Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-02-06
HENRY GEORGES LECTURE.
He Says President Cleveland IL Look
Ing Toward the li1ht

Henry George prefaced MS lecture at Masonic
Temple, Saturday night, by Selling the rea ling
drsk and showing 1t TO one side AS he talks he
walks, and 30 he needs a clear neld The large
audience testified their appreciation and sympathy
BY frequent applause, and during the hour and a
nall that Mr.. George Jalkei he had their atten-
lion. The subject was labor and Protection
and Mr.. George gave reasons why he thought that
the laooring classes and the country at large
would De benefited by free trade. He congratu-
lated bis hearers upon the new era that had
dawned upon them. The point which the labor
movement had been striving to attain for years
TIE Presidents message had emphas Zed. The
President, the speaker said. was loohiny toward
me lsht h. had ken step IN the right diIec-
, uoh lie expressed ais qualification that
the ISSUE In the coming campaign would
De protection lie then ridiculed the idea that
protection was for the benefit OF the laboring
man or the contrary, he said, protective duties
FOUND their most enthusiastic advocates In the
great companies and large employers. Protec-
ton, he malnt ained did not protect labor; IL did
noI advahce wages; it simply addei to the prohtS
OF employers He thought that II wages would 30
down as asserted without a protective tarin. they
certainly would have been so affected before this
country had protective tariff. The speaker de-
MED that low wages were an advantage TO pro-
duetion, because II II was true then the poor labor
OF Mexico and the slave iaUOr OF the South ought
TO have largely increased production. But, such
was not the case. He said that II the labOring
people only knew what they wanted Congress
Would grant them the necessary legislation.
Inc unemployed man, he thought, was at
the bottom OF the labor difficulties. what
IL needed IS 10 give labor the opportunity
10 produce for itself. Protection makes labor a
boon. The speaker then drifteJ into discussion
or Ills theory or land taxation. and maintained
that II all taxes were abolished and the public
revenues raised by a tax upon the value OF land,
that there would be land enough and work enough
Tor ali. He denounced the holding OF land Tor the
purpose OF making prof1t for the Increased value
Ills plan, ne said, would make IL impossible for
men 20 hold land that they had no use Tor. II
would not pay them To do II. The land would thus
gradually be divided up among The people. During
this portion Of the lecture Alr. George invited
questions from any one In the audience. In re-
Spouse To a question he said that his land tn DRY
would not be conlScation or private property;
men would simply part with the properly which
Vas no longer profitable 10 them 10 hOld To an
other Question he said that the Land ow ners could
not simply SHIFT the burden OF the land tax upon
other people, because IL was intended To operate
principally on the unused land. Tue tax vacant
land the speaker said, must, OF course, be borne
by the owner.
A large number al the close OF the lecture
stopped to speak with Mr.. George, and so many
mained that the preliminary steps were taken for
The formation OF an anti-pOverty society. Mr.
Z vi I. Bowen was elected chairman and j. Fred.
Adams Secretary