The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-06-16
LIVE CUES IONS.
a I FuNDAMENTAl QUESTION = TIE
WRONGS OF TAXATION.

49, seE-OfNOANiCtHlfAC NlOGoitS'iN -
WRONGS OF TAXATION.
BY Frederick ". crunden. Public Libra
rian. st. Louis.
Naturally nothing cane Of this book.
It was published at time wEea the
battle for political liberty had not been
won and when personal serfdom was
tolerated in the freest countries Of the
world
But nearly so years before the publ
cation of " Progress and Poverty" one Of
the most eminent philosophers Of this
century, the. apostle of extreme individ-
1alism, published in his Social Stats
ties brief argument against the right
of private ownership of land, which is
absolutely irrefutable. It is based on
the promise, which think no one will
call in question, that every man may
claim the fullest liberty to exercise his
faculties compatible with the possession
Of ike liberty by every other man. .
The first deduction he makes from this
FIRST principle is the equal right to
{ life and personal Liberty, and the second
the equal tight to the use Of the earth.
These conclusions follow SO directly
from the premise that demonstration
seems superduous. There is not tine to
repeat his ten pages Of argument, in
which he meets all the objections that
have been urged but let me quote few
OF the positive expressions that enbody
s his conclusions:
seFor if each. has freedom to Go I'll
that he wills provided he infringes not
the equal heedom Of any other then
each is free to use the earth for the sat
isfachon of his wants, provided be al
lows all others the same libersy. And
conversely it is manifest that no ons or
part of them may use the earth in such
way as to prevent the rest from sim
narly using it, seeing that to do this IS
to assume greater freedom than the rest
and consequently to break the law 2
Equity, therefore, does not permit
property in land .
On the subject of compensation to
landowners, which he admits to be
difficult adjustment, he says:
Men having got themselves into the
dilemma by disobedience of the law (of
equal rights must get out Of il as well
as they car, and WITH as little injury
TO the landed class as may be. .
Meanwhile we shall do well to
recolle:t that there are others besides
the landed class to be considered. In
our tender regard for the vested inter
ests of the few let us not forget that
the rights of the many are in allegiance
and must remain SO as long as the earth
is monopolized by individuals Let US
remember, too, that the injustice thus
inflicted on the mass of mankind is an
injustice Of the gravest nature. The fact
that is not so regarded proves nothing.
/ In early phases CT civilization even
homicide is thought lightly Of. The
suttees Of India, together with the prac-
tice elsewhere followed of sacrificing a
hecatomb of human victims at the
burial of a chief shows this, and prob
ably cannibals consider the slaughter Of
those whom sthe fortune Of war has
made their prisoners perfectly justifi-
able It was once also universally sup
posed that slavery was a natural and
quite legitimate institution condi-
ton into which some were born and to
which they ought to submit as to di-
vine ordination Nay, indeed u great
proportion Of mankind holds this opin-
ion still 4 higher social development,
however, has generated i'll us a better
faith, and we now to considerable ex-
tent recognize the claims Of humanity.
But our civilization is only partial. It
may by and by be perceived that equity
utters dictates to which we have not Jet
listened, and man may then learn that to
deprive others Of their rights to the use
of the earth is to commit crime infe.
rior only in wickedness to the crime of
taking away their lives or personal lib
critics. -
have given this much space to the
argument of Herbert Spencer because
he is recognized as great philosopher
commanding the respectful attention Of
many who regard Henry George as an
anarchist, and especially because Spen-
GERS support of the idea shows that
there is no communism or socialism
about it. He is on the lookout for that
charge and meets it in these words:
But to what does this doctrine, that
men are equally entitled to the use of
the earth, lead? Must we return to the
times of uninclosed wilds and subsist
ON roots, berries and game, or are we
TO be left to the management of Messrs
Fourier, Owen, Louis Blanc? Neither.
Such doctrine is consistent with the
highest state Of civilization, may be car
RED out without involving a commu-
nifty Of goods and need cause noyery Sc
rious revolution in existing arrange