The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-11-28
THE SINGLE TAX.
FROM A SPEECH OF HENRY GEORGE AT
MEMHHIs, TENN.

Auk Pupiv revenues We OuSut 10 Try
to find this intended tax. and there are
certain marks by which we must know
it. Gods laws cannot clash, the social
Law cannot clash with the moral law.
No tax can be the intended tax that
fosters corruption, that puts premium
upon frauds, that leads men into temp
tation to lie and take false oaths.
1 arraign the whole tariff system as
doing this, and arraign it for this, if
nothing else, 1t fought to be arraigned,
if for no other reason than that it
tempts men to corruption, to lying and
to taking false oaths. No man who
has travelled over the Atlantic ocean as
| have; no man who has sat in the
steamers as / have and listened to the
talk Of passengers can fail to know this.
Every man or woman who has made
the voyage knows that as soon as you
get in sight of that statue of "Liberty"
Illuminating the world in New York
harbor, and within hearing distance of
this country Of liberty, every passenger
is compelled to stand in line and to
bear witness before Almighty God, in
the presence Of these GUSTAV house col
lectors, that they have nothing dutiable
in their luggage. Swear to it all-con-
slider the impiety Of it--call upon God
Almighty to witness that you are not
going to take any Of your own property
inside this land Of freedom; that you
are not going to approach this statue of
Liberty illuminating the world with
out paying blackmail, and the passen-
gers take the oath. Nine-tenths of
those passengers who so take the oath
do have dutiable things in their lug
gage, which they are trying to get
through, and especially is this true Of
the protectionist.
referred last night to one Of the
bonored and respected citizens Of Mem.
phis. Colonel Enoch Easley. / have by
his courtesy pamphlet containing one
of his articles written in 1878, in which
the golden rule of taxation, in one Of
its aspects, at least, is laid down. 1t is.
@Neyer tax anything that would be of
value to your state that could or would
run away, or that could or would come
to you." Think of it. .'Never tax
anything that would be of value to
your state that could or would run
away, or that could or would come to
you." If we want more wealth, and
ninety.uine hundredths Of us do, and
ninety-nine hundledths could make
good use Of more wealth than we have,
what We want is more wealth.; then ]
say Il is q pieco Of utter stupidity that
we should tax wealth in any Of its
forms. We cannot tax goods without
having fewer goods; we cannot tax
capital without preventing capital from
coming or causing it to run away we
cannot tax houses without having fewer
homes; therefore all taxes which keep
good things out that would otherwise
come, all taxes that repress the produc
ton Of things we want and would like
to have, stand condemned. That can
not be the right method Of raising
taxes. There is but one plain. clear
and obvious way. As society advances,
as civilization begins and progresses,
the need Of public revenue appears and
increases with social growth. Begin
ming with the beginning of civilization,
there arises value touching land that
no individual can say, "This is mine.'
There arises value that is clearly due
to progress Of society. 1t is due to
that. and that alone A little over 100
years ago the proprietors of Memphis
bought 5000 acres of land from the
government Of North Carolina Gam ]
right?) for which they paid fifty cents
per acre lam I rightD To day some Of
that land is worth 100000 per acre.
What Is difference? Does it come from
any act of the proprietors? What
causes it to be worth $5O0,O00 per
acre to-day and only fifty cents per
acre 100 years ago? Is it not because
the whole population of Memphis is
here2 Does it not come from the
growth Of the communicated not
from the act Of the individual That
is the land value everywhere. No
value attaches to lend by reason of Gull
tivation, by reason Of drainage. by rea-
son Of improvements Of any kind, for
the values are the values of the i'm
provemeuts alone, and when the i'm
provements are destroyed the values go.
but the land itself has value that is
anfiralv inianandanf oF 49, oxo.t;or