The Continued Relevance of Henry George's
Proposed Solutions to Depression and Poverty

Willis A. Snyder

[A letter printed in Time Magazine, 14 September, 1931]

Sirs:

Since you have twice published Montagu Norman's prediction that without drastic changes our present economic system cannot last the year perhaps you would be willing to give a little space to the fundamental change that, in the opinion of many people, might save "capitalism" from collapse.

It is now 50 years since Henry George published his great book and, although he at one time had enough following to thoroughly alarm the privileged classes, neither at that time nor since have any "good arguments" been found against the single tax.

Yet among the people I meet, hardly anyone has any knowledge of what Progress and Poverty was all about. Older men have forgotten, younger ones have never read or heard of it.

Now that our leading bankers, industrialists and statesmen are obviously at their wits' end, would you not be rendering a public service in calling attention to your readers (an above-the-average in intelligence section of our voters) to the fact that the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 11 Park Place, New York have prepared a condensed edition of George's great classic that can be purchased for 50 cents and read in two or three hours?

Although I have been interested in George and his theories for many years, I, myself, never learned until about a year ago, I answered an advertisement in your columns, that the Single Tax had been endorsed in principle by Theo. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Justice Brandeis, John Dewey, Ex-Mayor Gaynor and a long list of college teachers of economics. . . . Perhaps it is more timely to mention that Nicholas Murray Butler used Henry George's book as the subject of addresses in New York June 2 and in Paris June n of this year.

WILLIS A. SNYDER Hudson, N. Y.

Henry George (1839-97) was born in Philadelphia, moved to California when he was 19. About ten-years later he was sent to Manhattan to open a telegraphic news bureau for the San Francisco news paper which employed him. No success, he brooded about poverty. The result was Our Land Policy, published in 1871, setting forth his solution for social maladjustment. Eight years later this idea was expanded, became his famed Progress & Poverty. The time was propitious, found a public in the U. S. and abroad troubled by what Author George stated thus: "It is true that disappointment has followed disappointment, and that discovery upon discovery, and invention after invention, have neither lessened the toil of those who need respite, nor have brought plenty to the poor." The work was widely acclaimed at once, especially in Great Britain; edition followed edition. In 1905 it was estimated that 2.000.000 unabridged copies of the book had been printed, including translations into all languages.

The hypothesis upon which the George philosophy was created is that land and the profits from it belong to all living people equally. He advocated the State's ownership of land (exclusive of improvements on it). Rent would be paid in proportion to the land's value, and this rent (or single tax) would be sufficient to abolish all other taxes.

Adoption of the single tax would do away with the profits which come from land appreciation and are known as unearned increment or economic rent. An able critic of the single tax has objected that the plan takes for granted a continual increase in land values, that if the State takes the profits of increases it must also shoulder the losses from decrease.

Since 1889 a Single Tax Club has existed in Manhattan, once had for president Samuel Seabury. Pittsburgh and Scranton have approached the essence of the single lax by decreasing the tax on improvements, increasing the tax on land until they share equally in costs. In large parts of the Canadian Northwest no improve ments on farm property are taxed. Sydney, Australia operates on a single tax basis.

In 1886 Henry George published Protection or Free Trade. That year he was nominated for Mayor of New York City, was defeated by a coalition party which mustered 90.000 votes against his 68,000. The demonstration of respect at his death was tremendous for a private citizen. He wrote fluently, often beautifully, never let the weight of his thought conquer his fondness of imagery. ''The ox of today." he said, "aspires to no more than did the ox when man first yoked him. The sea gull of the English Channel, who poises him self above the swift steamer, wants no bet ter food or lodging than the gulls who circled round as the keels of Caesar's galleys first grated on an English beach." - ED.