Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-09-07

the next has been carried on. the true
intention of such men can most easily
be ascer;ained by noting on which
side of the question they give utter
ance In the greatest vehemency. and
to which they most frequently allude.
These are about the only methods by
which an observer, wishing to com
prehend the contradictions of Single
Takers, can do so. Henry George set
the example of contradiction in his
Progress and Poverty" which all of
his deluded followers have likewise
initiated. The Socialists, who are
among the Single Takers most bitter
opponents, call this contradictory
showing an attempt to go east, go
west, and stand still at the same time.
1t Is, in reality. simply an indication
that Single-Taxers consider all the
rest of the world so blinded and weak
minded that it cannot see and COM
prehend tn onvenience they make of
contradiction for the allaying of ex-
cltement and the enrolling of converts.
EXAMPLES BY HENRY GEORGE.
How shall we do it? We should satisfy
the law of justice, we should meet all
economic requirements by at one stroke
abolishing all private titles, declaring all
land PUBLIC property, and letting it out to the
highest bidders.
Now, here we have Henry George
on page 29l of Progress and Pow
erty," and, by way of emphasizing
the demand above quoted, Mr.. G.. con
tinues in the middle of the same
page to quote Herbert Spencer's re-
nowned work, "Social Starics," which
he endeavors to give us to understand
that MIR. s. is of his opinion also,
with the exception that he suggests
compensation to the present holders
of Internationally a careless con.
cesslon, which he, upon reflection
would reconsider" We here have Mr..
George demanding the abolition of
private property in land, and bring
ing forth Mr.. Spencer to substantiate
his position. After all this is done,
Mr.. George scratches his head and be-
gins to think, as he very justly might,
that there will be a good many people
who will file some serious objections
to handing in property in land that
they have worked Il lifetime to attain.
So Mr.. George is equal to that
emergency and he tries to put up a
plan that will accomplish the same
Interior end in 81 y and easy manner.
without so greatly exasperatng the
people. He, therefore, gives us a
contradiction in terms while retaining
his object in view in reality, and his
followers have, of course, the privilege
OF accepting either of his plans as
suits rising eXlgencies. At one time
1t will be contiscate utterly, and at an
other time merely "appromiate rent By
tn1ation.''
Mr. George, therefore, continues on
the same page 29l-
But such plan, though perfectly feasible,
does not seem to me the best. Or rather, |
propose to accomplish the same thing in
simpler, easier and queter way.
There we are, just as | have said,
the same thing is to be accomplish
ed in way that may prove possibly
less antagonistic in its method, and
more tempting in its presentation. 1t
is more of ''still water that runs
deep, with devil at the bottom but it
is all the same to every man that looks
at it squarely and honestly. On the
same page we, therefore, have Mr..
George in one breath explicitly de-
handing disownment of land; in the
next bringing in Mr.. Spencer (mis-
takenly) to substantate his position,
and in the next proposing ''the same
thing in simpler, easier ard quieter
way all of which is summed up two
pages further on ''tO abolish all ta1ation,
SAFE that upon Mnd ealues." Hence, the
followers of Henry George have
latitude IN argument made ready at their
hand which they freely avail them
selves of. They will damn land owner
shipin one breath and when asked WHY
they own it, they will feign forget
about their damnation of it for the
minute and placidly tell us Single-Tax
is merely tax upon land values.
sLAvE-owNING AND LANp-owNING
AS | have previously stated. Single
Takers must be judged as on the side
on which we see the weight of their
testimony. That testimony is beyond
all eavil utterly condemnatory of land
ownership. They consider slave-own-
ing and land owning synonymous
terms, and even predict revolution to
wipe out land owning if Single Tax is
not accepted in time to avert it. With
such declarations as these continually
Haunted before us we can regard with
the utmost insignificance and CON
tempt the puerile evasions set up
as apologies for the inconsistent
demeanor of Single Takers in not rid
ding themselves individually of the
incubus known as "damnable." 'in-
iqultous" and Outrageous" land-own-
ing. Nohonest and conscientious man
can for a moment regard with favor
any set of men whose practices are so
utterly foreign to their professions.
Hence it is that Single-Tax has accom-
plished practically nothing in the Is
years of its advocacy. and hence it is
that the desperate effort now being
made to capture Delaware is proving
abortive. With this prelude to a
consideration of Mr.. Camm's article,
| can resolve the consideration of its
chief point into a brief space.
MR.. cAMM WANTS us TO OWN LAND AND NOT TO
OWN IT.
Mr.. Camm, in his article, leverses
the Henry George putting of the case
He brings in the seduction first and
the agony afterward. He says:
The Single Tax would not confiscate ar
inch of land anywhere.
Then he follows this up with the
statement further on O..
At the age of "a | commanded regiment
IN the war to abolish chattel slavery, and
people ridiculed the idea of getting rid of it
IN at least generation but it went SO quick
ly 1t. made the slave-owners heads swim, and