Review of the Book

The Single Tax Movement in the United States
by Arthur Nichols Young

A. Wangemann

[ Reprinted from the Single Tax Review, July-August 1916]
As stated in his preface, the author "Has undertaken to give a complete historical account of the Single Tax Movement in the United States, together with a discussion of the tactics of the Single Taxers, their programme and the present state of the movement, and its influence upon economic thought and upon fiscal and social reform."

The introductory chapter is a survey of some of the more notable anticipations of Progress and Poverty. Practically, all of these are already quite familiar to most students of the land question. Among the writers briefly mentioned are Spence, Paine, Ogilvie. Dove and Burgess. Copious notes and numerous references, rather than new material or the addition of any important names of the forerunners of Henry George will, I think, constitute the chief value of this chapter.

The succeeding seven chapters cover the history of the movement during the lifetime of Henry George. They are very largely of a biographical character, and perhaps properly so, for, as the author states; "Few movements of any sort bear such a striking relation to the life and work of a single individual, as the Single Tax movement bears to the life and work of Henry George."

In his treatment of the economic life and development of California since 1848, and the economic environment in which George spent his early life, the author gives evidence of much careful research and investigation. Early government reports, local histories, old newspaper files are all grist for his mill, and he has made admirable use of them. There are numerous quotations from California newspapers of the period, giving the history of land speculation in California, and indicating that even in those early days the land question was attracting considerable attention. After showing (page 39), the notable increase in the population of California from 1848 to 1880, he says; "With the coming of these immigrants real estate values mounted with leaps and bounds. The San Francisco directory for 1852 (page 9) describes in a striking manner the arrival of the Brig Belfast from New York, laden with a valuable cargo of goods. She hauled up to the Broadway wharf, the only wharf accessible to such a vessel, and there discharged. No sooner was she known to be landing her cargo than goods of all kinds fell twenty-five per cent and real estate rose fifty per cent. A vacant lot on the corner of Washington and Montgomery Streets, at that time bordering on the water .which had been offered for $5,000.00 and refused, sold readily the very next day for $10,000.00."

The story of George's early newspaper experience during this period is one of the most interesting features of this portion of the book.

Then comes the story of the publication of Progress and Poverty and its reception at the hands of the political economists, the book reviewers and the public generally. The comment of some of the contemporary critics not heretofore made public is here included. The Mayoralty campaign of '86 is treated in a separate chapter. Then follows the history of the McGlynn controversy, the Anti-Poverty Society and the subsequent Single Tax activities throughout the country down to the Mayoralty campaign of 1897, and the death of Henry George.

The subsequent history of the movement, including the organization of the Pels Fund and its campaigns in Oregon, Missouri and other Western States is fully treated, and indeed comprises a fairly good part of the second half of the book. In concluding his summary of the history of the Oregon campaign, the author says, (page 183), "The result of six years of Single Tax campaigning in Oregon has been to close the minds of the people to tax refor o of that or any other brand. The rejection at the 1914 election of several diverse tax proposals by about the same majority is evidence that the voters have become suspicious of all tax measures alike." On page 205 in discussing some of the recent tax reform campaigns he says, "In the more recent Single Tax propaganda the idea is occasionally met that a modified application of the Single Tax would be to the interest of land owners, because the stimulus it would give to growth would add to the value of their land. In the Denver campaign, for the first time, we meet the bald statement in the propaganda literature of Single Taxers that the adoption of the Single Tax amendment would make land worth more than it is now. Surely the authors of such arguments have departed far from Henry George's ideas. If they favor the introduction of the full measure of the Henry George Single Tax, they are trying to tempt owners of land to take the first step toward destroying themselves." The activities and programmes of the advocates of the Single Tax, limited, are discussed and contrasted with those of the Henry George Single Taxers. In a subsequent chapter on "Taxation of Land Values," on this point the author says: (page 258) "Popularly, a miscellaneous lot of schemes, varying all the way from Henry George's plan for the State appropriation of land incomes to proposals for the taxation of the future 'unearned increment' of land values have been dubbed Single Tax. We often hear it stated that Western Canada, New Zealand or England, under the Lloyd George budget of 1909, or Houston, Texas, or some other place, enjoys the Single Tax. Had there been an adjective, "single taxes," it might have been possible to have obviated, in part, such unprecise usage. It is difficult to justify applying the title Single Taxer to one not sharing George's views on the general exploitative nature of private receipt of income from land."

Then follows a fairly comprehensive treatment of practically all of the tax reform movements now under way in the United States within the last few years, which are more or less associated with the Single Tax. In the concluding survey the author discusses the influence of the Single Tax movement on economic thought and on legislation.

This work is thoroughly annotated, and indicates much study and careful research on the part of the author. There is an appendix in which is set forth the Single Tax platform of 1890, and there is also a bibliography of well selected references.

Dr. Young has contributed to the preparation of this work not only careful study and research, but he has presented the result in a highly interesting and readable form, and in a most unbiased and impartial manner. His work is of the greatest value to all students of the history and development of economic thought in America.