The herald., 1894-05-08
Single Takers Listen to Their
National Lecturer.
Progress and Poverty the Subject of
Last Nights Discourse.
aIr. Post Outlines the Georgian Theory of
Taxation aud tho Good He Be-
lievss 1t Would Ac-
oomplish.

people, opened with vocal solo, and
judging from the vigorous applauae it
must have touched responsive chord
in the hearts OF the large and intelli-
gent audience.
The president Of the Los Angeles Sim
gle Tax club, Mr.. Ralph e. Heyt. in q
few well chosen remarks, during which
he took occasion to pay glowing tribute
to Henry George, introduced the
speaker of the evening, Mr.. Louis f.
Pest Of New York, who was greeted
with tremendous applause. His numer-
Gus pointed illustrations with charts,
his eloquent passages and witty thrustn
with which his remarkable address OF
two hours duration was iRterlarded also
received most enthusiastic demonstra-
tions OF approval and appreciation. Fol-
lowing il o condensed report OF what the
speaker said:
First calling attention to the tendency
OF poverty to continue and intensity in
spite of improvement in theindustrial
arts. as shown by lack of employ ment,
low wages, bad business and bankrupt
cies, the lecturer asked his audience to
consider what must be the fundamental
cause Of such condition. To do this
We must ask ourselves what poverty ia.
1t is simply the inability to satisfy our
wants as to food, clothing, shelter, and
the like. Whoever has these things
when he wants them and "a he wants
them Is not in fear Of poverty. But how
do such thiuga como into exiatence?
Analyze bread, familiar article of food,
and we find that it CONSISTS of baker.
of lot of land for the baker to stand
upon, and OF -four, yeaat, salt water,
fire and an oven. The baker is man,
economically called labor; the lot OF
lend is q natural thing outside
of man. economically called land:
and the other ingredients are artificial
things outside of man, which are econ
omically called capital. These three
classes of things make bread. The same
classes of things will make any kind of
object that man requires for the satis-
faction of his wants. But as capital
consists of artificial things, and as arti-
fetal things are composed of man which
ia labor and Of natural things which are
land, we find in the last analysis that all
the things that man requires are COM
posed of nothing but labor and land.
In other words, the natural mode of
avoiding poverty ia through the applica-
ton of labor to land OF the art of man
to the external universe.
Any general observation verifies this
conclusion. With appropriate labor and
appropriate land, there is no limit to
the wealth that may be produced. On
the other hand, by separating labor
from land, there is no limit to the pow
erty that may result. 30 clear ia this
that If we had only an island in the sea
with a small population to consider, we
should readily trace poverty to land mo-
nopoly. Bat there is no difference be-
tween few people ON an leland in the sea
and many people ON an island in space
and this planet of ours is but an Island
in space. In fact the many people on
the planet are in better condition, for
they help one another and that yields
them greater wealth with the same ex-
ertien. But in order to help one an
other they must divide their labor aud
trade its results. Thus, some make ma
ehinery, some make buildings, come are
farmers, some are merchants, come are
professional msn, and some do only part
of one thing, az the making OF shoe
Holes. Each of these ia helping in the
general result. But if any one gets
monopoly of any kind he dees not help
in the general result he levies tribute
upon these who do help, and thus be
produces hard times among them. Mo-
nepoiy, therefore, is the real cause of
poverty.
OF monopoliea there are several kinds.
But no matter what the monopoly may
be, it cannot be abolished with effect 30
long as the monopoly OF land remains,
for the owners of land would receive ell
the benefit. If all the land of the earth
were owned by one man this would be
huta Irnf hCf tln IS he,
land would take all that the users of
land could part with and yet live. II
they were victims of money monopoly
and that were removed, the earth owner
would promptly appropriate what the
money monopolist had been forced to
give up; If of railroad monopoly, the
same. For under all circumstances men
must have land and they will give up
eli but bare living in order to get it.
Nothing ie more simply true than that
If one man owned the whole earth
he would be the virtual owner
of every other inhabitant of the
earth. This would also be OBJ
vious il the earth were owned by syn-
dictate. But when it ia owned by SO
many men that they cannot combine,
we are apt to forget the awful power
that resides in land ownership, because
we 40 not leel Tvs pressure 30 directly.
But to him who understands the law of
gent it is perfectly plain that no matter
how many owners there ere, the ten
6ency Is all the timo toward that condi-
tion which would result from owner
ship by q single individual. The de-
mand for land increases with increase
OF population, with increase of lebor
power-in a word, with progress; and
80 the demand for it increases, It's price
sises. This tends to make landlese
class and landed class. And 40 there
ts a streng probability of continued
progress disposition ia excited to buy
land merely 10 speculate in the increan-
ing values. This tends to make land
still higher in price and more difficult
for the landless to get at. Then the
landlesb are compelled to sell their labor
in glutted labor market at less than
Its value, and we have the phenomena
OF lack of employment and low wages.
The unemployed and the poorly paid
are compelled to economic, and that
gives us the supplementary phenomena
OF Dad business, so-called overproduc-
tion, and the like.
The simple remedy is the single tax,
which involves the abolition OF all taxes
except one, the tax upon land owners,
and the imposing OF that tax in proper
ton to the value OF land, regardless of
Its improvements. Thie would encour-
Rg6 the tIB6 of Land fnr oil rurnoaea nv