Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-06-09

saea ~ss5s< Il . lsse t'sea - the g'asf tie
tessusr - had Shrfe t.e ssga@l r.skss q
al fseis - t1s ~ a l,ns sls sncasis~i. 10
s7ftesss. hospitality ~ t@s dsstsk's4sse-s -
oesisa e@a arse ~ geasssai STATES. slsd al
vance a rroisctate power sill taeressse The
senersl we'll hs<fs aas ieef 10 further al
s2nees- But where lsasi - treated a. tts
property q ssssi. fresn, wbom otLrrs naast
?areh.sse THE prisilsse "a hyifs asa work
ipg, = trIdetisy a. incqsaat. IL al once -
up.shlca every aissaes Ia productive pow
&c tends ~ inervs~c. fss, siDes lard j. Ia
di-ss~isahle To the sxcrtion OF latslr pa al
vance Ia The power a Production can tsn-
efit those Who have La~reiy tbs power 10
labor
That Il is-eif being useless, the growth
Of population AMI the Improvement Of the
arts can only drive the disinhcrstei eiass II
msrr lahorsrs into . iiescer competition
with each other iur the pflsiiegr Of work
lnS, while larger AMI larger share of the
production of iAisg pa~.ss into the iA.snsls Il
thos~ who. Ia their r.eaoiolizstsnn II the
natural element II all production, have
eoatrcl of the right 10 work Thus discov-
cay. invention aad niprosement-ssery-
thing. In short. la which tie material prog
r.. ~ sA.i~ty consists tends under this
primary injustice 10 increase Inequality
In The distribution 81 wealth until al las;
the u,on>tsvus insS,uAiity destroys advances.
ara brips.s scsrogrsesSion, and In violent ca
ts.ss FopLe or dull dry rot inventions anil de
coyeries are los. and arts aud letters forgot
ten.
To us Of the western world. AMI especial
~ Co ,ls ~ that new world which Columbus
op,nei 10 European civilization. the won
derfal impfoN einents Of the century now
closing seem naturally but the pr-ltiic -
far greater improvements ia the next But
we must not forget that the majority II
the human n.e know nothing Of our Inn
provcincntS. aud that the long history II
humanity shows that advance has never
before been continuous Aud already we
may zee, In the massing Of monstrous for
tunes on the one hand and increasing in-
tensity OF the struggle "a live on the other,
the growth Of that inequality that has over
aud ever again in the world : history stopped
invention and improvement and turned
progress into decline
Nor is there anything that can check this
tendency To inequality save the recognition
OF the equal rights To the use of the elc-
uient from which alone men can live.
Abolish all other monopolies save that Of
land. and the ultimate result must be but
In increase the share Of the production Il
wealth that oan hc taken by land owners.
IL cannot raise wages or make II easier for
mere !aborers to live. Nor can any diffusion
Of education. or publication u govern
ment. or doing away with middle,nen
prevent the widening Of the gulf between
the rich and the poor, 50 long ~ land is
treated ms subject tc that individual right
Of property that rightfully belongs to the
things that human cxertion brings into
being. A. tn charity. that is hopeless, and
worse than hopeless when not based on
justice.
Therefore IL Is that the conditions which
will exist ia this country when the children
OF children yet tn bc born celebrate the fifth
centenary Of the discovery Of the great
Genoese must depend upon whether. while
they yet have power. the masses II our peo-
pie accept OF reject the one great reform
which Is embodied in the single tax propo-
,ition. IL they do, aud now believe they
will, then the Twentieth century may See
the development Of civilization that
traricends the Imagination IL the Nine
tecnih century. Ifthcy DO not. then there
must befall e., hat on far rrander scale
and with "a far quicker movement. what
beicll ancient Ros..c.
HENRY GEORGE.