THE SINGLE TAX. 151 



abandoning their lands early in the contest, or later on 

 when they were obliged to do so. 



Mr. George thinks that the small farmer in competing 

 with his bonanza rival would gain an advantage under 

 his scheme of taxation which he does not now possess, 

 as the small farmer has the greater proportion of im- 

 provements to be freed. But has he sufficiently con- 

 sidered the fact that the small farmers are principally 

 near the cities, where he proposes to lay the burden of 

 his tax, because there the lands have the greater rent 

 value than in sections more remote, while the small 

 farmer's most troublesome rival is situated on lands 

 which have a much less relative value, and would bear 

 but a small relative tax." It is evident that the land- 

 holders which most threaten the peace of the typical 

 farmer of this country are a landed plutocracy as com- 

 petitive agriculturists, rather than a landed aristocracy 

 withholding land from use. Little England years ago, 

 with a large consuming population, and a great portion 

 of her lands kept out of use by an aristocracy, and with 

 a high protective tariff, was enabled to make agriculture 

 a monopoly. It was then a period when the burdens of 

 taxation were shifted from this industry. From at one 

 time bearing all, it finally fell to less than 5 per cent., 

 where it remains. Under such a condition, lands became 

 abnormally high." The peculiar position of England for 

 a time gave to agriculture every advantage over other 



' If this be met by the claim that one of the special purposes of the 

 single tax is to bring down the rent value of land in and about the 

 cities, as compared with land in the country, the conclusion must fol- 

 low, from the single-tax theory, that the cities will become the more 

 desirable for the masses to congregate in. Then what becomes of the 

 great argument, the cheapening of country lands for the masses ? 



' See Book V. Chapter IV. on English agriculture. 



