Organization for Victory: A Five-Year Plan |
[An address delivered at the Henry George Congress. Reprinted from
Land and Freedom, September-October 1940]
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We have received a challenge at this Conference from
Mr. H. J. Haase, who suggested that the single tax
plan can be adopted within five years, if only all of us will
get to work for it in every possible way that we can.
The time has come in the Georgeist Movement with the
large number of new younger members drawn in by the
Henry George School of Social Science to give thought to
organizing in a nation-wide way, not in any political or
partisan sense, but in the interest of fundamental economics,
for putting over the principles of taxation of land values
as promulgated by Henry George in Progress and
Poverty.
I would not for a moment think of trying to limit in any
way individual initiative or rugged individualism in the
many cities and states where good work is going forward;
but we should coordinate this work, and organize with a
center, or headquarters, where we can learn what is going
on, who is doing it, and where the work is most successful
in accomplishing the best results.
At the present time we have a large number of active
organizations throughout the country. In New York City
we have the Henry George School of Social Science, the
publication LAND AND FREEDOM, the Robert Schalkenbach
Foundation, the Graded Tax Committee and the Manhattan
Single Tax Club. In Chicago we have a number of organizations, among which are the Chicago Single Tax Club,
"We, The Citizens," and the Tax Relief Association. Among
other organizations are: the Henry George Foundation of
America, in Pittsburgh ; the Henry George Society of
Canada, in Toronto ; and here in Washington, the Women's
Single Tax Club, the People's Lobby and the National
Popular Government League.
Besides these organizations and the many others that
exist we have a great number of individuals doing active
work. Among them are: J. Rupert Mason of San Francisco;
John C. Rose of Pittsburgh; Charles H. Ingersoll and Harry
J. Haase of New York City; George J. Knapp of Denver,
who is campaigning for Governor of Colorado, and many
others.
All these efforts should in some way be coordinated. A
central headquarters for the Movement is the answer. While
I have no special interest in any city or organization, it
would seem that the logical place for such a headquarters,
at least for the present, would be in the largest city, New
York. And the logical place in New York would be the
present permanent building owned by the Movement, at 30
East 29 Street, now the offices and headquarters of the
Henry George School of Social Science. At the central
headquarters should be maintained a master index of all
active Georgeists and representatives in all the 48 States
and the District of Columbia, and agents in the 3,000
counties throughout the United States, located at the county
seats.
With this central headquarters in our largest city, and
with the influx of many new and younger persons in the
Movement, we can go forward with the assurance that we
are all working together for Victory in fundamental tax
reform.
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