The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-12-20
Address Of Henry George at the Winfield
0hautauqua Assembly.
The Great Advocate of the Single Tax
Offers Remedy for the Frightful
Concentration of Wealth.


by his own fault man keeps in poverty
those for whom he is bound to provide
there is an individual crime-s failure
in the highest individual duty and
when social conditions are such as to
keep in poverty those willing to work
there must be social crime.
Over the civilized world to-day there
is widespread poverty, and that among
those who do work, or are most anxious
TO work. 1t is deepest in the very GEN.
ters of our civilization; it advances with
our progress and grows with our ma
terisl growth, and on lands where few
years ago the buffalo roamed or the
wandering savage built his campfire
charity societies are organized and men
who would otherwise stsrve are fed by
aims.
IF this be in the ordinance Of nature
that is to say, il this be the decree OF
God, then il is q fact which we can
neither quarrel with nor alter. Wemsy
lament, but we must accept it. And
conversely, il we say that this abound
ing and wide spread poverty is to be rs.
Rretted but cannot be prevented, then no
matter how wa may prste in word OF
the mercy and loving kindness Of God,
we really in effect assert that the pov.
ertv that Bfflcts mankind and the misery
and vice that grows out OF it is OF His
ordaining-in effect assert that He has
neglected to provide for all OF the human
creatures he has brought into the world.
Is this so? How is it that the ALI
giver provides for the wants Of man. He
does not give us food, He does not give
us clothing. He does not give US the
thousand and one things that in the civ
ilized state contribute to the needs and
desires Of men. But He gives us the raw
materials from which all these things
may be- produced by labor; He gives us
land! Is there any scarcity of raw ma
hsEiale? Will Che earth not feed its in
habitants? Ia there any country in the
world where there is not enough land?
Look at this vast country, with nat
ural resources hardly yet scratched; look
at these new states, only beginning Rs
yet to be settled II there is poverty is
il because the Creator has failed to pro
vide; because there is not land enough?
IL there be poverty, undeserved poverty,
poverty on the part Of those willing to
work, it clearly is not the fault Of the
Creator. 1t then must be the fault OF
man. and ie it be the fault OF man it is q
crime IL not the fault OF any one indi.
vidual or of any class of individuals, it
must be the fault of society at large. In
that case then poverty is q crime, so
ciRl crime, crime OF which society
rs a whole must bear the penalty.
There is sometimes want among anil
mails; but it is only when there is scare
ity OF their accustomed means OF sub.
sistence. There is sometimes famine
among ssvages; but it is only when the
sources Of their supply are temporarily
cut off. But the poverty that testers
In our civilization, the poverty that
grows and deepens with our material
advance, is poverty in the midst OF
wealth. No one ever yet saw q flock OF
birds Of which some were starving to
death while others were rolling In fat;
no one yet ever heard OF q tribe Of saw
ages OF which In the same time and place
some we're perishing with famine while
others were gorged to repletion with
more than enough. Yet this is what we
behold in modern civilization. 1t is this
coniuncture of want with wealth that is
characteristic of that chrome famine
that causes us, as We build new cities, to
erect almshouses and organize charity
societies. Must not its cause lie in
some injustice, in some crime which dis
torls the natural and equitable dlstrlbn-
ton Of wealth, which operates to un-
Justly enrich the few and unjustly
lmpOverish the manyP
Consider! the poverty of which ! speak
Is not the poverty Of those who will not
work. It is the poverty OF those who |
are known as 'the working Olass"-ot
those who are anxious to work. Now ell