The independent., 1903-11-26
THE MASSACHUSETTS SINGLE
TAX LEAGUE.

TAX LEAGUE.
The Massachusetts Single Tax
league held its annual meeting and
dinner at fremont Temple, Boston
\ November 9. and elected the following
officers:
President, G. b. Fillebrown; treas
urer, j. b. Willis; secretary, Mrs. Jane
ID. Mills; executive committee, Will
lam X. Peabody, O. A. Lothrop, Mrs.
Eliza Stowe Twitchell, W. G. Colby,
Samuel Brazier and w. S. Crossman.
After number OF speeches, a bomb
shell was thrown into the meeting by
the introduction of the following res
Olution:
1T is hereby reafiirmed that the
purpose of the Massachusetts Single
Tax league Is (D to promote an un-
derstandng of the single tax as plan
which Henry George put into practi-
cal form ia the proposition TO abolish
all taxation save that upon land val
ues,' and (2) to show, as proposed by
Mr.. Post, the wisdom and the justice
of applying land values to common
use, SO far as they will go, or SO much
Of them as may be needed for the just
requirements of economical govern
ment.' 1t Is further affirmed that any
contention or vote as to the right or
wrong of private property in land is
foreign to the purpose Of the league"
President Fillebrown threatened to
resign IL it were not passed. Then
the war began. Samuel Brazier, @. A.
Lothrop and others opposed, but, af-
ter striking out the words "conten-
tion or" the resolution passed by a
vote Of 35 to 7.
President Fillebrown's address.
which follows, will give some idea OF
the ground he takes regarding the pri-
vate ownership Of land:
Few people know OF the distinc-
tions made by Henry George and po-
litical economy and the law between
private property in land and private
property In the things produced by la
bor or between the private ownership
of land and the private possession of
land; therefore, If you say that pri-
vate property in land is unjust, or
that private ownership of land is un-
just, the tendency is to close the mind
to further consideration of a state
ment which they are not qualified to
understand. One may attack with Wig
Or the private appropriation of ground
rent (what land is worth for use),
and be easily understood, while an at
tack upon private ownership in land
Is very apt to be misunderstood Able
men sometimes assert that the end in
view Of the single tax movement is
the complete subversion and over
throw OF the institution of private
property in land. Five minutes of
such talk from one such man will do
more damage than can be repaired in
a long time, and all on account Of
confusion of ideas which seems un-
necessary. This confusion arises
partly from a lack Of clear UNDER
standing as to the meaning of terms,
but largely from applying to land the
theory of ownership which in law APP
plies only to personal property.
Coming to an analysis of The diff
ferent terms, possession, ownership
and property, used in describing the
tenure OF land, we find that while not
synonymous, these definitions are Of
ten used intercheangeably. The pos
session of the dictionaries does not
always imply ownership; but possess
sion does imply that same physical
dominion which belongs of right to
ownership, which right the legal own
ership grants and conveys. Henry
Georges proposition was to leave
owners in possession of land, and to
accord to that possession this legal
right of physical dominion by means
Of broad definition of the word.
made to include the right to buy and
sell and bequeath and devise. a right
granted to ownership and
"A land title is a title to the rights
and privileges which constitute It's
value. and which. largely at least are
the creation Of labor. Title to the land
Itself. whether It's value Ia one dollar
or q million dollars, Ia necessary To
security of improvements. Title To
the annual value OF land tground