The independent., 1903-05-14

himself upon the richest resources and
choicest locations of his native land
is in the highest sense, unconstitu-
tiOnal; because it conflicts with and
outrages natures laws, so plainly as
would any law which ignored or de-
MED his right to breathe. Ii our gov.
ernment withholds from him the ey-
ercise and enjoyment of these, his
primary natural rights, 1t honestly
owes him the value of them; and
should honestly pay him.
The purpose of the single tax plan
| is to recognize that obligation and to
arrange for that payment.
The change would not upset things.
Though the universal right of men to
government is recognized in
America, and though the right of
every American to make laws for him
self and construct his own religious
cleeds is recognized, the average citi-
zen does not actually make laws or
construct creeds, but he helps select
representatives to do both. So the
legal and open recognition of the
equal natural right of all Americans
to use Americas richest resources and
choicest locations, would not-in this
scientific age-result in all the peo-
pie trying to actually use our very
richest resources of production and
our very choicest locations of ex-
change at one and the same time. The
legal recognition of the right of every
man to work for himself would evil
IDENTIFY have no more disastrous or con-
Icf I.
milton of every Americans right to
govern himself. In the one case as in
the other, the right would be exer-
cised mainly indirectly. And we car
readily see that if the full annual val
ue Of Americas rich resources and
choice locations were distributed
equally to each family in proportion
to the number of children, every man,
woman and child would be as fairly
dealt with as if all could actually oc-
cupy the very best locations at the
same time. Because, each child would
get, either directly or indirectly, an
nually or regularly, the full value Of
/ its equal natural inheritance in the
land of its birth.
The Effects: Whether these values
were collected and apportioned di.
| rectly, or were gathered or distributed
| indirectly by the plan proposed by
Henry George, the main effects would
| evidently be the same. No child would
60 hungry, half housed, half nour-
| ished, half clothed, half educated OF
half developed; and no man or wo.
| man or boy would be obliged to ac !.
/ Iol1 III yak hA oh ~
fitted for, at any wages an employer
pleased to offer, in order to get money
to pay for standing room or living
room on the earth; but each would
Lave leisure to look about and select
such employment as he or she was
| best fitted for, and would be most
| likely to be most successful in, AMI
would demand and receive fair pay
ment for work performed.
Imagine an enterprising manufac-
| turer of today, with his big building
and effective machinery, projected
backward across the intervening cen
| the primitive American communities.
He fires up his engines, starts up his
machinery and calls for help to turn
out axes, saws, planes, guns, plows,
hoes and other such needed pioneer
| equipment. Don't you see that no
| one will move off his farm and rent
| one of the manufacturers cottages and
go to work in his big mill unless the
employer will pay him such wages,
| either in products or cash, as will
after paying his rent-leave him
enough to live better and easier,
working for him, than he can live
working for himself? The ever pres
ent opportunity for self-employment
| being close at hand, the wealth that
the man can produce working for him
self will fix the minimum of wages
he will accept when working for 9TH
ers. That ready alternative easily
acts as natural regulator of wages
With that alternative at hand the only
real natural law of wages will oper'
ate, and no trades union will be nec-
essary to maintain wages. But re-
| move that alternative and you at once
remove the mans independence.
( Experience in Europe and America
proves that neither political nor re-
1igious liberty can be safely grounded
] or permanently established except
4 upon a foundation of Industrial in