CHAPTER XVII 



THE '• WHY " AND " HOW " OF LAND NATIONALIZATION ^ 



In Macmillans Magazine (for July, 1883) an article 

 appeared on " State Socialism and the Nationalization of 

 the Land," from the pen of the late Professor Fawcett, in 

 which he referred to two books as having more especially 

 drawn attention to this question — one of these being my 

 own volume on Land Nationalization, the other, Mr. Henry 

 George's well-known Progress and Poverty. In con- 

 sequence of the wide circulation of the latter work, 

 Professor Fawcett thinks it important to examine 

 carefully the proposals there advocated, and he proceeds 

 to do so, though, as it seems to me, far from " carefully," 

 since he starts many difficulties which would never arise 

 under Mr. George's proposals, and entirely ignores the 

 vast mass of fact, argument, and illustration, by means of 

 which the radical injustice of private property in land, 

 and its enormous and widespread evil results, are set forth 

 and demonstrated. With the treatment of Mr. George, 

 however, I do not here propose further to meddle ; but as 

 Professor Fawcett has quoted the title of my book as one 

 of those which have drawn attention to the subject, while 

 he deliberately ignores every fact, argument, and proposal 

 contained in it ; and as the press has very widely noticed 



1 This article first appeared in Macmillan's Magazine (August and 

 September, 1883). It is now reprinted, because it discusses and replies 

 to many of the popular objections against Land Nationalization which 

 are still used, and explains details which are not touched upon in 

 the preceding chapter. A few verbal alterations have been made 

 in order to make it more intelligible at the present day. 



