The Saratoga Single Tax Debate (1890)
The September 1890 Saratoga session on the single tax — the set-piece confrontation between Henry George and the rising academic economics profession, with J.B. Clark pressing 'The Moral Basis of Property in Land' and Seligman among the academic critics. The moment the George-vs-academy battle line
Overview
In September 1890, at Saratoga, New York, the single tax got its formal hearing before the organized American social-science establishment: a set-piece debate 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 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. [VERIFY: the hosting body (American Social Science Association) and published proceedings citation on direct read.]
See Also
- 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
- 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
- "Single Tax Discussion, Saratoga, September 1890" (Address of Professor Edwin R. A. Seligman) — used for Seligman's participation (A-claim; snippet-corroborated; see verification note).