narseeo. ana uj buiub hi um
the socks off him, sure. He Is trying
by the hand conriaentiy ana eoraiauy.
.. Well, old friend," said Blnfle Tax.
"have you still a notion that I am try-
jnr t0 rot you of your tandr'
, Tou bet I havs, and vhat's mors I
am a0lng to pound you out of sight
Mxt Jun- Bea if i don't." .
"I have been Operating In New Zea-
f.-t - ..n.K e vaara" ranllad tha nh.
jot of the Oregon Hayseed's wrath,
..and tn, farn,0re are the best friends
j niv tnara. They invite me to come
and nav MVtr invited me to go, once
j h among them."
H d honestr queried the old
i . . u i . .nn,i-
-J.!. " . ..
"Vro-a mr heart on if assured 8. T.
MfJ fc Wales- state as big as
... - f farmera too lust psssed
act that winu.e me U oom.P right
alongside of them. Town and
.X nslns; right In after me to
iy win,ng .im..n7.
firM it luat aa I tell you."
wIwf'nLa "bby sS mebby o. but how
I " AYTtx a. avail A VMI s4a
aoou "7 "3
with my tandr
Just the same. I will take the taxes
from your Improvements1 and livestock.
cheese and oondensed mlik actori.s
furniture and Implements, creameries.
amounts to several times tne vaue oi
I .our land You do not ' own the land.
either. In Oregon at targe as a, whole, or
taken county oy coumy.
TheWindLords
t ' la raiatad that a certain ' eastern
potentate fell into the Impecunious con
dition common to many of his predeces
sors, and set nis wiis w wor l" U"V
a ..amartv. A rarmer ui iiiiuvsv. "
had often aided him In his dilemma.
. .n .v.. nH. tht
tn Ma rescue. ne mwrw
" was assumed that he was ths su-
Um !,, worMhad
teen sold which couw pe soio. in
vl tea a. ami v --- -- - - - ,
' ' RSf Zllttl should
SSaaw w .".a. - ,. 1 M l
be exemptea ir a pureunmr wuw-
found. After a proper amount ox pr-
itmi.anr tiaatf-iinflr. a aaie waa maae.
"d the trw.ctlo
mgnniuirn, UVa w.. - -
If . k
"Tla .la thft . f.Ublle TA fairly ffOt
over laughing at .the-absurdity .Of this
norri ii . :w. ," " ."r,M.rLJ 1,1
Issued a proclamation forbidding ' an
persons in vsnmere rrom usinK ma
wind to turn their windmills, winnow
their corn, propel their vesselsor era-
Rloy It hi any other manner, unril they
ad first entered Into agreements with
him and obtained leases for ths various
i,,raiitiaa. covenanting to Day certain
amounts for . the privilege. Then the
laughing . turned to lamentation. The
monarch met th. torrent of petitions
I'i complaints by affecting to deplore
the Circumstance, ne couia nut lore
see. or course, an mai ni unwiaM
K..t hia aacred word . was Involved.
Rulers of that type are usually very
. t i .ka,i ih.li . mnTa worn.
brlven to desoeratfon. the Inhabitants
Contributed the amount that had been
nald for the wind, and tendered At to
he sovereign ; so that this unheard-of
avw Y ' . . a a . . . n a
transaction couia do ctnwueo.
isnka aMak.as eawai a virkf t ha A Ssftffl I V
Arranged. ; The owner of the winds of
Cashmere would - not thlnjs of such a
thing. - He naa aemnrea a vesiea nm
In them. - Since it had become purcnas-
now - beinglab,e wln(i cad greaOy risen in price
at least Wind stocks were on tne up-
:ks were on mo ui
owner insisted that
ward market ' Tho
his title waa good. H. did not claim
, "Jliv V Ti ria-ht 6f discovery of
lAf&ot:rZ
:L . j C i..t nraamnt
f Jf rVi,, hut. :'hs hid fairly bought
hl", JSSTV2 JSSsmiSI' sSrVarn-
it mm thn rnnrnaentativs of govern
ment and declared that his. title was
sacred in law on the theory of eminent
domain and - supreme twnonw. -
wnnM ha altnarether unfair to ask him
to- surrender this valuable privilege for
anything less than what It might bring
nun in cam ne-snouia oo uuuwcu w
keep it- The proposition of the people
was merely-a oata scneme oi roooory.
It was subversive of all property rights;
was socialistic, agrarian. , and revolu
tionary: and to force him to accent a
price so Inadequate would strike a fatal
blow at ths best Interests of society
and undermine the whole ; fabric on
which th. rights Of property rested.
