The independent., 1903-05-14
Ethics Of The Single Tax


Of The independently
BY ethics we mean that which is
universally right between all classes
and conditions of men.
This has divine insstenee in that
basic principle, What We would that
others should do unto you, do ye also
unto them," and with this our dis
senters must have their dispGtatior
with God.
Long before Henry George gave to
the world his perfected philosophy of
the single tax, many other social in
vestigators had recognized that in
time the Joining of acre unto acre.
would bear fruitage in the most seri-
GUS consequences. That their suspic-
ions were well founded is evidenced
in the fact that when Henry George
came to review this premise, he was,
with all his well-known modesty of
speech and carefulness in conclusions
constrained to characterize 1t as a
"most henious crime" Neither shall
ye sell the land any more, for behold
| have given it unto my people for an
everlasting inheritance" is as old AS
Leyiticus, where we read it. The
physiocrats of France more than a
hundred years ago saw what Mr..
Herbert Spencer so logically declared
upon in the 9th chapter of his 80
cial Statics," the truth of which Il.
e., that all men born upon the earth
were, by the law of nature, endowed
with an equal right to the free use of
the earth in such measure as was
necessary for the supply of all human
needs) has never been gainsaid by
any one whose self-respect encouraged
its negation over their own proper
name, for the public print.
Man came and lives upon the earth
under the same natural law as dc the
beasts in the field, the fowl of the air
or the fishes in the sea and it is mis-
nomer to say that, under any circum-
stances, can he be in possession OF
land for he is so corporally possessed
by the land that he cannot get off it
IL he would nor can he live without
1t. To fully comprehend this it
should be observed that land" in the
broad sense of which all economists
of any note use the term, includes the
air, water, heat of the sun and all
those fructifying influences that are
necessary to the maintenance of ami
NAL and vegetable life. Title, as we
call it, by deed, is no more necessary
to the full enjoyment of the blessings
of mother earth than in case of beast,
fowl or fish, it adds nothing to its
productiyeness nor does it afford as
secure occupancy of any particular
site or location as would obtain under
the single tax system of tenure. In
stance the thousands of foreclosures
and evictions of homesteaders, not.
only in this state, but wherever land
deeds are known.
The ethical side of the single tax
is its strong side, its benefits are
multiple; it forces the settlement of
other vexing social questions without
purpose precedent while most i'm
portant of all it equalizes the distri-
button of wealth by freeing natural
opportunity to produce without stint
and while increasing all wages, will
give equitable return for the use of
capital which now, like wages, is abb
sorbed by rent, while unearned tri-
butte will be shorn of its power to ex-
act from the brow of toll. 1t will
furnish natural mode of revenue for
all purposes that will automatically
increase as the growth of society
makes increased revenues necessary
while this burden of taxation, as we
now have it, borne as it now is chiefly
by industry the working people, will
take upon itself a new name, become
the handmade of government in So
cial progress, leaving the few who
are getting something for nothing"
to congratulate themselves, perhaps,
that so vicious a system of land ten
IRE and taxation had served their
greed so long.
The expressions, "unearned incre-
ment," economic rent" Speculation
value as used by Henry George in
his philosophy, mean the value of
land in it's natural state, caused by
the presence or prospective presence
of the people upon or who may come
upon it. Fifty years ago the present
population of Nebraska was only pros
pective, the actual presence of people
was but mere handful, land values
were from So to SIS per acre. The
then presence of the people caused
this value The presence of one man,