The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-01-12

people had no land-only IA per cent
of the white population were land
holders, and less than per cent of
the landholders or 1-3 of one per cent
of the people owned over half Of the
areas and values In the hands Of the
people,
Besides the land monopoly, there
were developed a money ring. timber
ring, shipping trust and other COM.
bines, which. with the help Of years
of falling prices, crushed the wealth
producers Of New Zealand and made
them in mood for the political revo-
luton Of 1890
The history of this is one OF the
mos interesting chapters In the Poll
tics o.. New Zealand" The farmers
and the Organized laborers joined
forces at the hallot box and swept the
conservatives s2m power and ever
since, at each triSar NAL election, the
liberals have enioyed a overwhelming
victory. 1t was ma > vicsory Of class
conscious proleterian1ss or teal anar-
chistic ''voluntarians simps the
joining forces at the polls OF men who
worked; men who worked at wages ~,
others and those who worked for them
selves On their own or leased lands
1t is such a victory as the populists
dreamed about at Omaha in 1892-but
failed to realize because nearly all the
WageWOrkerS and the vast majority of
the farmers allowed partisan insanity
to possess then. 1t was not victory
for Karl Marx socialism or Henry
George individualism-but victory
for the plain people the inen who
tOiled; and they made the best of it
and have kept in power ever since, not
by measuring their legislation accord
ing to the principles of equity and
justice enunciated SO well by Henry
George, or by the surplus value"
yard-sticK Of Karl Marx. but rather
by enacting legislation which wOnld
benefit themselves.
The wage-Workers INDUCED in no
dreams about a cooperative common
wealth, with collective ownership of
all the means of production and dis
tribution, with democratic management
of each, industry by those engaged
therein. They were willing to accept
good wages under "state capitalism" :"
They were not worried about the 'sur-
plus value the "boss" got. With
cheap transfers of land title, free edu-
cation, postoffice savings banks, gov
ernment life insurance, and manhood
suffrage, they were not afraid of the
"reactionary" measures their agricuI-
turist allies proposed. They were quite
willir g to assist in killing off the sva-
cant lot industry" even if the proposed
tax failed to meet the ethical require
ments of equity and Justice" They
were lOOki.-g for relief and were more
concerned in securing it than in split
ting hairs over what sanction the tax
would have. They were quite willing
to tax according to ability to pay
even If metaphysicians can prove that
such is rank robbery. They were quite
willing that the tax should be laid SO
as ito free the small man'-and said
SO in their Land and Income Assess
ment Act" 1891) with brutal frank
ness. In fact, scarcely anything in the
way OF legislation by the liberals since
1890 will stand the tests Of theoreti-
clans of either the school of George or
Marx; but it has produced results.
Not always as beneficient as the legis-
lators hoDed-for man is not omni-
scient; but with the net effect of keep
ing the people ever alert for anything
new which VII help them.
The wealth producers victory in
New Zealand-wage-w workers and far
mers-fore -hadows what is likely to
happen in the United States before
many years. But the liberal victory
here was not accomplished until ruin.
soup houses. strikers and monopoly
had made both farmers and wage-work-
|ers amenable to reason. And a popu-
list victory here will not be possible
while corn is 81 cents and the wage
worker has even a partly full dinner
pail" The farmer NAV know thar ovan