'This . reasoning was, , of course, en
tirely conclusive to , tho monarch who
was undoubtedly the confederate of the
farmer of Imposts, but as human en
durance can only be stretched to certain
limits. It was agreed between them that
a fair price for v th. winds, at that
date, would be 10 times what waa orig
inally paid for It -1 This amount was
finally raised by long-suffering people,
who . merely- exacted a -, promise from
the commercial monarch that he would
never sell th. wind again, but permit
It in God's providence to blow over
them free and unrestricted s ofiore."
How absurd this tale appears! But
when w. hsv. don. laughing at theas
foolish people of Cashmere, let us re
member that land is at least ss neces
sary to life and labor, and Is quite as
much the free gift of nature as are th.
winds of heavem Yet we have foolish
ly allowed nearly' all the tand (and a
annri riool nf tha water) to become the
private "property" of, individuals: snd
Some of these are now demanding "com
pensation", before they will allaw the
people ..to use -their, own.
V
, his raw material, . his finished
own It. corporations, tand grants, timber
thieves, mines, swsmp-tand grabbers.
The cities have more land measured In
dollars than you have.".
"But you will raise ths taxes on m:
tand. dins bins: your slick tongue." sali
th old Oregon Hayseed resentfully."
"You bet I will.6 wss the reply, "but
for every dollar I increase your taxes on
your tand I will take off three from
your Improvements and personal prop
erty and make ths vacant land carry ths
burden. Home say ao tnreo tunes set
ter than that"
"But look here. you. what about ex
eniDtlnf factories. I won't stsnd "Tor
these rich manufacturers cinching me
with the taxes tney snouia pay.
"Stuff! Who filled you with that
sawdustf Why man, all ths assessed
values In Oregon of the manufacturing
plants do not equal half your livestock
as assessed. - It is surprising that you
do not realiss that thess manufactures
ars largely creameries, cheese factories
and canneries. Tha mors factories the
closer you are to market and the bigger
demand for your products.- Don't be a
chump. ' Manitoba farmera ars laugh
ing at you now, for paying taxes on
every stick and chick. . hey. pay noth
ing on anything but ths land, thanks to
me, and all their othor property goes
free."
"By the eternal." cried ths Oreson
Hayseed, "If I find what you say la so
there ere some eminent Journalists snd
statesmen who have been lying to me
.k. -.111 t,... AMI-
"It's so all right. " smiled 6. T "and
I will help you prove It"
"Come to dinner with me," Invited
his one-time enemy. "I want to ask
soms mors questions."
And the two went arm In arm to.the
well-taxed horns of the Oregon farmer,
FRED .C. DENTON.
-GET OFF OUR BACKS.
Br Alfred Denton Crldge.
Give us not charity, chilly and slim.
Justice Is better, though oft vlsaged
grim.' . .,. ' ,:
Where charity flourishes Justice Is
; lax; , ! .
Give us our earnings, and
Get off our backs.
Glre not your sermon, vso long and
so cold.
Covered with sugar, and rhetoric
and mould;
Glre ns our products; free from all
- tax; ' ;'.
Let rent bear the 'burden, and
Get off our backs.
Give not a pension, asylum, or Jail;
Glre us our land, else the ' nation
shall fall; u s
Laws you have given us, stacks upon
"' stacks; ''''.'
But never , the Justice to
Get off our backs.
Lo! there Is walling from west and
from east.
Millions are hungry, while million
aires feast,
Tollers are burdened by- rent's
crushing tax;
Land Lords and Money Lords,
Get off out backs... --
- .'. ;".
Cast off your trammels from com
merce and trade; N
Glre us the land the Creator has
made; . s -
Place on land values the burden and.
tax.
Land-grabbing vampires, clear
Off our backs. '
Then would the heart of each toiler
rejoice; , ,
Then would the tongue of true free
dom find voice; f ' ' '
Then would rise homes oo these des
olate tracts,' -
Held idle and useless by - - - "
Men on our backs.'
Then would true love in each' vined
cottage dwell; s -!
Wealth could not ' measure what
greed could riot sell. ' '
Hearth-stone and roof-tree ' unbur
dened from tax- . '
. Tax-free means . heart-free, so
, Get off our backs. '
Vote, No. 322 on the ballot.
- -."t SB"aaa.aaaa-aaBa-BaaaaaaafcBa-
A Game of Cards
-. Take three cards laid In succession
openly on a table. Let th. card In the
middle be called No. 2, ths card on the
loft No. 1 and th. card on the right No.
t. , Let all three cards represent tracts
of land of tb. same assessed value.
