The Washington times., 1895-04-25
HE ADVOCATES SINGLE TAX
Henry 8. Davis Defended Henry
Georges System of Taxing Land.
He Declared That the Tramp is the Product
of Past and Present Methods
Of Taxation.

An audience, including many or Washing
tons representative thinkers, listened
last night to an exhaustive and interesting
lecture by Henry E. Davis, the weIl-kuown
lawyer, on Correct system OF taxation"
at the hall of the Builders Exchange.
Mr. j. H. Ralston occupied the platform
with President Robert ]. Boyd and intro
duced the speaker OF the evening.
MIR. Davis prefaced bis remarks by say
ing that he took an attitude of hos
tiilty rather than advocacy toward
the single tax, which is his solution of
a proper system of direct taxation. He
did not wish to hold Hcury George or any
other single tax advocate responsible for
what he said, but to present the theory
as he himself sees it.
The land he said, is the common resource
as well as the common contribution of
society. Society is necessary for the
development of the individual, hence it
seems but just that the individual should
contribute to the government of society.
Mr.. Davis said he repudiates socialism
He looks upon society as q means 10 an end,
namely, the development of the indiYid-
ual, and not as be-alI and an end-all.
Society is to him modus vivendi. an ar
Tangement by which men are enabled to
live together.
Taxation is an incident of society IL
is the levy which society makes upon the
individual for the common good. This
levy may be of several sorts. 1t may be
of individual liberty, OF capacity, of char
acter, OF individual rights, Or natural in
stincts. But it was the taxation OF prop
erty with which Mr.. Davis wished TO ideal.
That every one should contribute his
share TO teaTirg the cost OF government
seems, Mir. Davis declared, fair enough
upon its face; but il is but d sEeCious
truth. Most OF the mischievous systems of
taxation which low EaTaSs industry are
based on an attempt to make taxation equal
IN the community. II should not lie equal, b,
for il can not be made to benefit all alike.
Here Mr.. Davis gave an Illustration tend
ing TO show that the system OF so-called
equal taxation might be most unequal and
unjust, for the reason that each mans taxes
can not be applied TO the benefits which
he receives from government. The rich get
little benefit from police or fire protection.
the cost OF which they largely bear, while
the poor are taxed for pavcments and
sewers which they can not use. Benefits
do not balance.
Argument from statistics. the speaker
declared TO be worthless; we must fall back
on principle.
There are but two subjects OF taxation
to bear the burden? is a vital question.
II goes to the root OF society and is "A moral
as well as a material factor. A vicious
system OF taxation may have most disas-
tTous effect on society, while n correct
system would cure many grave social evils.
The speaker assumed that something is
wrong in economic conditions, and laboTed
to show that the wrong is in taxation.
He pointed TO unequal distribution Of wealth
and possession of land by the few as prov
ing his contention. Yet those who have
land and those who have not are taxed
alike.
The present condition denies the sharing
of land between the man born yesterday
and the man born to-day. The latter uses
the land by sufferance only, or condition
imposed by the man here before him. He
is in TO way responsible for the fact of
his birth, and the fact of his being born
gives him the right to live. he cannot live
without using the earth. But all of the
earth IS pre- -empted.
He must move along at the bidding first
of one and then another land owner, and
he cannot even lie down and die except by
sufferance. If he would live he must
work the land on conditions imposed by
others. 1t is his misfortune that he was
born so late. He cannot demuT He is
told that what is is right The estab-
lished order is too strong for him. III he
does not like it he may get off the earth.
He goes to work and every furrow which
he plows-fcS others; every blow which he
strikes-for others; every product which he
fashions-for others, is taxed. for the
administration OF the system designed Tor
the benefit of those who deny him the
right of land. If that society is maintained
for the benefit of the land owner il is
but fair that he should bear the expense
Society is his shield, he should pay for
protection.
From anthropology and sociology Mr..
Davis learns that the~ownership in land
originated with primitive farmers, who
had no better title than mere usage So
ciety originated with the same class and has
no better title than the primitive tiller
of the soil. II isthe modus viyeudi o oGsociety
which gave to certain persons certain plots
of land.
The arrangement was based on mutual
consent, and without mutual consent it
should not stand. There can be 10 vested
srights in any form of wrong. That was
settled generation ago.
Feudalisn transferred the title of land
from the farmer to the State and originated
the e4andlord and the landIess Serf the pre-
cursor of the tramp.
Mr. Davis remedy is to take the tax
from industry and put it upon land AS
landlords did not make the land, and if they
want to hold II. they should IeciprOcate by
bearing the expenses of State. This, he
said, is the correct system OF taxation.
AT the close of the lecture, HeuTy a. Rob-
| inson, statistician OF the Agricultural De-
partment, moved a vote of thanks, which
was carried by a rising vote. Messrs.
A. G. Riddle, W. d. Barbidge, F. L. Sid
dons, NJ. w. Gait, W. w Burdette, John
w. Marin, Levi Maish, c. G. Tucker.
john c. Wilson, DIR. Charles Allen and DR..
Edwin Gladmon aud Miss Clara Barton