Denver labor bulletin., 1917-05-05
BRAND OF SINGLE TAX BEING URGED ON
DENVER IS NOT EVEN GENUINE KIND

ing to cover up the real intent and
purpose of the single tax. Mr.. Bas-
tida is a man who stands for the prin-
ciple and does not approve of the
political methods used in attempting
to foist the single tax upon an unsus-
pecting people. You will notice he
says that the real estate men know
what the single tax means, but the
people generally do not;' and other
single tax writers, who comment upon
Mr.. Bastida's position, are also of
the opinion that single takers, as a
rule, are not frank enough in their
declaration for common ownership of
land"
Among those who comment upon
Mr.. Bastida's article are H. j. Chase
of Providence, R l., and J. Weller
of Chicago. Parts of their letters,
published in the Single Tax Review
for March-April. 1915, are as follows !:
II think understand how Mr.. Bas-
tida feels. l don't believe in property
in land any more than he does-I
even go further, perhaps. The land
doesn't belong to the people collec-
lively any more than to any of them
individually. Property in land is
the bane of all progress. The day is
coming when all who uphold it, or
those who upheld or condoned chattel
slavery. This talk about recognizing
the ownership of the land itself, but
not of the rent, is like saying to a
slave holder, You own the negro, but
not his wages; we are going to con-
fiscate them'"-H. J. Chase.
with great interest | read Mr..
Bastida's article in the January-Feb-
ruary number of the Review. 1t seems
to me he is right, We talk too much
about taxes and too little about the
basic principles which inspire our
activities. We are the modern abol-
tionists, and our proposition involves
the abolition of a great moral wrong.
private control of the earth by the so
called owners. 1t is this phase of
single tax which gave Henry George
his worldwide recognition and Sc
cured for his gospel its devoted dis
ciples."-J. Weller.
~ article in the same number of
the Review. by Phi. H. Cornick, is, in
part, as follows:
This expedient whereby economic
equality and social justice may be
brought about was unfortunately
christened by some of his Henry
George's) followers of the single tax
unfortunately because the appropria-
ton by the community of the values
il created can in no sense be consid-
cred tax. The name, furthermore.
has become a shibboleth, the sound of
which serves to divert mems atten-
ton from the fundamental economic
reform at which the movement aims
my articles and booklets, published
in the interest of the preservation of
private property in land" says Shields.
''have repeatedly quoted Henry
George. who is the author and found
err of the single tax doctrine, showing
that the intent and purpose of the
single tax is to make land common
property. The hired political workers
of the Fels Fund Commission of
! America have attempted, in every way
possible. to cloud the issue and hold
| the attention of the public to single
| tax as reform measure only. They
have persistently denied that the OBJ
ject of single tax was to make land
common property.
"Mr. Bastida's article and the COM
ments upon it by the greatest single
tax writers of America in the columns
of the Single Tax Review, which is the
mouthpiece of the single takers, should
be sufficient evidence that our con-
/ tention that single tax means the
abolition of private property in land
is true. and that the contention of
those who are promoting it here is
false. se."-Advertisement.
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