Take a fourth card and Place on tha
table and let It represent Improvements
placed on' th. once -idle tract to . the
same value of that tract. . Place -on each
card of the four cards before you three
beans. The tract or cara in the middle
has resting on it six beans, three for
Improvement card and three for the
land. , the other tracts have but three
beans each. Call each card 11.000 In
valuj, each bean ISO, This represents
rm OREQONIAN
m -Vi4ND. single-t a;:
The Philosophy of Henry George
, Expounded With Editor's
Error Corrected.
Th. Slagls Tax.
Th. theory of th. single tax Is Im
portant to th. clUsens of Oregon Just
now because next June they must ac
cept or reject It by their ballots. Ths
basis of the theory is a proposition
concerning ths origin of values which
was elaborated ny llenry ueorge in nis
famous book. "1'roa-reaa and Poverty."
This book was powerfully thought out
and has had more Influence on th.
minds of men than any other eco
nomic work since Adam Smith wrote
hia "Wealth of Nations." It Is so
suffused with ethical passion that the
rundamentai rauacy wnion it rests upon
Is obscured and men are converted to
ths single-tax theory upon reading It,
more because their feelings ar. exulted
than because their minds ar. convinced.
Tha fallacy is Involved In ths prop
osition concerning the origin of values
which was mentioned above. - Henry
George arranges values In two sharply
distinct classes. The nrst inciuaes iana
values; th. second . all others. Land
values, he argues, ars created by the
concerted efforts of society; all others
by Individual effort. Hence tand val
ues belong to society and may properly
be confiscated In the form of taxes,
while all other values being th. fruit
of individual effort, should bs exempt
from taxation for two reasons, in xn.
first place, it Is sheer robbery for so
ciety to deprive the Individual of th.
fruit of hia tabor: In th. second place.
it -discourages him-from further effort.
Th. tax upon land values Is therefor,
the only tsx which Is absolutely just
and th. only on. which does not penal
ize abstinence, industry ana pruaonce.
This Is ths argument.
Now this conclusion, ws contena, is
fallacious. Th. Oregonlan admits that
land values are enhanced If not created
by the growth of population and th.
concerted labors of society. ' It also
admits the Immediate Inference from
this that society may rightfully confis
cate as much of Jhem aa may be neces
sary by taxation; but her. we part com
pany with th. slngle-taxers. In our
opinion, tand values are not by any
means the only ones which ar. created
br th. growth of population and th.
concerted tabors of society. Hence, they
are not the only ones which are right
fully subject to taxation. If K. can be
shown thst th. value of cattle or houses
or stock In a manufacturing company
or money or anything els. Is wholly or
partially created by society and not by
the individual, then It must be ad
mitted that all those things should
share with tand values the burden of
taxation. The Oregontan, In common with
all sound, economic thinkers, agrees
with so much of the logio of th. slngle
taxers aa goes to Justify the taxation
of socially-created values and condemn
ths taxation of those created by Individ
ual afrort hut It can sea no reason why
th. socially-created value of land should
b. treated differently from that por
tion of the value of cattle, stocks, and
buildings: which Is created In th. samo
WVv,a 'ainria-taxara denv that there Is
any part of tho valua of domestic ani
mals, houses . and so forth, which is
created by "social" forces. Th. Oregon-
Ian has printea a numoer oi teuora
where they do their best to establish
their view, but they have not succeeded
and they never will succeed. To Illus
trate their lUllllty. lei recall ma
history of the value of cattle upon the
western prairies. Before th. railroads
cam. through, these cattle wer. par
tially 'unsalable. A man might own
them by tens of thousands and still
dwell In poverty becaua. there was no
tho oresent system of taxstlon with Just
and honest assessors, with a smgie
tax on land values, exclusive of im-
Srovements, the gams would b. played
y placing on. of th. three beans now
resting on th. card representing ira-
Frovements upon ths card representing
ha .inln.nMV.il tract On th. left. Shd
another bean on th. card representing
th. unimproved tract on ins rignu inn
would leave each of the cards for the
hna tpaKti hearing four beans. Play
this gams right and you will rise -up
from It a single taxer. - Beats a chess
gam. for opportunity . to study and
think, and any number can play at It.
Not against ths law, either, to piay it
Vote No. 322 on the ballot.
MEN PINED TOR
BEAUTIFYING
OREGON
Paint your house,, mora taxes. , Put
out soma flowers .ana i a lawn, more
taxes. Get' a little furniture to make
your horn. Ufa comfortable and artistic,
mora taxes. Put up woodshed, more
taxes. Shingle your roof, more taxes.
