Francis Amasa Walker, a political economist, in his book, Land and Its Rent (1883), gave the most detailed criticism ever presented of Henry George’s economic analysis in Progress and Poverty (1954 edition). His argument begins with a misrepresentation of George’s proposal of collecting the rental value of land as a single tax as an attack on private ownership. George defended private property, believing that each man’s equal right to land could be achieved through government appropriation of land rent by taxation, & he even believed that buildings & other improvements should not be taxed. Walker did make some valid points concerning George’s views of land speculation: that it is not the main cause of depression & that much of the land held for speculation is not kept idle. Several of Walker’s arguments concerning production, exchange, compensation, soil conservation, & the administration of the single tax are also explored, with the conclusion that Walker’s stance as an adversary resembled somewhat that of a paper tiger.
