The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-07-01

His Address to Pennsylvania Uni
versity Students Carefully
Considered.
Carried to Their Logical Conclu-
" sion His Statements Mean
Single Tax


CINCINNATI. Ohio,-(The Amer
lean Economic League to the Labor
| d).-"HOw much money can a
man rtghtfully collect from society !?
! Not more than lie honestly earns. For
when a man collects more than he
earns he collects what somebody else
has earned and money to which he
! is not entitled. H.:
This information was given by VIM.
J. Bryan to the students of the UNI
versity of Pennsylvania. It was good
doctrine for them 5to hear. The STU
dents Of that institution do not often
get a. chance to heaH economic truth,
since one Of the philanthropists whose
endowment supports the so-called
school Of political sefonomy attached
condition thereto that the wisdom
and Righteousness sof the protective
tariff must always ,be taught therein
So when occasionally this condition Of
the endowment is Violated sufficient
" to give the students q fleeing
glimpse Of the truth it must sound like
very strange doctrine to them.
=. Logic Of Statement.
Mr.. Bryan's statement carried to its
logical conclusion means not. ONLY
free trade he will undoubtedly ad-
init as he has long been known to
be free-trader. But it is not so sure
that he sees that it involves tho whole
single tax principle for he has never
conceded the correctness Of that phil
osophy. But it is difficult to see how
any one can fail to understand that
private appropriation of ground rent
is one way whereby individuals, COL
lect what they have not earned. When
man holds a piece ,of land for years
doing no work on it himself, nor per-
hitting others to doss and then fin
ally collects increased value which
has come through no effort of his,
he must certainly be collecting some-
thing that some onefelse has earned.
Converse of Proposition.
Bryan's statement brings to mind
that it's converse is equally true. Prob
ably he considered this too obvious
to specifically mention it.
"How much money can society
rightfully collect. from man? Not
more than it honestly earns. For
when society collects 'something it
has not honestly earned it collects
something that individuals have
earned and money to which 1t is not
honestly entitled" 49,.
Iniquity of Tariff.
When society levies q tariff. no,
matter for what purpose, it collects
something it has snot :!earned- and
money. to which>its ~, not entitled. An
individual who gives money that
rightfully belongs to- him to another
man, whether a.foreigner or fellow
countryman is immaterial, In ex-
change for something that rightfully
belongs to this other man secures
thereby just title to his purchase.
Society has no moral right to any Of
it; when tariff is levied on imports
the purchaser of an imported article
is simply robbed. Society is the rob-
Der.
When a man builds a house. or pays
other men to build it for him the
house becomes his sole rightful pro-
perty. When sdciety levies taxes on
houses it takes something it has not
earned. .'.'
When a man spends his own money
for furniture, jewlry or other chattels,
he does not become Indebted to So
ciety. Taxes levied on personal pro-
perty are another form of legalized
! robbery.
All the other ways that society has
of taxing labor and products Of in
| dividual effort are also forms Of rob-
berry.
One Payment Enough.
It may be said that society performs
services for the laborer for which he
ought to pay. It furnishes police and
fire protection. It provides roads
and public schools and does other
things of value for individuals which
they can not we'll do for themselves.
All this must be paid for by some
one. Should not the individuals who
get the benefit of the service do 50 :?
They certainly, should but no man
should be required to pay more than
once for the same service. All tho
benefits of government are paid for
to landlords in ground rents. When
the government 1evies taxes on labor
products it requires the owners of such
property to pay a second time in taxes
for what they have already paid in
rent to land owners.
| - Taxing Land.
Let all government activity sud
denly cease in any locality. There
would at once be as sudden a fall in