St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-11
VERY MEAGER.
Meagher's Arguments Amounted
to That at Harmonic Hali.

There was small prize fight at Har-
monia hall last evening, a bloodless
battle. to which the most fastidious
could take no exception. The contest
ants were a gentleman from New York,
NJ. W. Meagher, and G. j. Buell., the
noted pugilist under the single tax
rules. The gentlemen fought at catch
weights in the presence OF about one
hundred spectators. most of whom SYM
pathized with Mr.. Buell., and applauded
his fine blows, while they Missed Mr..
Meagher's what they would doubtless
call sprintng tactics. Andrew ii.
Adams, a veteran attorney, acted as
referee, although he confessed he knew
little about the rules, but wanted to see
the best man win on his merits. Time
having been called, the gentlemen
but if the public, or that portion
of it present, got any valuable
information out of the contest it failed
to penetrate the alert repertorial mind.
The debate, which was OH the value OF
the single tax theory of Henry George,
was very scattered OH both sides, owing
to the manner in which the time was
divided. MI. Meagher took the first
half hour to tell the audience that he
did not believe Mr.. Georges theory was
sound, and criticised his definitions. He
advanced arguments to prove that
capital was an essential element
in production in contradiction of Mr..
George. Mr.. Buell., i'll his half hour, adj
mitted that capital was very good
thing, and he would be sorry to see the
world without it; but he deemed it was
coordinate with labor, because labor
existed far before. The first factors IN
production were naked man and a
naked earth. He concluded with this
double ''corker'': "Put capital in the
earth and let it go to work."
and "Give me all the land and Mr..
Meagher all the capital. and if
he obeys the land laws he will have to
give me all his capital or get off my
world" To this picturesque statement
Mr.. Meagher replied that if he had all
the capital he would be abundantly able
to take care of himself. He would
simply blow Mr.. Buell. off with how
tier He drew picture OF three col
onies, one without capital, one with
some capital and one with abundant
capital. and INDUCED i'll some mildly
sarcastic reverieS on the probable tale
of the first. In this he intro
duced figurative fight OF Henry
George. Udulcly, 1HdG WndG Viz
doing of one thing is in effect the doing
of all things within the circle OF ex-
change, that is to say, the man who
spades the ground is, in reality, boiling
his own tea and cooking his own dinner,
because he is winning the means to pro-
cure the dinner cooked, and attempted
to apply it literally. Some of the audi
ence laughed and some of them Kissed.
'Ah, ha," said the lecturer, Il get
hiss" Then he read the book Progress
and Poverty" on the point in question,
and the single tax men laughed again.
Mr. Meagher looked stumped for
moment, and then countered by eX-
claiming: Il don't wonder you laugh.
The absurdity would make any man
laugh"
But" replied the apostle Buell.. from
the floor, sit is not the proposition that
is absurd, it is the fellow who ap-
plies it,
So the debate went Oh for an hour
more, Mr.. Meagher and Mr.. Buell. al
ternating in showing that man might
talk learnedfy of production without
producing anything, and of exchange,
and still exchange of value.