Flsht With your neighbor, more taxes.
called fines. What la th. difference!
Vot. for the. tax amenameni ana siop
such foolishness as taxing (fining) men
for improving and upbuilding the com
munity as If they had committed mis
n.mMnnru Remember 822 on the ballot
and vot. her In by tb. largest majority
ever given any proposition in ureituu.
Manitoba, Alberta, New Zealand. New
South Wales, have shown In th. folly of
taxing everything la sight-as we pre
tend to do In Oregon. -'Hunch . Oregon
along to th. head- of - th. procession and
h.in vnnraalf at the same time.
Tho ' farmer buys-a-borse- tO' Improve
tho breed and is taxed as if he had com
mitted some wrong -on - th.-community.
If he buys a bit. of wild land and holds
It. Idla h. is rewarded with very low
assessments and encouraged to keep it
that way.. Some civilized communities
hav. provsd it better to place no taxes
on livestock. Manitoba and Ontario, for
Instance. . ' ' .
Farmers In Oregon hav. in so many
Instances, in every county In th. state,
been raised on '.their assessments for
making little Improvements on their
houses, barns, fences, chlcken-hOuses,
corrals and granaries that It is a wonder
they are as thrifty as they aro in spit,
of' all th. opposition and dlseourage
nanta mir a n t to un ted. absurd, com-
.n...u1 an nnintnlliarlhle tax taws. In
Ontario, Canada, th. farmers are ship
ping hlgnorea cows ana ouiu nu
tha world. No taxes on livestock.- The
entire province of Manitoba collects no
ta on tl farmer's machinery. - Why
should an Oregon farmer pay taxes-on
his wagon, harrow, reaper, mower.
blned harvester, gangplow, . cream sep
arator, fanning-mlll, water tank, or par
lor carpet? How th. Manitoba farmer
would give "the Oregon farmer the ha
ha! if he deliberately voted taxes on
. " l All thaaa thlnrs ex-
ceed the value of the true farmer's tend.
The half farmer, half land PfCulator
should reform. He will be h?tt"nt?"
with a well-tilled field than a otlon
of brush, thlstlea .and rutty roads for
miles around. --.. '
Labor In city and country now pays
all taxes. Always will nav9Jto:A0O;w
tax system on earth can dodge that.
Labor foots the bills, all bills. Always
did. always will. Tax reformers who
4a a a 41nna rAl 9 SIT
are inrormea Deyona i"
population at hand to establish an ar
nomlo demsnd for them. Then th. rail
roads cam. and Inatantaneoualy the
western herds acquired enormous In
crement Of value, not because of fend
ing, or care, or any betterment what
ever In the animals themselves, but be
cause of th. virtual proximity of a
population to consume them. Here we
nave a case of unearned increment so
glaringly patent that no sane person
can dispute It. Usually th. unearned in
crement In th. values of personal "Prop
erty Is somewhat obscured by bolng
mingled with values that are create. 1
by-Individual effort Nevertheless It
Is Invartablypreaent and with a little
thought It can be separated and con
sidered apart. It Is absurd, (therefore,
to say that land values ar.1 th. only
proper objects of taxation. The same
reasons which Justify the taxation of
tand values apply In exactly the same
way to personal property and Justify
its taxation also. If It la right to con
fiscate tb. unearned Increment In the
on. ease, so It is. In the other. If it
Is right to tsx land, then it Is wrong
not to tax personal property. Oregon
lan editorial.
...
The editorial Corrected
This argument In retard to ths cattle
Is one that if It could be . sustained
would raise ths sdltor of ths Oregonlan
to ths rank of tbs greatest economiu
thinker th. world .ves saw. If cows
and horses have an unearned Increment
attached to them th. landlords st Kng-
land and all Europe would welcome any
man able to demonstrate It With wealth.
V. a ltla an undvln. fimi llnnrtf
George would fade Into a mere attemp
tor to change things failure. As
an aotual fact. If cows have an unearned
Increment atached to them a cow would
be more valuable In a large city than In
a small ' one. A horse in lieaverton
won lit not ba worth as much as a horse
in Portland. The cattle that roamed
th. free lands of th. eastern Oregon
hills before th. railroad cam. repre
sented a total tabor cost of a very few
dollars. With tb. advent of rapid com
munication and transportation cams
necessity for winter feeding, fencing, '
rent and price of tand, all of which en
tered Into th. total cost of th. cow or
sieer. . xaxea wer. aiao lovjmi upon iu
cattle and th. necessary greater Im-'
provements of cattle ranches. If a man
could hav. a hard of cattle fed for htm
at publlo expense, th. calves and year
lings eaten by wolves and frozen to
death replaced and all tabor In connec
tion with ths breeding and fattening of
a four-year-old steer paid out of the
publlo treasury, then there would be
an unearned Increment going to the
owner. A plec. of tand surrounded by ,
a rapidly growing community Increases ,
In value at th. expense, of ths commun
ity because It Is not required to return
to that community what that commun
ity, annually creates ana maintains
th. rental value. This makes th. acre
return to th. owner something h. has ,
not produced, as would be the case with
th. nerd of cattle fed at publlo expense.
