The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-10-01
The Philosophy of Freedom
An Open Foru. for Single Takers

labor, which but for him might never
have discovered it.
Here is the fatal blow in the single
tax philosophy, which no amount OF
cssulstry can explain away, and con-
ciusively substantiates the claim that
Is based on false premises. Why, if
put in practice, it would at one fell
swoop officially nullify the fundamen-
tai principle Of the Declaration of In
dependence, that man has a right to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi-
ness, for how can he have such right
II lie can be justly debarred from the
use OF the land, without which ex-
lstence is impossible, unless he pays
tribute to the community for that
privilege?
ms, then, is my ground for oppOs-
ing the single tax. 1t rests the right
OF taxation, not ON services rendered
by the community to the individual
taxed, but on that individuals imperi-
tive needs. By what ingenious sophis-
Try Henry George DISCUSSES that fact,
what discrimination and consequent
injustice it would involve, what mis-
CHIEF would result thcrefrom, and last
~. what part money, that root of all
evil, plays therein, to confuse even
the author of Progress and Poverty.
cannot all be explained in one paper.
AS 1t is possible, moreover. that
may be entirely mistaken. that there Is
flaw in the Indictment will close
this article right here. Hoping. if ii
Il SO, that my opponent will point i.
out. A DODGE
Chicago, III.
A REPLY TO DODGES ARTICLE.
Only clear thinking can lead to clear
and consistent expression. Tried bv
this test, Mr.. Dodge's article fails to
meet the demands of logical, coher-
ent argument Denouncing landlord
ism, he denies existence of unearned
increment, yet unearned increment
(reciept of value without giving valued
IS the essence and offense of landlord
ism.
Using but part of the factors in
volved in the problem he attempts to
solve, Mr.. Dodge's conclusions abound
in non-sequiturs and cul-de-sacs. II
there is no unearned increment whence
come the multi-millionaire fortunes
made in mining lands, city lots, lum-
Der forests, rights Of way, etc.? Were
they earned by labor, though to do SO
would require wages of tens of thou
sands of dollars per day?
The fanciful idea that the tenant is
injured only to the slight extent of his
interest as member Of the commun-
lty loses it's little force when his loss
is multiplied by the number of per-
sons in the community and the result
by the years of landlord
ism's existence, and this second result
multiplied by the sum of all taxes paid
during the time, all of which must be
done to reach the truth.
Unable to reacl the conclusion. that
1t is the tenants substance that land I
lords absorb, Mr.. Dodge fails to say
whose substance, or If any substance |
Is absorbed, yet he denounces the
landlordism that seems to absorb moth
ing. This is confusion of thought (
His vague idea is that if it was the |
tenants substance absorbed. then the |
increment which does not |
exist should belong to the tenant ex-
clusively and not to the landlord or
w INC COluuluu1Ly, though the ldnI- i
lords rights to it must equal the ten
ants right and neither can have any
greater right than any other member |
OF the community. This brilliant idea
seems to have "died a-bornin."
Mr.. d. likens land to natures store |
room from which all wealth must be !
drawn by labor, which is correct,
though strangely enough he sees no
wrong in giving landlords the right to
lock this storeroom until labor agrees
to give half it's earnings for access to
this raw material. Then, with startling
inconsistency, he denies the right of
the community to exclude labor from
access to the unearntd increment
which he says does not exist and de-
MES that demand for land caused by
The presence and needs of the COM
munity Competition for use of land)
creates land values
First with savage cruelty he knocks
he prop" from under the single tax
and "lets it falf' a mangled corpse,
after which, with fendish glee, he
mpales it on one-horned dilemma
and shakes the CORY corpse aloft until
i is all very dead except the ideas of
Justice in it and a few hard facts
which refuse to be killed
If is difficult to deal seriOuclv with