The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-11-26
LETTER BAG.
The Single Tnx DsIusion.

brought forth mouse. aud its name Is
called the single tax. The present
critic is not one among those pebble
hearted, bat.like people who are satisfied
with the present state Of industrial af-
fairs. out as remedy the single tax 10
singularly incompetent. Henry George
has written great many good thinga,
but the idea of solitary impost ON land
as a means Of breaking up monopoly lie
the colossal poitico-economic joke Of
this age.
Break up land monopoly and thus
throw off tho evils-this 10 the single tax
programme. See its worthlessness put
on your single tax, and present owners
OF large tracts OF land would continue to
be as much monopolints as they are now.
As means OF pacifying the farmers
who fear that they would have 10 bear a
greater burden, under single tax
regime than they now do, the single
takers tell them that, as a whole, their
taxes would not be raised. The idea
then, is that the single tax, distributed
evenly all around would be light on
each individual. The cumbersome
machinery now in use for collecting
taxes would be done away with and the
single tax being simpler in form and
easier collected would need a much
smaller tax levy. Granted; then could
not the bonanza farmers 20 on paying
this single tax without being in the
least disturbed as monopol5tsf
The single taxer, by the way. is an
anti monopolist only where the monopo.
list fails to ante up. Very wicked to
monopolze anything until you pay for
the privilege. Sort OF high license
arrangement, so to speak. But, Gays
the Georgite, competition between land
users, bidding on the land, would force
each to pay the entire use value to the
community in rent. Denied, fatty.
Large tracts Of land upon which inn
menss machinery is used, can only be
bid for by large capitalists. No one else
can command the facilities for farming
it. The owner of team OF horses and
a walking pillow could not come any
nearer Overlooking the bonanza farmer,
than can the smallest foundry in this
city outbid Carnegie in the manufacture
OF armor plate. Rssult-Big men hold
meeting; agree to bid only 80 much. How
much? Whatever suits them. What
has taken place? Competition assassin
ated. Gases in point listened through
the key-holo in room in Paris, Tex
Cotton buyers talking. Man No. says
"Move you, Mr.. President, that the bid
for tomorrow be from 7 to 8 cents" The
tomorrow's cotton Courteous, isn't it p
sold for from 7 to 9! Broom corn buyers
in Illinois play the farmers the came
merry game at this very minute. In no
other one thing do the single takers
show their astounding incompetency
than to depend on free competition"
to even up anything. The two words,
free" and composition" fit just like
these: ''sober drunksrd," truthful
liar" etc.
The single taxer lays all the blame OF
our present evil plight on the absence
OF free competition and asserts, with q
lack OF wisdom which, to the initiated
is source of amusement, that oul
paternal government 10 the cause OF al
monopoly.
Now, for example, let us consider the
railroads. If the government is guilty
Of creating any monopoly, it is certainly
that OF transportation. Denied poinI
blank. that the government did it
Look closely now-the first few roadl
were built by private capital. They
competed with one another. There was
no law for or against their management
go we have a state of "froe competition
Build another private road and you have
more competition. Proposition: The
greater the number of separate owned
roads. the greater the competition. No
interference was ever offered by this
government to prevent free competition
between railroads. The only way in
which the government could have d.
minished the freedom of competition
| uvo,eId bo IN Hahor nh Al n
building OF more roads. No such thing
government has aided in increasing the
number OF railroads. This, OF
itself, according to the above
proposition would give more COMPETE
ton. But the single.taxer Gays you
must not overlook facts. Have not the
strongest roads been built by the gov.
eminent and presented to certain pri.
vate citizens. and in doing go, has it not
Disseminated against all other private
citizens and 80 created the railroad
monopoly?
We answer that the part the govern
ment has played in railroad building,
while not commendable, is not the CEN
trail caues OF monopoly. This whole deal
only means that in furnishing capital &c
build roads the government hos simply
hsstened monopoly. IL has given, wrong.
fully OF course, in advance to private
parties that which they would have &C,
cumulated later ON from their own
profits, and with which these roads
would have been built solely as private
enterprises.
Aggregation OF capital lie the cause OF
monopoly. entirely regardless of whether
that capital is furnished by an indi-
vidual, company or state. Why do no,
some men build a transcontinental rail
road now? Because the government
won't let him? No. Because there il
no profit in the railroad business? No
| Only because no man has capital enough
to do it. What's stops competition then
The governments No, Lack OF capital
on the one hand and AN aggregate Of il
already invested on the other. The
/ government did not aid the Standard
OIL company, nor did it hinder it. It'll
a big monopoly though.
Monopoly comes about in this way
| Five men competing in business. One
gets snap in buying and underseils
the others. The others Of course
lose custom. One of them retaliates,
and 80 a war is on. They come to theil
ssnses, call meeting, agree on q price
The war is over and proc perity smiles
What did they do? Eliminated "free'
competition and Matched monopoly
Anybody else coming in to compete
they freeze him out OF town or into the
combine.
Organization of capital will take place
where there is absolutely no law. Free