The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-02-25
The Philosophy of Freedom
An Open Forun for Single Takers

ty government, ne WOulii nave Deen
elected and educated the people more
ON money than they have ever known
concerning it. But in his great So
called educational campaign he left
the people more muddled than ever
tefore on the subject.
III the democratic party politicians
had the integrity of purpose that Tom
l.. Johnson has, and would take the
single tax as it's platform, it could go
into power next campaign. Ninety
nine men in hundred, who know any
thing about it, admit its absolute just
ness and can easily be shown it's far
reaching influence for good. Even the
socialists and anarchists admit 1t to
be better than any political PROPOSE
ton ever presented except their own.
So OF the populists.
Admitting, for arguments sake. that
some other reform is of greater mo-
ment to the people, the remoteDess Of
its accomplishment bars 1t from inn
mediate consideration compared with
the single tax. The anarchists are
school of propagandists of moral
principle as means to remote goal
for the race. The socialists are SO
divided and indefinite in their plO-
gram and there are so many Difficult
ties in their path that their goal is re-
mote, and the populists have been
propagating the money subject for IS
years and the party is smaller than 1t
was 20 or rs years ago, and never can
get in power, but the single takers
know exactly what they want and
how to get it, and the principles of
1t are in the cir and it is growing
gradually and surely with no change
of base, and can be demonstrated as
no other theory in politics can be.
If the pOpulists would take up the
single tax along with a pure paper
money theory and the initiative aDi
referendum, it might grow into real,
popular populist party.
1t is thought by many that no third
party can get into power-that re-
forms must come through one Of the
old parties. There is an array of facts
in history in support of the thought.
True, the republican party did super
cede the whig party, but it took a
radical principle, appealing to peo-
pies better emotions to do II. The
single tax principle embraces more TO
appeal to the intellect and emotions,
and sense of justice, than the anti
slavery subject did and its adoption
would be financial detriment to but
very few persons compared 10 the
abolition of chattel slavery, and its
adoption can be shown TO emancipate
infinitely more slaves than the abOl-
ition of chattel slavery did. The
abolition movement was pigmy COM
pared with the single tax movement,
and it will take like wild fire among
all classes-especially among the
farming community. The manufac-
turer, the merchant, the iaborer and,
in fact, every class will be SO i'm
mensely benefited that when once
presented in political platform il
would meet with almost unanimous
enthusiasm. But one very small class
Of men could oppose it, and their OPP
position would be so selfish one
that they would be ashamed to avow
it. 1t would be only the men VINO
hold vacant, unimproved land out of
use for speculation that could object.
When the single tax theory is pop
ularized, as it soon will be, the mo-
nopcly of land, which is the prolific
mother of all other monopolies, and
without which no other monopoly
could exist. will be as much more dis
graceful than to hold a fellow as a
chattel slave, as murder and mobs and
jynching, are more disgraceful than
chattel slavery. Fifty years In the
future people will wonder more at
our civilization for tolerating land
owning without compensation to the
| public for the privilege than We do
that witches and heritics were burned
at the stake by our forcfataers. For
land monopoly Is starvation and death
TO the landless laborer -chattel slav-
cry was not death to the slave. Equal
access To land the source OF all life
and wealth, would entirely abolish all
Involuntary poverty and the crime 1t
engenders
All structures. whether material or
moral, 10 be enduring. must be fcun-
dationed on the land. All social TO-
forms. all political parties that DO not
haga their plai fofm on the land. are