Morris tribune., 1886-10-27

LAB0R'S CANDIDATE.
HENRY GEORGES SPEECH AT CHICK
ERlNG HALL, NEW YORK.

No Answers Numerous Questions from the
Audience-The Three Mayoralty Candi-
dates Interviewed-An Are Certain of
Election-Fight Against the Election OF
Socialistic Judges In Chicago.
NEW YORK, Oct 26-Aithough Abram 8.
Hewitt declined to accept Henry Georges
proposition to appear in joint debate at Chick
sring hall Friday evening, it was jammed
with people as 1t never was before. At least
1000 persons could not get into the hall
Professor David B. Scott, of the New York
college called the assemblage to order and
introduced the Rev. John Kraemer, assistant
rector Of Al Souls church. as chairman
Mr.. Kraemer said Mr. George would be pres
ent and state his position and answer any
questions which any of Mr.. Hewitt's friends
might ask He assured them a courteous
hearing.
Mr.. George appeared q moment later and
was received with applause. He began work
at once, but he managed to make every one
hear him. He said the platform Of the Union
labor party was based upon the doctrines laid
down in the Declaration Of Independence,
and attar reading a section he asked il the au-
dience believed the ideas set forth were un-
American or undemocratic. Cries of "No!"
came from all parts Of the house He
went into an explanation Of his land
reform ideas. He said he would
place all tax upon land values. He
would not tax house, nor q
boat, nor manufactured goods, nor capital,
nor q watch, nor q railroad, nor anything
produced by labor. he said that to tax
man who put up building on lot was to
dne him for encouraging industry and Civ
Ing men a chance to work. He thought
there were too few houses in New York and
too many unoccupied lots. Thousands Of
men, he said, would be glad to build houses,
but they could not, because they would first
have to pay an enormous sum for lots. His
idea was to tax a man who owned an un-
occupied lot as heavily as the owner of lot
upon which housa stood. That would stop
men from holding lots for speculation. Land
was gift Of God, and, therefore, different
from all other things. He said that God
never gave any man a title deed to land.
He believed in the sacred rights Of property
such as buildings, machinery, franchises,
books, inventions, ships, goods, and personal
property Of all sorts. The present complex
system Of taxation put premium upon
idleness and encouraged perjury and dis
honesty Men perjured themselves to es-
cape taxation on personal property. He
believe all tax but tax on land values should
be abolished
He then announced his willingness to an
swer questions. One man asked Mr.. George
what he would do in the case of small farm
which dying man had left to his widow and
children. Mr.. George replied that he did not
propose to deal with individual cases, but
under the system he proposed there would
Ia n fInH 4, foe
wife and children man left behind him.
Another man wanted to know if A owned
four lots and B owned four on the opposite
side Of the street, if one put up s1oO, 900 and
the other 81, 900 900 house. which would he
tax the heavier. Mr.. George replied that he
would tax them both the same He would
not consider the houses, bee ause they repre-
sented so much labor and so much capital
Neither capital or labor should be taxed A
tax on houses prevented mechanics and capi-
ealists from building them. A young man
wanted to know if Mr. George would remove
tax from imported goods. Mr.. George an
swered that he would not keep anything
good from coming into the country,
The previous answers had been greeted
with thunders Of applause, but the latter an
swer did not "catch onn with. an audience
which was protectionist one on national Is
sues. A colored man arose and wanted to
question Mr.. George, but he didn't
know Just what to say. Finally he asked
how Mr.. Georges land doctrines would help
the colored people when the white landlords
refused to rent rooms to them. Mr.. George
said that was "a question of race prejudice,
which, happily, was dying out rapidly" A
Prohibitionist with cold water countenance
said he wanted to know about saloons. Mr..
George said they were not the cause Of social
Injustice, but an outcome of it. A man in
the gallery inquired if Mr. George would
uiean out the slums, and a fog-horn voiced
man said he was anxious to have the politi-
cal machines broken Mr.. George said he
could do but little In that line if elected, but
be would do what he could
Mr.. George was applauded most of the
time. He mentioned Mr.. Hewitt's name very |
several times and the audience !
Missed He called for collection to pay |
expenses The biggest hit Mr.. |
George made during the night was when he |
'aid his ideas would not be put into practice /
until the majority of the American people |
iecided that they were right and after |
most thorough discussion He elected ap-
plause when he said that ''the humblest child |
sorn in the most squalid tenement had as
much right to Gods bounties as a child of |