The record-union., 1898-09-29
MIR. MAGUIRE OUT IN THE OPEN
AT LAST.

There is now passing through the
mails to such voters as he elects to mail
it to. and under Mr. Maguire's frank,
copy of a speech delivered by him in
Congress Saturday, February 10, 1898,
on the bankruptcy bill.
This speech consists Of but a very few
words, scarce twenty lines of print,
all Of which is used to introduce into
the Record" an article on business de-
preston, written by Henry George
March g. 1894. This article Mr.. Mcguire
asked leave to have printed in the
Record as an addendum to a speech
he had previously delivered in debating
the bankruptcy bill. Leave was grant
ed, and the George article thus entered
the official record. Concerning it Mr..
Mcguire said in concluding his re-
marks:
Mr. Speaker: can imagine nothing
that would give me more pleasure, OF
bring more profit in the way OF useful
knowledge to every member of the
House, than to read this article in full.
But as the time at my disposal is in
sufficient for that purpose, l trust that
every member of the House will read it
in the Record" and then follow up
the new ideas suggested in it by read
ing the whole philosophy Of Henry
George.
Now this article by Mr.. George is
being sent broadcast over California
under Mr.. Maguire's frank as a Con
gressman, as a campaign document, a
reason why he should be elected Gov
ernor of California. His right to thus
use the document is not questioned, but
the denial of Mr.. Mcguire so persist
emily made from the stump that the
single tax is an issue in the campaign
and made such by his candidacy, is di
rectly contradicted by the circulation
under his own signature of the George
article.
Reading of that paper discloses that
it is pure and simple an argument for
the single tax, as the one, only and abb
solute cure for business depression.
George starts out with definition of
business depression, "a lessening in
rapidity and volume of exchanges" 4"
This, he holds, is not due to scarcity
of things of exchange, nor to impedi
ment in the machinery of exchange, but
to lessening of effective demand. proxi-
mately which is inability to convert
labor into exchangeable form, therefore,
scarcity of employment is the primal
cause Of business depression.
Therefore, Mr.. George concludes the
remedy for this I'll is the single tax,
because land is the source of all en-
ployment, and he adds: THERE IS
BUT ONE CURE FOR RECURRING
BUSINESS DEPRESSION. THERE
IS NO OTHER. THAT IS THE SIN
GLE TAX-THE ABOLITION OF ALL
TAXES ON THE EMPLOYMENT
AND PRODUCTS OF LABOR AND
THE TAKING OF ECONOMIC OR.
GROUND RENT FOR THE USE OF
THE COMMUNITY BY TAXES LEV
led ON THE VALUE OF LAND. IR-
RESPECTIVE OF IMPROVEMENT y
Mr.. Mcguire has, therefore. directly
and in the very teeth of his stump de-
malls, made the single tax an issue in
the campaign, and he has projected into
the State contest the economic theory
of Henry George concerning the right
method Of taxation, namely that all
taxes should be levied upon land, the
State being the universal land owner
or landlord, under which system, says
Mr.. George in his larger work, we will
"confscate rent" As TO the claim of
owners of land to hold title thereto.
George adds: Let them continue to
call it their land. We may safely leave
them the shell If we take the kernel"
Thus the dispute concerning the sin
gle tax being an issue in this campaign
is closed, concluded, and by the frank
and open confession of the candidate of
the combined opposition. James G. Ma
guire, who Is flooding the State with a
paper indorsed by him in fulsome Ian
guage as by "the greatest philosopher
of the nineteenth century, the sound
est political economist Of all the ages