The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-03
SINGLE TAX LEAGUERS.
Third Annual Reunion Of the
Jersey City Club.

About seventy persons, men ant
women, attended the third annual re
union of the Jersey City Single Tax
League at the Assembly Rooms, No. Ga;
Newark avenue, last evening. A number
Of interesting speeches were made, inter
spersed by instrumental music and reel
tations by the members of che Silver Lake
Trio. Refreshments were served, and al
together the ! may congratulate 1tseli
upon the success of the entertain emit
Speeches were made by ex-President
John w. Jakeway, President James Nc
Gregor, Joseph Dana Miller, the Rev.
William Z. George, OF the Linden Ave.
nue. M. K. Church, and President Thomp-
son, OF the Brooklyn Single Tax Club:
Mr.. McGregor. the newly installed
president, explained to the visitors that
the object of maintaining such organiza-
tons was to ~popularize the ideas of Henry
George on the subject of political econo-
my. Mr.. McGregor made u very clear
and concise summary of Mr.. Georges
ideas in reference to abolition of all taxes
except upon land, and argued that the
present tax system is responsible for
nearly all the evils that affect modern So
ciety.
Mr.. McGregor introduced Joseph Dana
Miller as a gentleman widely known
throughout the States as a writer n 4
speaker. Mr.. Dana wisely refrained
from entering deeply into n discussion of
q great economic question on such an oc-
casion. An aged spinster, he said,
once got an impression that the
single tax idea was to remove
all taxes from married men and
put them all upon the shoulders of the
bachelors. Naturally she was ~favorably
impressed. She WAS interested while la
hOfi "A r. 11p1ar n n orpnruoI11 idoQ H. Nuoa
difficult to get women interested, yet the
single tax idea concerned them more SO
than the men. The tariff system, he re-
marked ironically, was strictly American
because it was in vogue in the days of
Pharaoh of Egypt; because 1t vas
adopted by the Chinese about the time
this continent was discovered. Then Mr..
Dana attempted to interest the women in
the audience by discussing the duty
upon imported sugars. We do not man
ufacture enough for ones own use. A
trust, which is an agreement between
gentlemen to get all the money there is
in the sugar business, was formed. Sup
are bought up and the price of sugar
made within our own borders put just
below the tariff line. In order to carry
out the schemes of the trust certain re-
fneries are paid to shut down. Men
are thus thrown out of employment.
1ndts Wudt we keb 1of DelnS SularteE
than the Almighty. Mr.. Miller claimed
that where the tariff opens up one avenue
to employment it closes up two. Awoman
goes into u store and purchases O pound
Of sugar. The invisible tax collector
comes along and ~coliects from her three
cents. If he was visible the system would
have been abolished long ago. The woman
asks him III this tax is placed equally
upon the rich and the poor. He answers.
no. Do the rich consume more sugar
than the poor? No, the rich have fewer
children than the poor The tax mainly
goes into the hands of the sugar trust. IL
pays higher wages 10 our workmen? asks
the woman o f'the collector. Yes. Does
the government see that higher wages
are paid? No. Well, I'll go home and
talk with my husband. and if he ever
votes the protection ticket again, Lord
help him.
I'VE want the taxes from the product
of mans labor removed, !" said Mr.. Dana.
"They make a mistake who say the peo-
pie are not ripe for this proposed reform.
We propose to institute a propaganda in
its behalf. If we are wrong, let them
come in and prove it to us. But we need,
in this fight, just as did the slavery abo-
litionists of old, the splendid sympathy of
women, because they will attract others
who may be of vast aid to us. There are
women in the tenement houses of this
tA0 dIJOlilA5 SAtAO0 NOhASho dutCAAphlhH
30 suckle starving babes at empty breasts
as q result of the present Ubiquitous tax
system. 1t is the woman's place to help
us when in the epoch OF that kingdom of
which Christ prophesied-an epoch in
which the babe born in the tenement
shall have equal rights with the child OF
the m~agnate."
The Rev. Mr.. George, of Linden avenue
M. E. Church, made a spicy and eloquent
q ldress.
President Thompson, Of the Brooklyn
ing in the country, closed the entertain
tainment by giving the result of his ex-
perience IN the organization of a success
full club. He was listened to at
tentively. and his practical sug-
gestions will, no boubt, influence
greatly the members of the Jersey
City Club in their work of building up d
powerful organization in this city.