Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2502

Carbon (marked “copy”) of letter from Heath to Mason Gaffney, 1411 Arch Street, Berkeley, California

June 17, 1953

Dear Mr. Gaffney:

A day or two ago my friend John Chamberlain was good enough to send my very good friend of many years standing, A. W. Madsen, a brief rejoinder written by me to your lead­ing article in Land & Liberty for December, 1952.

 

 It occurs to me that it would be a courtesy, and, to me, a pleasant one, to send you a copy of this rejoinder and accompanying letter of transmittal for the further con­sideration which I am sure you will be glad to give to some of the ideas that I set out in my somewhat drastic review of the economic arguments employed in Henry George’s classic Process and Poverty.

 

 I believe pugilistic courtesy requires that opponents shake hands at the beginning of their encounter. You and I seem to have reversed this by expressing our less genial sentiments at the beginning, while drawing into much closer accord towards the close of our respective onslaughts.

 

 However it may be, I feel that we are both sincerely intent upon discovering the truth that shall make us free and will, in all good faith and good feeling, pursue it, wherever it may lead.

 

 Henry George did indeed “establish general principles,” among them the principle that ground rent is nature’s social provision for the recompensing of public services with the values they create, trusting to his readers “to carry further their application (of these principles) where this is needed.”

 

 His vision was high, his passion strong, yet he realized that his thought had not reached the end. Let us not be recreant to his trust.

 

    Yours in good fellow-ship,

SH-M                             Spencer Heath

I enclose also “Society and Its Services” 2 copies