Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-30
THE ooapLAIsr OF HENRY GEORGE

President Arthur, complaining of his arrest
while travelling in Ireland, and desiring TO
know if the American Government intends
to take any steps for the protection of it's
citizens abroad. II appears to US that
Henry George is guilty of something very
like etfrontery in making this complaint,
for that he Of all men has the least right to
protest against whatever he may have suf.
fered at the hands of the British Govern
ment. Being an American, and in no way
concerned with the affairs of Ireland, he
nevertheless took it upon himself to be-
come sort of political missionary to that
country, and choosing for his experiment a
time of profound and general agitation and
sedition, he appeared as the advocate of
radically communissic doctrine, calculated,
if it took any hold upon the native mind,
to increase the prevailing bitterness against
the Government, to encourage the growing
disposition not to pay rent, and to confuse
the ignorant masses hopelessly in regard to
the rights of property and the very essence
of honest dealing between men. Mr..
George says that he has been travelling
through Ireland on legitimate business. We
do not think the business in which the
has been engaged can properly be charac-
terized as legitimate. We do not think it
il legitimate for any one to tell ignorant
people that justice requires them to become
robbers, and that the possessors of land
have absolutely no rights. Me-. Georges
doctrine that the State should take all the
land without compensating the holders. is
emphatically dishonest doctrine, aside from
the fact that it is economically unsound,
as we showed conclusively when review.
ing Mr.. Georges book, g Progress and Pow.
'ertY." But if any man chooses to 90
among an ignorant and excited and already
disafected population, preaching such fire.
brand doctrines as these, it is not necessary
for him to affiliate himself with the Land
League or any other organization, to be en-
gagged in an iIlegitimate occupation. As
matter of fact, it has been constant
source of surprise that Henry George
should have been treated so indulgently by
the Government. Possibly its knowledge
that his peculiar doctrine was alien to the
most cherished theories of every Irishman
as regards property in land, has had some
thing to do with this apparent Indifference.
Even at the last there is nothing to in
dictate that his arrest was the coase.
quence of any special instructions,
but considering all the circumstances, it
is easily credible that subordinate auth ri.
ties might see in this apostle of confscati0n
an emissary unfriendly to the Government.
Mr.. George has chosen his own path in
life, and if it leads to martyrdom it wi
be his own fault. The scheme of national
ization OF land which he is advocating so
ardently will never be adopted by any
civilized people, because it is imprac!i-
cable because it has already been tried
and has failed; because it is even now
in operation in more than one part of the
world, and with conspicuously unsatis-
factory results; and because the principle
of private property in land underlies mod
erE civilization. No doubt g Progress and
Poverty" will continue to be read widely
for some time to come. So was Rousseau's
"Social Contract" But who pays any at.
tention to Rousseau's theories now, or ia
ever likely to do so again? The fact is
that Henry Georges land doctrine is of no
use for anything but mischief, and that it
will not be influential even for that, during
any considerable period.