The Saratoga Single Tax Debate (1890)

Overview

On September 5, 1890, at Saratoga, New York, the single tax got its formal hearing before the organized American social-science establishment: a set-piece debate hosted by the American Social Science Association in which Henry George faced his academic critics in person. John Bates Clark confronted George on "The Moral Basis of Property in Land" (Gaffney's account, essay Ch. 3), and E. R. A. Seligman delivered an address for the academic opposition.[1][2] The papers were published as The Single Tax Discussion, Held at Saratoga, Sept. 5, 1890 (American Social Science Association; F. B. Sanborn, ed.; Concord, Mass.).[2] The session crystallized the George-versus-academy antagonism that Gaffney's corruption thesis treats as formative for American economics — an interpretation to read as Gaffney's, though the debate itself is documented record.

See Also

• The George–Seligman Exchange — full primary text — Seligman's address, George's consolidated remarks, and Seligman's reply, from the 1890 proceedings
• Henry George · John Bates Clark · E. R. A. Seligman
• Narrative: The Corruption of Economics
• 1886 NYC Mayoral Election — the political shock that preceded the academic reaction

Sources

1. Mason Gaffney & Fred Harrison, The Corruption of Economics (1994), Gaffney essay Ch. 3 — used for Clark's confrontation and its framing (A-claim with book locator; interpretation attributed). Book page
2. The Single Tax Discussion, Held at Saratoga, Sept. 5, 1890 (American Social Science Association; F. B. Sanborn, ed.; Concord, Mass.) — used for the hosting body, the September 5, 1890 date, the published proceedings, and Seligman's and Clark's participation (A-claims; venue and proceedings verified this session). Online Books Page