The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-29
THE SINGLE TAX DEBATE,
CONGRESSMAN MAGUIRE AND MAR
Gus ROSENTHAL MEET ON
THE ROSTRUM.
How THEY HANDLED THE CUES
TON IN Y. M. G. A. HALL
LAST NIGHT.

The single-tax debate between Congress-
man Mcguire and Attorney Marcus Rosen-
thai, at the Y. NJ. G. A. auditorium last
night, for the benefit of the Women's Edu-
cational and Industrial Union, proved
highly interesting to the intelligent au-
dience of ladies and gentlemen which
gathered to hear it.
Mr.. Mcguire handled the affirmative in
his usual clear, logical manner and had
the audience with him. The opposition OF
Mr.. Rosenthal was rather weak and falter-
ing and somewhat disconnected, though
he said some things which had some
weight in the argument. His antagonism
was that Of a doubter rather than an open
opponent. His style would have been con-
sldered sophistry by the single taxer, and
Mr. Mcguire treated it as such in his clos
ing OF the debate and easily dismissed Mr..
Rosenthals numerous objections. In
starting Mr.. Mcguire defined what the
purpose of the single tax is.
1.-The slngletax men," said he, "pro-
| pose to take the unearned increment away
| from the private Spectator in land and
| devote 1t TO public uses He explained
the "unearned increment" as being that
| increase of marketable value which land
| derives from the presence and industry OF
| any community. The single tax was both
! just and expedient, he reasoned-just, be-
cause the rental value of the land is pro-
duced by the people and not by landlords
expedient, because the happiness OF society
| is involved. Land speculation, he pre-
dicted, would cease, and he argued that
the sovereign people possessed the right to
change laws and institutions whenever it
/ was to their interest to do so. and that
! men specialized in land always with full
recognition of that reserved right of soci.
ety., He, therefore, called speculation in
land gambling"
| Mr.. Rosenthal began by indulging in
| some satire ON the claim of the single-taX
theory as universal panacea," and be
endeavored to dissect copy of Henry
| Georges Progress and Poverty" At bis
very mention of the name of Mr.. George,
however, the audience applauded loudly
| He charged the single-taxers with trying
ship, and drew q lugubrious picture OF
what the effect would be when about
5000. 900 farmers were dispossessed of their
land in this country and the City of San
Francisco had to pay $50, 100000 yearly as
taxes upon total market value of land
which Mr.. Rosenthal figured out to be
| $500, 900 900. His figures Mr.. Rosenthal
/ based upon the idea that "the rental value
of land is, as a rule, the current rate of in
| terest on its market value" He caused
some amusement by telling of what the
| politicians might do with the $35, 000, 0OC
| taxes under the slngle-tax system. IN view
of what the local record had been, and in
this connection he mentioned the new
City Hall "as building which is worth
only $1,000, 900, but has already cost
5000, 000.'
The other points raised by Mr.. Rosen.
thai were that ali properties and commo-
dities, as well as land, had an unearned
increment due to the presence of people
that there would still be speculation in
the right to hold land under the single tax
regime, with its system of ground-rent
revenue; that personal property and build
ing improvements would be worth very
little unless some permanent tenure Of
land could be assured; that there would
be surplus of revenue, which in its dis
tribution would prove a source Of corrup.
ton, and that poverty was an economic
necessity in any community, considering
that there was much disagreeable and dan.
gerous work to be done and poor people
were best fitted to do it.
| To all this Mr.. Mcguire responded by