The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-04-16
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT
EVER WITH US.
Christian Men Who Would Help tho
Poor.
Rev. Charles r. Baker, In the Church OF
the Messiah, Again Reinforces the
Single Tax Views of Henry
Ge0rge-Anothera and .
Vigorous Attack on
Mon0polies.


and Clermont avenues, last evening.
Rev. Charles R. Baker delivered lect-
ure on 1.-THE Single Tax of Henry
George" He said:
In considering these remedies for pow
crty. which have been proposed at va
rious times, it is great pleasure at
last to come to one proposed by Chris
tian man Too often the church has |
taken a position of hostility to the |
wants of the poor 1t is continually |
necessary to remind us that Christs
first word was Blessed are the poor,
for theirs is the kingdom of God"
They, better than the rich, understand
what it is to pray to God. Give us
this Gay our daily bread" Every great
impulse hat The human race basknown
has come from the germinai force OF
Christ's own mighty, large hearted
love; and why should we cast away SO
mighty force as this? 1t is great
relief to turn to man who not only Is
Christian man. but whose whole theory
is permeated through and through with
the ethical enthusiasm of Christianity.
No ore, / believe. can read the first
half of Mr.. Georges Progress and
Poverty" without feeling the heart
within him stirred. His Reply to the
Pope" given out last year, reads like a
homily, like the answers of St Bernard
or some of the other great men who
stood for humanity against wrong in
the middle ages 1t is a strong petition,
n strong address from the side OF
Christian man. 1t brings to bear all
through scripture and Christly sane
tions, it draws its inspiration from the
scriptures. Not only is Mr.. George in
his whole spirit moved by Christian inn
pulses, but he is man of unusual
ability. He is one of the most eloquent
men of our day. The cardinal point in
Mr.. Georges theory is his conception OF
property. There are three kinds OF
property: First, natural or individual;
second, artificial, and third, common
property. Natural property is based
upon the right which a man has to him.
self. Man has an inalienable right to
his life as we'll as to liberty and the
pursuit of happiness What / make
with my hands is mine and nobody
else. What invent with my brain is
mine, and l have an inalienable right
to the possession of both. No govern.
ment and no man has any right to take
away from RE either one.
It may be necessary. for the support
of the government, that every man
should contribute a certain share OF
what belongs to him for the common
good, but no government has any right
to take a larger share from me than il
takes from any other man; and it has
no right to spend it except in such
way as shall be for my good and for
the general good If you carry this
theory out anything like progressive
income tax is not fair or just, Artifi
cial property is that which passes to
mans heirs or legatees in accordance
with the laws of the state. Then there
is common property and that is thu
gift of God or else made by all men to
rether. The air is common property
Il was made by God, and it is neces
sary for every man to breathe 1t to live
and there is no man who has any RICH
TO put me or you into dark room
where the air has been all exhausted
and then deal It out to us at SO much al
hour and charge us for it The same
true of sunshine Sunlight is neces
sary to our life and health. an
It belongs to God, who gave ]
for all his children, and no man woul
have any right to make us pay him 10
IL. In some parts of the West are larg
tracts of land that is sterile in summer
There are great stores of water whic
fall at certain seasons in the mount
aims and it Is marvellous to see ho'
God has provided mountains for resel
voirs very near all these great ari
tracts, and how the rivers flow dow
these great slopes toward the east
the summer you see these rivers suppl,
ing water where it is needed to refres
these arid wastes and turn them in'
gardens No man has any right
usurp property in that water, to take
away from other men. man ma
construct great works for irrigatic
and build great reservoirs; those are
property; but on abstract grounds
Justice he has no right to appropria
these water sources Mr.. George sa.
no individual has any right to seize
coal mine and say, THAT belongs
me" God made it and God made it I
all men. Perhaps it will be clearer i
ask you il you suppose God created
those coal deposits in the Wyomil
valley for the Wilkesbarre coal col
pany. or whether he created them
man.
That is the point OF course
shafts that are sunk and the buildin
and machinery that are constructed
long to the men who make them b
the idea is that no man has any rig
to fence in a certain place and say: "a
this coal that lies under here is mine
How did he get it? Did God create
coal fields for the Wilkesbarre &C
company, or the Lehigh coal compar
or the Philadelphia and Reading &C
company? That is the point
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