National Republican., 1883-08-23
THE LABOR COMMITTEE.
MIR. Henry George Expresses His Views
ON the Subject Of Land Monopoly.

MIR. Henry George Expresses His Views
on the Subject Of Land Monopoly.
New YORK, Aug. 22.-Henry George was
the first witness examined to-day by tho
senate subcommittee on labor and education.
In answer to the question, whether he could
present any facts to the committee on the
subject of labor, Mr.. George replied that facts
could better be obtained from the working
men themselves. There was one general fact,
however, that feeling of extreme dissatis-
faction existed among laboring classes
The condition is not improving with
the increased prosperity of the country.
There is, in his opinion, no direct conflict
between labor and capital, but between
labor and monopoly. The wages in each en-
ployment are governed by certain circum-
stances, but they must all depend on the
wages obtained in the most productive indus
try in the country, and here this industry is
agriculture. Wages are higher in new coun-
tries, because the soil has not passed so largely
into private hands, and wages will not sink
on an average below what man can get by
applying his labor to the soil. There is no
such thing, he said, as general overproduc-
tion, although there may be special overpro-
duction. Tho secret is that there is an under
production in something else, and the laborer
cannot obtain the work and thus get
the means for paying for arti-
CleS ne needs. lnlS bURte OF unlnRS
arises from the difficulty in obtaining
access to the natural resources of the land
which, as countries become more thickly
settled, becomes the subject of a land mon
opoly. Vast tracts of land in the west arc
coming to be owned by q few private indi-
viduals, who obtain it at n small cost and
hold it. The homestead laws, which aim at
giving every man home, have in many IN
stances had Just the opposite effect. The tel
egraph business should be under the control
of the government 1t could be managed
much more cheaply, and it would to a great
extent supersede the postal service. All i'm
provements made in telegraphy would then
benefit the public. The associated press, in
connection with the Western Union company
had been the means of defeating the recent
strike by influencing the public press to take
a stand adverse to the telegraphers. Neither
capital nor labor now gets its fair share of
their joint product the great portion going
to the land owners
Continuing his testimony Mr.. George stated
that the system of taxation on land values
would act most harshly upon those who had
their capital invested in unimproved land,
but that this was no more than just Ifevery
monopoly but that in land was abolished the
condition of the poor would not be benefited,
as the advantage would all be repeated by the
land owner in the shape of increased rents
Every child had as much right in the land
itself as the wealthiest landowner. There
was no objection to mans becoming wealthy
If in the acquisition of his wealth he did not
interfere with any of the rights of others.
This the land speculator does.
Mr. George said that if he had absolute
power he would abolish the protective tariff
and all taxes, except those on land values, the
army and navy, together with West Point and
Annapolis; place telegraphic systems and rail-
ways under government control; abolish the
collection of debt by legal proceedings, and
reform and simplify the whole legal system.
England had greatly advanced in prosperity
by the adoption of her partial free trade sys-
tenn, and the condition of { o laboring classes
was better there than in this country. The
power to remedy the evil he had suggested
by the means which he advocated he thought
lay in the government as at present consti-
tuted, and could be put into effect without
much difficulty.
The examination closed with discussion
of the advantages of the protective tariff by
Senator Blair. The hearing will be continued
tomorrow.