An Absurdity.

Then what an absurdity to sell now for a certain price something of which the [unclear: future] value could not be known. This fact of selling opened the doors for speculation and for landlordism. Once these doors were opened the result was inevitable. It would open [unclear: m] what he had detailed. Carried out to [unclear: it] ultimate extent, as single-taxers believed, [unclear: th] older the country got and the denser [unclear: its] population became a large portion of people must be left in abject poverty and unable [unclear: to] find employment. (Applause.) Another [unclear: thing] which was unfortunate about this [unclear: state] of affairs was that it had raised up [unclear: two] classes antagonistic to each other. They all knew something of the London guilds. In the old days they were close corporations [unclear: of] people believing themselves to have something of the same interests, and righting [unclear: for] these interests, to keep it a close corporation. People could buy into them and become members and once inside they fought for [unclear: the] same as the others fought for. He (Mr. Withy) thought they might liken land ownership to these guilds; those who [unclear: had] bought into the guild and those who were [unclear: in] it had certain interests, while those [unclear: who] were outside had precisely the reverse interests. Those who were inside were anxious to get the utmost that they could for the property which they had secured; those who were outside were always [unclear: anxious] to get into the guild in as large numbers [unclear: as] possible. But let it be noticed; [unclear: the] moment they stepped over the line into the guild their interests were [unclear: antagonistic] to the rest who were left outside. He (Mr. Withy) thought it a very [unclear: un-] fortunate position that the community should be divided into two antagonistic sections. (Applause.) Let it also be noted how [unclear: these] plural property votes came to the [unclear: assistance] of the people inside the guild. It was [unclear: said,] "The people outside the guild were not [unclear: fit] to have these additional votes, while [unclear: those] inside should have them. How could a [unclear: mas] with a stake in the country and property"—always landed property—" be placed on [unclear: the] same terms as the man who had not five shillings worth?" This had become a [unclear: divid-] ing line between the community, and [unclear: unforta-] nately it was not ended now. Even the [unclear: Upper] House in the colony necessarily became tinged with that sort of thing. If there was to be an Upper House, what sort was it to be—the substantial men, the men with a stake—they were the men to revise the laws passed [unclear: by] the Lower House. They would be able [unclear: to] alter the little things, and so keep the [unclear: interest] of the guild as nearly intact as possible. He (Mr. Withy) thought instead of their being called "people with a stake in the country," they should be called "men of privilege." Hence in the Upper House the people [unclear: who] bad received the privilege almost everywhere said no wrong existed.