Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-10-03

day night, to hear AN address delivered
by Congressman James q. MaguiEe of
California, All the seats were occupied
and there were many persons standing.
About one-f fourth Of the audience was
composed of women. The meeting be-
gan at 7. 40 O'Clock and continued Until
near II o'clock. Dr. Longstreet pro-
sideu. Congressman Maguire's speech
was preceded by the singing of Single
Tax campaign songs.
The address consumed two hours and
the speaker held the attention of the
audience until the end. lie smoke with
considerable eloquence and was up
plauded repeatedly.
He began by telling the object OF the
Single Tax men. They propose, no said,
to tax only tho value OF land, to untaX
the things of human production. They
want to tax the value OF land irrespec-
tive of improvements. They desire a
single tax for national, State, county
and municipal purposes. Exhibiting
watch he said it was made by man.
The right Of property exists bewteen it
and the man who made it. No man
is damaged by its production or its ex-
elusive holding. II is not so with land.
II was not made by any man. Land is
given by the Creator for the use of all.
1t is hardship to those excluded from
land that it is exclusive for Others. 1t
is a hardship ON the child just born
that land is absorbed by others.
Nextzhe spoke of the fiscal aspect of
the Single Tax proposition. The fiscal
aspect, he said, is the mere method of
raising money to defray the expenses
of our several governments. The single
tD al M ri y ftn pfith oil
the inequalities existing to-day caused
by locking up land A single tax on
land values, he asserted, can be levied
and collected at about one tenth the
cost of the present method of levying
and collecting taxes In San Francisco
"A single tax can be levied and collected
for S25, GOO, which is S275, 600 less than
the present cost of levying and collect
ing taxes.
We find, he continued, great solid
area of this country of ours on which
and from which our people must live,
il they live at all, owned by very
small percentage of the citizens of this
country. We find u system of taxation
for the support of the national govern
ment which falls on articles used by
the people in proportion to the con-
sumption and not in proportion TO the
production. This tax falls on the
masses of the people almost in proper
ton to their individual numbers. We
find the land of the country held in
large areas by few individuals. 1t is
held out of use for speculative pur-
poses. We find great mass of people
driven to pauperism and tramping.
People are driven from the country TO
the cities to swell the army of the un
employed. The result lie wages are
driven down to the starvation point
Wages are kept down to the starvation
point by surplus of unemployed labor
Within the last 80 years IT, wealth
producing power of labor has increased
eleven fold. Are the natural resources
of the earth insufficient to satisfy the
needs Of human wants? No. There is
no limit to the Creators provision of
raw materials, no diminution of the
| power Of man over the forces for the
use Of man. Why should there be in
the land a million tramps? Why are
men pcrishing all over the country? II
is because they cannot get AN oppor-
tunity to produce the things for the
lack of which they arc dying. He de
clarcd that pauperism in England re-
suited from the enforcement of the peo-
pie from land. In this country trampt
and beggars were unknown when Uncle
Sam was rich enough TO give us all g
farm. Within the last 30 years the land
of this country was closed against the
masses of the people. This eliminated
in the CoNey movement. The curse o.
paupcrism has never ceased to infic'
England and the CURSE is on us Witt
more than ample supplies of raw ina
| "a Atrit 4.
power and intelligence it is shameful
J and dreadful commentary on our peo
pie that they have 80 adjusted thing
that they have resulted in bringing OF
us this pauperism.
J He said he was not pleading for thu
) tramp who has become hardened in hi
vices. Men who are tramps were no
always tramps. How any particua
: one became degraded he could not tel
) but he could tell how the great mas
J becomes tramps. He believed tho singl
tax will recruit from the army O
s tramps TO the army of labor. Why d
| men monopolize the resources God In
tended for all? 1t is not for the pur
4 pose Of expressing their fellowmen tina
they hold land Idle. Their sole motiv
o is personal gain. They monopoliz
s land because IL 10 profitable Value al
taches to land in proportion to the POI
ulation and industry locate on it.
The single tax, he stated, will cor
. fine the exclusive ownership of land I
4 those who desire il for use and will d
e. away forever the speculative holdin
{. OF land. All land not BOW in use wi
. he open to the people TO go out and q
8 tablish themselves in independer
n homes and independent industries
\ necessary.
l. lie said the people Of New Zealan
: adopted the land tax for colonial pu
4 poses. As result vast tracts of id
IS land which where held for speculate,
!. purposes were forced into the markt
e and thousands upon thousands of |,
i borors, not pauper luborers, fairly sp,
9 cessful laborers, went out on lands Sp
@ established homes and built up il
i dustries, not only vacated places for su
+ plus labor but started new Industries
y This was the result in New Zealan
while the rest of the civilized worl
was suffering from industrial depre
sion. Tho difficulty in the industri
s depression there was to find lahore
+ to do the work. Lahorers were al
9 sorbed at the rate of 1000 weel
h Moro were landed on the shores tina
t could be distributed right away bl
n they were distributed in few day.
g What was seen there will be increase
+ LOCO fold here.
Whose country is this2 he asked
We say it is ours. yet we occupy
the country the position that IL
boarder does to the boarding houst
The truth is California is owned by
syndicate of titled gentlemen of Eng
land who have never been there. tn
people of the United States are send