The Washington herald., 1918-10-25
From the New Y0t THbmc.)
The Museum of Freaks.

We have yet to see the advanta ges
OF the single tax system which Mr.
Louis Posts magazine and other mag
azines are trying to impress upon
| the people as a result of the war.
There are obvious defects to the
system which even its protagonists
cannot defend-nOt If they admit first
| that these defects exist. which is
a hard thing to get them to do.
The principal point of failure is
that 1t brings about a destruction
OF the land values which build up
countries and drives prices down
ward on some of the products of
the land. This is the case where
the single tax system is unguided
by other and superior tax Iegisla-
tion such as exists over local legis-
lation where the single tax system
has been given trial.
Moreover. say what the single tax
ers can, they cannot deny that the
system destroys the responsibility of
citizen in his government 1t not
only frees the energies of every citi-
zen but in fact makes them too free
and this is more unforgivable de-
feet than Is the present defect OF
which they complain.
One thing lost sight of by Mr.. Post
and some of his Socialistic friends
| is that every incentive for getting
ahead is lost where it is made too
easy for all to climb to the top.
! Moreover it works no real good on
men who otherwise might be pos
sessed of the fullest initiative and
industry where their own efforts are
too strongly supplemented by the
government to which they bear al
1nrr T.
ment to do many things for the peo-
pie under it. but there are certain
fields into which a government can
not and should not thrust itself in
normal times. These are fields in
which the real patriots resent in
trusion-for no man wants his gov
ernment to insist on his accepting
| place where it will be impossible
for him TO avoid getting all there
Is to be had without some Iegiti-
mate, competitive effort being made
to attain it
Our Socialists have some good
ideas, but there are many ideas
which are not predicated upon the
soundest principles.
There are lines in Max's speech
to the ReiChstag which show that
! progress is being made toward the
peace goal. And there are other
signs apparent in Germany that while
the details of giving up to democ-
racy are not clearly worked out there
may be expected a very steady trend
in that direction.
Germany is halting now at the
course it adopted long ago and which
some OF its leaders have long had
IorrA
very thing that some of our fellow
countrymen fail to see at this juno
| true. All along the reprehensible
| course followed by the Germans has
not had the reimbursement of
| some of those who even may have had
to persist in 1t. Now that the per-
! niclous Prussian system has been con-
demned in the eyes of the world and
| the Germans have seen that condenn-
nation has made the peoples of the
/ earth mad to the point where they
are determined to blot this engine OF
| death out of existence. the opinions
| Of many Germans are taking prece-
| dence over the orders of Wilhelm the
Damned. The peace move reaching
such proportions as it has at this
time serves a most useful purpose for
, 1t gives the Germans of better ten
| uenCleS cndnCe 10 voice the doubts
/ they have entertained for some time
! 1t Is that that gives greatest hope
| to a peace within the next few weeks.
| 1t is this that may be expected to
! predominate as the spirit of the made
| over Germany. For those who do not
! yet believe the way the humanitar-
ians among the Germans do, will be
forced to that belief sooner or later,
it may be sure.
The greatest civilizing influence on
the Germans OF militaristic ideas has
been the American bayonet-and the
strategy of Foch has done more to
give an outlet to the better ideas of
| the humanitarian German than any
force which the Germans have seen
applied in their own ranks.
And the diplomatic strategy of Pres
| ident Wilson, which will eventually
bring about characterization of Ger
many, will be a greater force for
| Germany's good than any force that
has ever been applied internally by
! Germany. And this. we expect, will
be the admission of Germans long
after all of us shall have passed away
and our childrens' children have
| taken our places.
THE OBSERVER.