The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-07
off, &z~.1, 4e~,< M<DAc-


If l had tile power Of abolishng poverty
! should q at it as l should try to hit a
famine When there is a famine we don't
90 about opening schools, colleges and char
liable institutions, nor DO we set to work
reformatorv processes. The first thing done
is TO get The food TO the hungry. That gen
orally ends the famine. Now, what Is that
food? Simply wealth Keeping that in
mind. see now direct ana simple becomes
the problem OF poverty. Isn't 10 simply
the question as in the case of the famine, Of
getting wealth to those in want OF wealth?
Can there be any question that II that be
done involuntary want VIII disappear =?
Poverty is simply the absence Of wealth
somewhere. Ii would seem everlastlngly
persistent ami problem beyond our Solu-
ton Il there were not surplus OF wealth
elsewhere. Taking the human race as a
mighty family. it Is as absurd TO say We can
not rid the world of involuntary poverty or
want as it would be to say we could not tell
how To bring a family out OF want, half the
| members of which had tile cellar stocked
with provisions while the other bali were
dying Ia tie garrett.
II we are put iu this world 20 live and II
living depends upon the application OF our
labor TO land, then If everybody have an
equal chance with everybody else 10 land,
there can be no such thing as involuntary
( poverty, provided the worker has posses
sion Of I'D, physical and HE tai faculties.
As long as land, one Of the primary neces-
sities % human existence, can be trailicErd
iu like tile PRODUCTS of labor human cup.dity
will always force poverty upon the sons OF
men, II we can arrange ii 50 that all can
have an eQual chance nj Natural opportuul-
ties wealth viii easily and satisfactorily
be distributed. 1t IS because the landowner
or uuu-HruduCer eXactS so much M rent
that there is little left for the producer.
The best and simplest way to bring about
this equality OF chances is Uy the single tax,
by making II Improbable for any man 10
hold land out Of use There must be need
OF such a system when in one case alone
practically half of Manhattan Island is
LeuseIess, ami our social reiOrmerS are so
blind 10 this fact that they cry, O0lIsh
the saloon. OF Give as more education.
Imagine that family IN tile garrett while
huuEeriuE for the cellars stores hearing
learned discussions on whether their cOndl-
tion would not be improved by paintings on
the wall or schOol-5O0kS for the children
Good as education IS and bad as IS the sa-
loon. there is something that mast preceje
them. and that is freedom. KNOCK of the
sbackles. ID Lincoln, "and taen We ]! see
what the negro viii do.
Of what good is it to talk Of wisely be-
slowed charity as the solution? Fancy a
benevolent providence as Of old, shOwering
mama daily upon the unfortunate SlUm
LOTIe5 Of New lork. Would that do any
EUUQs mol az all Inc idudllIl, TIE man
who owned the land, would simply be en-
aOled 10 exact ana get more rent, and one
can be sure his den nd would be up TO tie
increased ability 20 pay Uu the part Of the
tenants.
or suppose the religion Of Christ, which
SO love, TO have done It's perfect work iu
these slums, If we eau imagine such thing,
conditions being as they are. and made
every body there sober, viTtuouS, Industrious?
Result. more men asking for WORK, greater
demand for the use Of land. Wages would
20 down, rents would 90 up. Who would
profit by this? Tie owner Of land. This
result must he so since all progress and I'M
pr0yemeut cume from the use Of land.
Take Robinson CTus1e as landowner and
Friday as ms tenant as an example. II
Friday. diSs0.utr AID lazy, viii raise but
ten bus els Of wheat, CTU>Or IN gh- ask bur
eight bushels for rent. II Friday, sober and
a Christian. raise one hundred bushels,
CTu>0e might not only take uneJy-eIIhJ
bt,hcis as rent, bat, as "A snGeWd landlord.
might indeed say: you have learned to
1--we more lru-a.Iy, hence give me ninety
nine bushels one Is plenty Tor any man not
"a ,peudllriit."
cd has put this wonderful world all
around us and has stocked il amply for all
our needs but he has not made Crus0es Of
some and Fridays Of others. / ask for 10
equal OF unequal division of wealth pro-
duced Uv labor All / ask for IS au equal
chance at the source Of all Wellta-the land.
Give Us that ana you give as peace, con-
tenLme4t AID the brotherhood Of man.