The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-06

| hpulse accrueS to the beneHt OF the lalu-
| owner.
The levy of tax on land and exemption
OF the tax on improvement would stlmu,
late improvement. No man living Woulo
mold land idle for the mere gratifcatlon OF OF
owning 1T. He would improve 1t or let II
| go. Ii he let it go somebody else would
| improve it. And the result would be the
| improvement of all available land ,
The law of supply and demand applles
| to houses as well as to wheat and merchan-
labor.
mark the distinction" said Mr..
Mcguire. Land is not product OF
human labor"
The greatest effect of the single tax
would be the destruction of land monop-
oily. With the idle land of this State
thrown open to all who desired to occupy
1t how long would it take for all the unem-
ployed to find employment? We, IN a
state capable of sustaining forty millions
OF people, are suffering from over ,popula.
tlon when less than million and hall
of people are here.
The tramps, now meandering almlessly
over the country, lost to shame and man
hood, could not perhaps be reclaimed, but
they We're not always tramps. When the
iand OF this country was free men cid not
become tramps. Prior to 1860 there were
no trampS.
. voice IN the audience: Ana no MIL
ionaires."
Judge Maguire--And few millionaires.
The increase in population does not In
crease wages but it does increase the value
OF land. All efforts to increase population
are for the purpose of adding to the value
of land.
Judge Mcguire then spoke of the effect
OF free opportunities on the moral charac-
ter OF a community. He cited the per-
centage OF reform among criminals IN
England, where all land was taxed, and in
Tasmania, where free natural opportunity
was given for the occupation OF the earth.
In England per cent reformed; in Tas-
mania, 81 per cent.
"Our people have given over the solid
area OF the country to small class that has
become the dominant class, and the takers
OF tribute from all producers of every other
class"
Investigation made some years ago in
San Francisco disclosed the fact that of all
the persons engaged in business on Mar
ket street, between Second and Seventh,
only three owned the business premises
they occupied, and on Kearny street, be-
tween Market and Broadway only two
were owners. The process of paying
tribute to those who own the land is going
on all over the country.
We say that as the community produces
the value of the land the community
should take that value. We recognize
that rule IN every other relation Of life. If
one man manufactures an article of glass
it belongs to him. If two men produce it
the two share in its value. The virtue, en-
terprlse and progress of the community,
make the land valuable and the land
should belong to the producers.
Never in the history of the world did
movement advance with greater rapidity
than the slngle-taX movement is progress
ing. God means that the people shall
have the land of this earth and apos-
ties are preaching the gospel of single tax
in all parts of the globe. Millions of sin
gle-tax documents are going out to the
people of the United States and Aus
tralia.
at is confidently believed that with the
adoption of the local option tax in New
York every building in New York City. will
be released from taxation. The land will
be taxed on the basis of its rented value"
Judge Mcguire received the closest at
tention of the audience and all reference to
land monopoly and the issue of bonds
evoked applause. 1t was the speakers
judgment that the oppression of the people
caused by the stupendous issue of bonds
was but trifie compared to the expressing
influence wrought by the monopoly in
ownership of the land.
Chairman Reynolds announced at the
conclusion of Judge Maguire's address that
questions were free for all and the interro-
cations took a range as wide as the uni
verse and far below the depths of human
wisdom.
One seeker OF light on the single tax
theory wanted to know if the Bible did not
expressly sanction and commend the own
ership of slaves and chattels.
Mr.. Manner said very pointedly that
such question in this period of civiliza-
ton was an insult to the audience. Judge
Mcguire was not lured into this discussion.
He preferred that the Scriptures should be
expounded by the able clergymen of San
Francisco The meeting closed with the
passing of the hat.