Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-10-24


Barre last week was the subject of
communication in the Ne,oSdealer on
Tuesday, in which the writer, Edmund
B. Ogden, endeavors to make an attack
upon the theories of Henry George and
single taxists. One of his leading state
ments is that 'the workingmen of the
coal regions are educated above these
theories, and if DIR. McGlynn comes
here five years hence he will see no adj
vance of his crusade" 1t is poor policy
to deal in conjectures-five years hence
may bring many wonderful changes or
we may see nothing but the existing
conditions of to-day-it is one of the
mysteries which time alone can solve
but at present it certainly cannot be
claimed that the workingmen of the
coal regions are educated as they should
be, and we dare say that there is no
more than one miner in every one hun
dred that can give even meagre des-
cription of the single tax theory. We
would rather see it otherwise, even if it
would place them, as Mr.. Ogden claims
they are already, above this theory.
Continuing the writer states the "su-
preme fallacy is that absolute ownership
of the land is a wrong because the land
is a natural bounty" That is the su-
preme fallacy of single tax men. His
next sentence is: '"The right to owner
ship of the land is so obvious to us in
this enlightened age that to discuss it
seems like arguing seriously with some
crank who believes that the earth is
flat" Those two quotations are in SUBJ
stance the most potent arguments used
by critics of the system, and the follow
ing concise paragraph of undisputed
truth, from the pen of Henry George,
will be found sufficient to uphold the
assertion that absolute ownership is
wrong:
To this manifest absurdity does the
recognition of individual right to land
| come when carried to its ultimate-that
trate in himself the undivided right to
| VIZ 'oiid vi any toiIlly, COulu cADtl
therefrom all the rest of its inhabitants
and could he thus concentrate the indi-
vidual right to the whole surface of the
globe, he alone of all the teeming popu-
lation of the earth would have the right
to live.
While such calamity is not probable,
there is nothing on earth Except the
single tax to prevent it from being pos
sible.
Again, he says, at is perfectly natural,
seeing that the present system was gi-
gantic wrong, that the next step should
be to cry for redress of this wrong"
That is very good and pussy comes very
near making her appearance, but Mr..
Ogden frightens off the cat with the
"confiscation bugaboo." "My comrades
in the mines know that such an idea
(confscation) is repugnant to the Ameri-
cans who work and thus acquire an alb
solute title to their little parcel of land"
Here is one of the most common errors
into which those who do not understand
the system fall. Whether intentional
or not we cannot say, but Mr.. Ogden's
language conveys a very false impress
sion. No one intends to question his
right to the parcel of land, little or big,
and he will have the most unlimited
privilege to buy, sell, bequeath, build
wall around, keep out of use, or do with
it just whatever pleases him, provided
he pays to the state the equivalent of
the annual rental value of that parcel of
land This appears to be the only OBJ
stacle of any account in Mr.. Ogden's
way, and with little further investiga-
ton those "confscated scales" will drop
from his eyes, and then another recruit
will join the increasing army of
"cranks."