The independent., 1903-12-03
QUESTIONS FOR OPPONENTS OF
SINGLE TAX.

wide. There is room in 1t Tor a con-
tinent 1000 miles wide and 5000 miles
long, with thousands of miles OF wa
ter on all sides.
Suppose some great cOnvulsion OF
nent. Suppose that / am sea cap
tain, owner of a ship, out on whal-
ing or sealing voyage, and am the iiTst
to discover the new continent; would
the new world belong to me? Ii not,
who could claim it and give good title
10 any part of it?
Would the application of the single
tax, i. e., the public appropriation OF
ground rent, for the equal benefit OF
all the people of the new continent, do
Injustice to anyone? II it would be
Just and beneficent when applied to
new continent, why would not 1t be
just il applied to America? If it
would be unjust for me, sea captain,
and my heirs, forever, to appropriate
the rent OF the new continent, is pot
it unjust for a part of the people OF
America to appropriate what should
belong equally to all? Is it right to
continue wrong because 1t has, ap-
parently, been sanctioned by time!
At what rate per annum does wrong
become right?
The present system of land tenure
has been in operation in England and
America for 400 years. The earth may
continue to be inhabited for millions
of years. Should the vested rights
(?) Of the favored minority of the
present generation, based on wrong
Of four centuries standing, bind man.
kind for perhaps millions Of genera
tions, dividing them, perpetually, into
rich and poor-master and serf?
JOSEPH SINTON.
Pasadena, Cal.
THE CANADIAN SINGLE TAXER.
The second number of this progress
sive little journal lies on the EDITORS
single takers of Canada. Alan G.
Thompson and Arthur w. Roebuck
are associate editors, and Walter H.
Roebuch is business manager. Ad-
dress for sample copies, 155 Bay ST.,
Toronto, Canada.
Referring to Joe Chamberlain's pro-
posed preferential tariff, the Single
Taxer says:
For example: If United States
wheat had to pay say ten cents a
bushel duty, Canadian wheat would
be worth just ten cents more at the
seaboard. Consequently, the railways
could, and il permitted would, charge
ten cents a bushel more for trans
porting Canadian wheat to the ocean.
'The government might interfere,
! but past experience is not such as to
warrant us having much faith in such
action, especially when the Canadian
Pacific railway, which at present con-
trolls the grain trade OF the north
west, is admitted by the government
to be exempt from interference until
such time as it earns ten per cent on
its watered stock"
Hence, the Single Taxer believes
this illustrates the Importance of the
government ownership of railways, for
without control of rates, which, apart
from government ownership, is next
to impossible, there is nothing to pre-
vent the railways from taxing in
freight charges practically the whole
increase in price due to the prefer
ence."
THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE
Editor independents: The funda-
mental difference between those who
advocate the single tax philosophy
and those who call themselves social
lists. popuIists. democrats. republicans,
etc.-taking for granted that with the
exception OF very limited class, all
desire the common weal--may best
be shown by comparing them with
different classes OF physicians.
Socialists. populists. democrats, re-
publicans. while differing In methods
proposed and in ends aimed ut are
absolutely as one In fundamental
principle: upon that fundamental
principle single takers differ absolute
ly. This may seem a rash statement.
How can tariff for revenue men and
high proteotioniats. franchise grab
hers and advocates OF government
ownerAhip be- said to be as one In
fundamental prineiplcsy The question
In natural. hut the answer In an
hesitating that they are fundamental
a = a..