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| The Single
Tax Party in 1920 |
| [Reprinted from the
Single Tax Review, September-October, 1920] |
INJECTED into the arena pf political action through the formation of a
separate party committed solely to but a single plank-the collection by
government of the entire rent of land-the Single Tax is rapidly becoming
a major issue in the economic and industrial as well as the political
life of the Nation.
This fact is attested by the marvelous growth of the Single Tax Party
since its inauguration in Philadelphia, five short years ago by five
enthusiastic and patriotic men, who had neither prestige nor resources
at their command. Since then the Single Tax Party has formed
organizations in twenty-two States of the Union, twenty of which will in
all probability have full tickets in the field to be voted for at the
coming election on November 2.
Not since the campaign of 1886 conducted by the inspired leadership of
Henry George and Father Edward McGlynn has there been such united and
enthusiastic support of the philosophy of the Prophet of California, as
now when men and women of the Nation once more are returning to the true
American system of expressing their demands for progress and reform at
the polls.
Although some of the States have had recourse to the Initiative and
Referendum laws to give expression to their demand for a free earth for
free men, rather than through the instrumentality of a separate Single
Tax Party, it is due solely to the fact that they employed the vote to
make their demand for the adoption of the Single Tax, that they achieved
their big successes; as was evidenced in California in the 1916 campaign
when the Single Tax Amendment was supported by 260,322 voters, a
fraction in excess of 31 per cent. of the entire vote poled at that
election.
Something more than the mere adoption of the principle is imperative,
if final victory is to be achieved and maintained -- the election of
officials who will sympathetically and intelligently administer the
Single Tax after it has been adopted.
Officials can be relied upon to enforce the Single Tax only when they
are responsible to Single Tax constituencies: hence the urgent
necessity for a strong Single Tax Party in the Nation as well as in
every State in the Union.
Another prominent advantage the separate party movement has gained for
the Single Tax is the wide publicity it has obtained for the principle.
During the ten days preceding and following the holding of the National
Convention of the Single Tax Party in Chicago, last July, nearly every
newspaper in the United States averaged from a half to three-quarters of
a column of space telling the people of the country about the Single Tax
and the great strides it is making in the Nation.
Think of it. The whole country talking and thinking Single Tax for a
continuous period of ten days. Has there ever been so wide a publicity
given to our cause as resulted from the holding of the National
Convention of the Single Tax Party? The value of this publicity --
measured in dollars and cents -- is virtually incalculable. It could net
have been duplicated for two millions of dollars at regular advertising
rates. This feature of the separate party movement should commend it to
the heart and intelligence of every advocate of the philosophy of Henry
George.
There are many other important advantages which a separate political
party affords to advance the propaganda of the Single Tax, as has been
pointed out many times before in the columns of the Single Tax
Review.
Among these are the power of intelligent organization, which makes for
concerted and therefore more efficient results.
The Single Tax Party has also been responsible for clarifying the
definition of our principle, through the generally accepted medium of an
authoritative platform. This method has been employed with beneficial
results by virtually every political party which has existed in the
United States.
Such declarative announcement by the Single Tax Party has resulted in a
more thorough understanding of its principles and what it purposes to do
than could have been brought about by any other instrumentality. Even
those who are not in accord with the philosophy of the Single Tax now
have an understanding of its purpose. They now know that it is not only
a better and more scientific plan for raising revenue to maintain
government; but, what is of far greater importance, they realize that
the Single Tax is a demand that the land rent created by the community
belongs to that community and should be collected by it to establish
equality to the use of the earth and to maintain the service of
government responsible for such land rents. It has also been made clear
to everybody by the Single Tax Party that the Single Tax is the
collection by the government (all the people) of the entire rent of land
and not merely the exemption from taxation of improvements.; although
there would be no taxing of improvements of any kind or of labor or its
products if the Single Tax were collected, for the reason that there
would then be more than sufficient revenue to pay for a far better and
greater governmental service than any we have ever experienced.
Remember, Single Taxers, this wonderful organization has come about in
five years through the efforts of but five men who were virtually
without resource in the way 6f funds. Should the same ratio of increase
be maintained for the coming five years, the Single Tax Party will be a
tremendous force with which to reckon in the National election of 1924.
What might have been the result in the present presidential campaign,
had every Single Taxer co-operated in the separate party movement during
the past five years?
Surely the Single Tax Party influence would have been many thousand
times as great, had all co-operated, for there were not less than
500,000 avowed Single Taxers in the nation in 1915.
Although it is better never to be late, it is better late than never.
Now is therefore the time for all good Single Taxers to come to the
aid of the party.
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