Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-04
Henry George. Tax rne-ry.
WE .rHi BFDRp, Tax, May /,

WENrHi BFDRp, Tax, May /, 1888.
To the Editor of the Gazette.
l am not going to take The GAZETTE
10 task row, as you say the correspon-
dent did who favors the Union Labor
party. / Wish TO correct yonr statems n,
that both the Union and the United L,bol
parties. were an,agonistic TO the Demo.
cratic psrty. But, let me say, there is nc
United, or George, or McGlynn party, and
uever was, outside Of New York. There
are great many sir gle tex men, believers
in the Henry George land tax theory, all
through the country and Nthefs rum
bers are, increasing rapidly. There
will be q conference (uot o con-
vention) OF single ttx men neld In Chi
csgo July to discuss ways and means Of
bringing the land tax ideas before the
people by individual work, distributing
literature, organizing sirgle tax or tsx
reform clubs, etc. They do not intend
putting Presidential candidate in
the field, for the greater part of US
are with the Democratic party on their
free trade or low tarih plank, and
intend to help you out to that extent.
Mr.. George in an out and GU, free trader,
and will use mis- influence for Cleyelend's
electIoh ii the tariff IS the issue. So you
were quite wrong in saying the Union
Labor patty and the Georgeites were
ldensicallY the same, when the Georgeites
and the Democrats are nearer alike, snd
We propose to ride In the Democratic
free trade wagon as far IS 1t goes
our way, whether we are wanted or not
For free trade is the first essential step to
bring about freedom to natural opportu-
nitles. Lsnd, COST, gas, oil, minerals OF
allkinds, which are now monopoljz by
the few, the most Of them held BY 0og-iL.
the msnger owne re, who neither use them
nor let anyone else use them. ALI values
that lands, mines and gas wells have are
produced by the people. were there no
people these natural opportunities would
have no value. Were there but one indi-
vidual he might own the whole United
States and vet be worth absolutely
nothing, but on account of our dense
population land values are becoming very
nigh, ranging from few dollars an acre
TO many thousand dollars foot front in
cities, according as more or less people
desire to live In the same place or use the
same land. The Henry George single tax
theory is simply this, the people, as peo-
pie produce land values and mine values
Then BY simply taxing these values We
tax for the benefit Of all the people
what all the people help to produce. This
would make 1t unnecessary to tax every
thing that an individual produces, as we
Try to now. Industry should be en-
couraged not foed. We now fine q man
II he builds house, business block, i'm
proves farm or does anything else that
it is necessary that he should do in order
to be & coed citizan. l dida'S intend to
wind up with single tax article. but
there seems to be SO much misunder-
standing about Henry taeorge's theory,
when it is so simple. Oar present tox
laws not only reterd industry, but they
allow individuals, corporations and trusts
to pocket all the values thst are produced
by the people as people. Take for com.
munisy purposes what the community
produce would be justice to all.
JUSTICE.