The herald., 1895-05-05

proper reference to their causes. MANY
physicians who are skillful in diagnosing
disease, fail in the selection of remedy
and often by the application OF improper
remedies sow the seeds of other equally
injurious maladies. So it seems to me
has Henry George failed in his suggestion
of single remedy for all the evils we
deplore. The single tax is to cure the
evils of a defective tariff, or of free
trade, high prices or low prices. the reck-
less issue OF gold bearing bonds by the
hundred million, bought by the monopo-
lizers of gold, or the free coinage of sill
yer, labor strikes and idle tramps want
OF work and want of food. The same
medicine. singl tax. is to cure everything.
But, like the patent m edicne man, who
does not so to the root of the matter this
single tax system does not actually
reach the causes of all our political
troubles. monopoly of gold, the monop-
oily of wealth, the extortion and accrmll-
lation OF the producers honest Fearnings
by means of his industrious hands and
brains.
''As evidence of this, the president Of
the Single Tax club stated in converse
tion few days since that the labor which
went into the erection of the building
knon as the Brad bury block was honestly
and justly the property of the owner Of
said building, and that the laboreIs re-
ceived their full remuneration because
tneV SOlu III IOr WnaJ III was worth IN the
market. Is this not, in effect the presi-
ent method? Does it not seem that this
single tax plan blows hot and cold upon
the interest of the producers of wealth
without providing any means for the
more equitable distribution OF the proceeds
OF their labor?"
Clarence A. Miller was the first speaker
who replied to Mrs Longley's criticism.
Among other things he said:
The charge that the single tax philoso-
ply does not sufficiently concern itself
with the cause of social and industrial
evils is without foundation. Henry George
in Progress and Poverty has patiently,
clearly and fearleSsly traced almost all the
industrial evils to the one cause.-the pri.
vate and irresponsible ownership of land.
Ii the charge OF an unscientitic diagnosis
were to be made at all, it should be made
against the argument of the speaker of
the evening. She seems to think that
the body polite is afflicted with a large
variety of diseases. and evidently wishes
to admin ster remedy for each disease.
failing to see that the different so-called
diseases are in reality but symptoms of
one disease. The progress OF science is
from complexity to simplicity. Theology
once assigned a separate god to almost
every separate manifestation; now there
is but one God-one first cause. Chem
stry began with hundreds of el1nents;
now they have been analyzed into less
than hundred; later they may be ana
lyzed all into one. Invention first makes
complicated machinery, and afterwards
simplties it.
The speaker of the evening represents
an earlier stage of thought but it seems
to me the single tax philosophy is later,
more analytical and more scientific. 1t
attacks land monopoly as the prolific
mother OF other monopolies. 1t lays the
ak to the root of the tree instead of lop-
| ping off the branches. The speaker does
not seem to comprehend either the single
aax or the philosophy on which it is based
| She says: Even if land were free all
| could not be farmers" evidently failing
| to recognize the fact that as far from land
| being limited to the use of farming, it is
| the source of absolutely all wealth. Name
| to me some article of wealth that is not
| produced from the land.
Again, she speaks OF the single tax as
on ''all the profits Of business done on the
lot" That is what the single tax is not.
| 1t is a tax on the rental value OF the lot,
! and is levied and is TO be paid whether
| the owner carries on business on the lot
or holds it vacant. Ii he carries on busi-
| ness he is welcome to make the business
| profitable as he can; it will not affect the
tax he pays. The single tax is not fine
| upon industry as the speaker alleges, nor
does it place the greatest burden of tax
alton on the producing classes. !" If the
! producer or laborer is not land owner,
| he pays no tax. If he owns land that has
| no rental value he pays no tax. He only