The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-11-21
A LECTURE ON SINGLE TAX
REV. FATHER M'GRsDY TALKS TO
SINGLE TtNERs.
Hall--summnry of His Remarks.
An ApprecjntiNe Audience

Rev. Father T. McGrady Of Bellyiew.
Ky, lcrtured last night a Turner Hail to
an audience of four or five hundred people
His subject was The Single TAX" inter-
spersed with reference TO various labo,
questions Father McGrady is a speaker OF
great ability and the audience seemed de-
lighted with his lecture
He spoke in part as follows:
How great are these United states OF
ours We are more wealthy than ancient
Egypt with her thousand cities On the
shores of the Nie with all their mag
nifcenoe. We are greater ana more
wealthy than the confederation Of Pheacia
when she exchanged her produce VITA tia
TOUR quarters OF the globe. We are greater
and more wealthy than ancient Rome,
when the imperial eagle had been carried
from the cliffs OF Britain 20 me Pesian
gulf We are greater than was France
when the Corsican had borne the flag o.
victory from The Pillars of Hercules to
tine plains OF Moscow. Yet / wish to ask
yon what the country has done for The
laborers who have produced all this
wealth. We are living in Land lamo IS
Tor its science, for It's progress n The n. Is:
but these things, while desirable are NOT
absolutely necessary to the life Of tho
Individual, but food and clothing are most
Necessary. In the words of the poet. I'VE
eau live without books but where the
man that can live without oks. We can
I've without know,edge, for wha, is
knowledge but repinng, but where Is the
man that can live without dinlng." / in
4 n f9u
that the evil lies in the fact that we have
peen building upon a false principle of
political economy. which has bean taught
by Ricardo ana all political economists
up 10 he time of Henry Galrge. ana that
Is that labor depends upon capital. am
going to contradict this s,a ement tonight
10y stating empha.icaiy that labor exists
upon the product which Il produces Vases
are drawn from The product of la5or. II
make table 1t IS the result Of my lahor
ana Is my wages. Let us go back TO the
primitive state Of man. They lived en-
what they produced. One man would h N
ouhaloes another man would fish, and
Mhat lie had drawn from the deep was
MS vases, Now. The division of la nor
does not eradicate this pmuclpla. Supuose
mere are ten men and the nine say to Ii
enlh' If you viii Say home ana make
boats we will give You 50 many hshei.'
~ nos this man as truly drawing fish lr IN
me sea as II he was battling wi h tha
mighty waves in company with the others?
II Is labor that has built our streets. our
houses our cities and factories. has made
ONalh that we wear and food that wc cat
NOW, We talk about money What ia
money? What is Il after MI but standard
~ Nalue. Remember that II Is labor that I
mas created money, that has gone INTO The
r nowGls 81 inc earth and brought forth III q
precious metals. II We did nor have some
standard Of value VIC would have 10 r,,to
these exchanges ourselves ami Tho -,
VINO had shoes for exchange and ren,,ire1 /
corn might have to exchange his shoes sor
mats and his hats for her Kings nm n,
"uhd n man who would take his nrad,,c. /
IN exchange fer corn. '1''4
we might use wheat for money hut
inns would compel a man TO carry a1on,,
Win MN unwleldy sacks containing wheat
necessities. ~ MS
Now what do wages depend on? Accord.
ing TO that wonderful book, Proeress ana
foVeriy' wages depend upon Inc marein
OF production. II there was no privoia
oNhership OF land values then evervthinp
man produced would be his, without him
having 10 give SOME other man a sas TO-
me privilege OF producing. a man rnss
olt 10 work on land away from his follows
where land has no marketable value httcr
aM.lle others come ind take up serttnns
OF land near him. In time thar locali,v
becomes so crowded that one location he,
comes more valuable than others at the
Fame time the necessity for government
arises and men are willing to nav nv.
MUM FOR these privileged locations l,n,i,,
me single tax this premium would ho IN.
sore fund 10 meet community expsnses
as the public needs OF the con,m,ir,itv IN,
creased these land values would increns.
ana thus would be erected natural funs
ior me expenses OF government.
me speaker then called attention Ia
inc initiation and referendum and showed
that this was the proper method of obta,n-
ing such a great reform as the single TAX
He then portrayed the evils OF the trust
ana went Into figures to show how ths
vast army OF the unemployed was beinc
reinforced year By year, and said
remedy must be prescribed Land Is
noelng monopolized. The small farmer can
do nothing Again the railroads own soo
100000 acres OF land and le0. 600 oeo wss
granted them by the government, TIM
hrst remedy that should be applied IA ,hs
single Tex Land should not be allowed
10 be monopolized by individuals. Eyerv-
tning comes from land and this rr.at
storehouse should be used by humanity
NJ large. In the case OF taxtion OF products
arainarlly the consumer has 10 pay aud the
such article should be taxed. Land only ,
should be made 70 pay tax. Again land /,
can not be concealed or He'd about which
makes II convenient for taxation. ana fhis
taxation should he equal TO its rental ANY
improvements which man may build
are nj for they arc produced by labor.
but land values are product Of the com. II
muni'y' IL man buys A tract OF land
ana city grows up thereon Is he entitlcd