S i2 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



deniably is often an evil ; but it is unavoidable so long as individual 

 liberty and freedom of exchange exist, and can not be appropriated 

 or even legislated upon without more evil arising than would be pre- 

 vented. And then would not such an interference on the part of the 

 state be an instance of a rule that should work both ways ? If it is 

 right for the Government to confiscate my profits on lands or goods 

 when I am so fortunate as to make profits, it ought to make good my 

 losses when my plans miscarry. If wheat or corn go up on my hands, 

 and the tax-collector seizes upon the increase, shall I not be entitled to 

 a bounty when corn and wheat on my hands go down ? The new rail- 

 road has doubled the value of my lots in one town, but in another a 

 diversion of trade and transportation in consequence thereof has nearly 

 paralyzed everything, and my lots there are almost valueless. The 

 state shall cheerfully have all the gain in one instance if it will make 

 good the decline in the other. If unearned increment is proclaimed 

 on one side of the reform banner, it should exhibit undeserved loss 

 on the other. 



But, assuming that there is some justice in the plan "for appropri- 

 ating unearned increase in the value of land, what would be the con- 

 sequences if it were carried out ? Mr. George does not propose com- 

 pensation to owners for this arbitrary seizure of their wealth. Their 

 property has been procured, under the sanction of the laws, by the 

 general consent of the community and in reliance upon established 

 usage, and hence its appropriation or confiscation under any plan 

 would not only be grossly unjust, but it would destroy all sense of se- 

 curity in any kind of property, and fairly bring chaos itself upon us. 

 Such a measure would be like a cyclone of the most destructive char- 

 acter through the length and breadth of the land. It would force into 

 litigation every savings-bank, trust company, and life-insurance com- 

 pany in the country ; it would cut off the revenue of innumerable in- 

 stitutions of learning and charity ; it would rob millions of persons of 

 their savings, impoverishing old age, young children, and dependent 

 women ; it would Itring bankruptcy upon tens of thousands of traders, 

 and impair credit everywhere. No class would suffer more than the 

 poor, who hold in their savings through the savings-banks, liens 

 amounting to thousands of millions upon landed property, much of 

 which would be irretrievably lost. 



And when all had been done, what would have been accomplished ? 

 Time would repair the damages and heal the wounds thus inflicted ; 

 but what compensation would there be ? Mr. George declares that the 

 nationalization of land would bring great blessings to struggling mill- 

 ions, but he does not anywhere show us how, or by what means. In 

 his necromancy, private ownership of land and great poverty are here ; 

 community of land and general prosperity there ; but we have not a 

 word of explanation by what means a change of many landlords for 

 one landlord is to bring about the splendid result he depicts. Taxa- 



