The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1917-01-04
A SIGNIFICANT VOTE.

At the recent election Oregon and
California voted on propositions to
take the entire rental value of land
for public use, and to abolish all taxes
on labor and its products. This was
the first time that the complete Henry
George proposal was submitted to the
voters of any state, although votes
have been taken on measures more or
less approximating thereto. The re-
suit is thus ably commented on by
William Marion Reedy in his maya
zine, Reedy's Mirror:
"One-fourth of the popular vote in
Oregon was in favor of straight-out
single-tax proposition submitted as an
amendment to the state constitution.
There are some single-taxers who
think that the reform does not come
fast enough. When you consider all
that single-tax means, what revolu-
ton its application will bring about,
what a vast power is opposed to its
principle, the incalculable inertia there
is to overcome, the progress of the
cause is miraculous. Consider how
long was the fight to end chattel slav-
cry. Yet it is only thirty-seven years
since the publication of Progress and
Poverty" by Henry George. And
now the program advanced in that
book is vital issue in every civilized
country in the worid-an issue that
will be more vigorously pressed as
a result of the present cataclysm in
Europe. Garrison founded the LIB
orator" in 1881. The Civil war settled
chattel slavery thirty-fve years later,
but there was agitation against slavery
long before the day of William Lloyd
Garrison. The land question goes
back to Moses and before his time.
The engrossing and foresta1ling of
land was recognized as an evil from
the beginning of history. Henry
George found the remedy. The evil
grows. The demand for the applica-
ton of the remedy grows more in
sistent. The single-tax is a proposal
of world politics. It's champions have
profoundly modified ali economic
thought and their activities have re-
suited in a tendency everywhere to
take taxes off production and heap
them upon privilege. Single-taxers
have been prominent in every move
.ment for the amelioration Of economic
conditions by taking from the batten-
ers upon industry then ill-gotten gains
The deposit of intelligent thought in
Ohio as result of the activities of
Tom Johnson, single-taxer, swung that
state into the Democratic column only
a few days ago. The 100000 votes
for single-tax amendment in Cali
fornia carried with them thousands of
votes that gave that state to Wilson.
Single-tax goes marching on. And
the news of its march in California
and Oregon, with the news of the re-
election of president whose thought
has decided single-tax tinge must
have touched to joy the last days and
hours of Henry George, Jr., who died
at the age of hfty-6ve, a month ago,
after life spent in furthering the
cause his father gave to the world.
It is the dotcrine of Henry George
that has given the world the concep-
ton of Justice with a heart in it,
Progress and Poverty is the book
that is doing more to change things
in America than did Uncle Toms
Cabin It IS more thoroughly chang
ing the world at large than did Rous-,
esau's writings. In the brief space Of
thirty-seven years the singie-tax has