A cow dies, but an acre never dies. '
What i Is th. unearned value attached
tr HtanfnriVa fumoiii Klantlonaa now? .
On the average a trotting horse costs
in labor all It sells for. Competition
rac. would soon -bring down any un
earned Increment to a minimum. A
house does not Increase in value ty rea
son of th. growth of th. community. It.'
lui, nna. i umuiu. w uuit. null, ,ui
.... t... ln.M..a1 a thAiiMnfntH .
taxation know that. But now, in Ore-
on. the worker carries th. land specu
itor. on on. shoulder and the govern
ment national, state and local on the
viuer. xia to. uin t auugv em. i ns -
speculative values placed on tand and
constantly hunched up by speculators
whenever and wherever capital and la
bor are willing to pay the prico askfed.
are all paid by th. producer in th. end
th. man who works with hand or
v.,ia Lvr uevejujmioiii ox inv cum
munlty. What does the speculator dov
to helpf Nothing whatever. Gets out
or the way as the highwayman does
when h. baa obtained all the traffic
will bear. The tax amendment will
help crowd him out of the way without '
levying so much tribute and finally
eliminate him from the problem alto-;
gather. Vote for It and help along the
time when the producer can drop three- '
fourths of hia burden -th. Idle specs- '
tator In God's earth. No. S2.
'Advertise Oregon T - Certainly. Get up
f'our Rose Carnivals. Splendid! Attract
ve! Boom-de-aye! Tip. Hire special'
Doomers ror special towns. Spend a '
few hundred thousand on special edi
tions, traveling exhibits, , and lantern
slid, agents. All good. Some better
than others, but all help th. land spec
ulator a to stand up the capitalist',
and the worker who comes, as a result,
of these different processes, to Invest'-'
or to live,
" But right here, my gentle boomer, let '
us whisper with a megaphone, that tho
proposed tax amendment. No. 322, re-'
member, will advertise the state fur- -ther,
. faster, ; louder, stronger, longer, 4
than all th. carnivals, festivals, spe-,
cial editions, special aRents, special
trains and illustrated lectures rollod in-.
to one, that Oregon could put forth in ;
half a century. Fact! Sure! Think how ,
it would travel; from here to London
and from there to Borneo and to Pat
igonia. Oregon taxes no man on his'
home, his tools or his' livestock. The
hike for Oregon would bear the rush
for California in the early CQ'a, .W
tote No.. 322 on the ballot.'
For the Common Weal
. From th. Labor Press.
' "Ail things wore together for good."
In the state pamphlet containing tha
measures to be voted on by the people
In June no argument appears againxc
the single tax amendment- Two jtkii
wer. selected to draft such an argument-,
however. and they drafted it, Ttiu.v .
wero Gilstrap of the Eugene ..Register,
and Dixon of the Canby Tribune, lint
when their argument was passed up to
the legal lights of the opposition it w
decided the dope was mo faulty it would
tend to streng.tien rather than weaken
tho support of the single tax amend
ment "That is the trouble, with nearly,
all the argument now bolng set form
by ' writers opposing tne amendment.
Their first half dosen lines Is proof posi
tive to all who have studied tho ulnt-lo
tax question that they have no connip
tion of what they are trying to oppo.i.
Thin they are unconsciously aMin the
measure, and thus it is that the forces
of truth and Justice use all menns to
common end.- Vote for' the single M
amendment-..- w .
siAn acre was created in the hflm'ij
and Its values are create! by the i. im
munity. -.A gentleman cow com.' )..!
being as a direct result of un
lives at maturity solely through .
and finally dies In vpite of uiiin.-i .
bor. The acre -continues to exl-u ui ,'
the Sun turns black and th occ.ii .
up. No value ataches to ttso n c. i ''
then' what labor rreates. ars J I t v
perishes with the nnlinul. .-
Increases in value wheu r t'.
works or not. The g. -, wo. s i .
starve did not labor feed it u
of access to iana.
siorv or the Kinsrdom or uoai .
:VGTE :'FOlR:vNUMBER
ON- TE-::