Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-07-25
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT..
SINGLE TAX THE INSTRUMENT.
Address OF William Lloyd Garrison Be-
fore the Unitarian Ministerial Union at
Claiming Hall, Boston, April 2s, 1890.

ADDRESS OF william Lloyd Garrison BE
f"re 'ne on',afan MINISTERIAL Union a
apr" 90 i''''
p ~ wac N,Nuaiie De 0.avl VINO SAID u
" Dtn.isn Statesman, len me all aoou
t sne Dlt'isn substitution III Ten minutes,
ou' my iriehu' new MI. barrows' pro
poSea a"'uer 'asN wneh ne asked m'
=, s W Ga pa" W nin, .ne single .a'
.yrh, s,,,s.Io s"'N 9aJ in ioPiS
,,a.;o rs =, ~ ans oqual anu eAae
g.. a. 80. -, $500 'ne car u
49,, ,,io,d - " s's. u
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ohauas III, ,..o'... "' t,-,..4 s,ioui" W
o-sI,s . ". ,,, ing ei..'erihg gen
torooa 90 ,.o s Illuminating shalt DC
q, h., ,,,,aous.,aa soneS nv J oO ,'ii
how, Con- ano ~ sart,. .oas.on. roi
what has talen him uan.a '' 90 o GA pr .
bendp Tho yorr hnoy;,r "a sope
noss roouirod ton .a So.e.1o
,iop 80 H. s,,hioo. ,;,, pio'yA'a
outi;no - 49, -. III 'A'-' why q"
nv IT, 49,. ~ ,,,
- ""' eoiioora'eiy
T. hs.s - u ioio,m mniou
to,nSat; upJa sno ,uo'. soiio e'nioa,
~ hn," ~ oo'eiipes inc instrument
w ling "pou. result anu not the OBJ
- w 20 a.'"ineu i'is inc me.noa 10
Do pursueo IN Inc soiutioh OF the labor
p.oo.e'n' iho REASON ior adopting the
.at. 20 'nt'' ~ mas clear' speclnc'
S@e"A meaning. ~ Is not nepulous
vi ihuenhloe' single tax Is lntell1gl-
pie 10 inc common understanding. Its
ann is TO abolish all taxes on property
anu 10 raise the entlre revenue OF the
country py single tax on land values
:" 20 necessary 10 understand terms
clearly Inc single TAX Is not tax on
iahu' Dut TAX on the value OF Land. III
lahu Is worthless because undesirable or
remote III woul9 not be taxed. If of
small value' then the tax would be small.
All value is given to land by the pres
ence OF people who require it for use.
Remove the people of Boston and place
them on spot where the land can be
nao ior nothlng and the land values OF
boston Will fade away and on the new
sight spring up full-armed, like Miner
va from the brain OF Jove. Therefore
remember that not land but site value
Is 10 be taxed 1t is value made by the
community and justly belongs to the
community economic rent" is its
sclentlhc appreciation, and ground
rent the FAMILIAR term.
"haC Wonuerlul change can this sim
PIE process prlng 10 society? The varla-
ton of tax mere fiscal measure. is
all that there is TO tho mucb vauntad
movTpent? Is it for this that volumes
have been written and newspapers es-
tablished? Is it upon such a device that
the abatement of poverty and the equal
ity of opportunity is predicated? Even
SO. Let us get beneath the surface.
/ wonder how many of YOU are familiar
with the ninth chapter of Herbert Spen-
GERS Social Statics," that famous chap
ter on ''The right to the use of the earth. {"
For the moral statement of the cause
we advocate, it leaves nothing to be de-
sired. 1t is complete and it seems to
mo irrefutable. You have doubtless
seen the recent controversy between
Spencer, Huxley and others on the very
chapter, which Mr.. Spencer, shrinking
from the application of his teaching,
suppressed in later editions. Even had
he recanted his philosophy, which he
did not, the philosophy would still re-
main to be judged on its merits, regard
less of his altered opinion. To alter a
little Arthur Coughs lines:
ut fortiaes my soul TO know
That, though men perish, Truth Is so,
That, howsoe'er they stray and range,
"nu'e er 'hey oo' ruin does not change"
MT. spencer stood by his proclama-
tlon, but shrank from the war that log
lcally followed, and his critics i'm
proved their chance to 'heckle" him
for his inconsistency. But the right of
mankind to the use OF the earth stands
impregnable
1t IS upon this right that the single
TAX plants Itself. Its advocates hold
with Spencer that every human being
born into the world has an equal right
to the use of the earth upon which he
must subslst, but 1t is imperative that
no one shall use it in such way as to
prevent others from enjoying similar
USE Equity, therefore, forbids proper
ty In land. For If one portion of the
earth's surface may justly become the
possession OF an individual,
then other portions of the earth's sur
face may be so held; and eventually the
whole may be so held; and
our planet lapse altogether into private
hands" 1t follows, logically, from this,
that ii the land owners have valid
right to its surface, all who are not land
owners have no valid ripbt Mt all tn it's