| Show DOES THE WORLD OWE ALL A LIVING it is frequently stated that the world owes every man a living As a matter of fact the world owes no man an a living but it does owe every man the opportunity to earn a living and it is the urgent duty of every humanitarian to aid in discovering the means by which this debt may be discharged i i a to secure to every man his birthright students of economic problems generally agree that unearned increment has blocked the doorway to opportunities and that in our social structure it is the cornerstone ner stone which our le legislative Z builders have persistently rejected the appropriation by individuals of values earned by the community was carefully cor considered d by the great reat economist john stuart S mill and his language t throws liht light upon this world debt suppose that there is a kind of income which constantly tends to increase without any any exertion or sacrifice on the part of the owners those owners constituting a class in the he community whom the natural course of things progressively enriches consistently with complete passiveness on their own part in such a case it would be no violation of the principles on which private property is grounded if the state should appropriate this increase of wealth or any part of it as it arises this would not properly be taki taking anything from anybody I 1 it t would merely be applying an accession of wealth created by circumstances to the benefit of society instead of allowing bolvin it to become an unearned appendage to the riches of a particular I 1 class now kow this is actually the case with rent the ordinary progress of a society which inere increases asea in wealth is at all times tending to augment the income of landlords to give them both a greater amount and a greater proportion of the wealth of the community independently of any trouble or outlay incurred by themselves they grow I 1 richer icher as it were in their sleep without working risking or economizing I 1 what claim have they on the general principle of social justice to this accession of riches in ill what would they have been wronged if society had from the beginning reserved the right of taxing n the spontaneous increase of rent to the highest amount required by financial exi landlord proprietors prie tors ara the only classow class of any ally number or importance who have 9 a 1 claim to a 3 share in the distribution of the produce I 1 through their ownership of s something oni ething which neither they nor any I 1 one else have pro deuced I 1 wa are not in favor of repudiating the obligations of the state or society aud therefore iv welcome elcome the searchlight of truth from all halt helpful sources |
