The Single Tax Party was based on the idea that all taxes - federal, state, and local - should be rolled into one payment. The government would own all land and assess a rent on the property to fund all its needs. Buildings would not be taxed. The party was based on principles established by Henry George (1839-1897).

In 1915, some followers of Henry George decided to try to organize a political party. They ran candidates in Pennsylvania in 1916: one for U.S. Senate and seven for U.S. House. In California, a single tax amendment to the state constitution failed but received 260,000 votes. Two years later, the party offered a candidate for U.S. Senate in New Jersey and four candidates for U.S. House in Pennsylvania.

Party leaders met in New York City on 6/18/1920 to make plans for the upcoming national convention. Supporters of Sen. LaFollette wanted to test the waters to see if the STP would be interested in nominating him, and several newspapers ran articles that the party was considering his name. Party leaders considered him but announced afterwards that they did not desire his name to be offered. "Statesmen of constructive ideas, and not mere demagogues, are now needed," said a STP attorney, reading a written statement [New York Times, 6/19/1920].

National Convention of 1920

The Single Tax Party National Convention was held in the Auditorium Hotel in Chicago, 7/10-14/1920. The convention was held

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The Single Tax Party was based on the idea that all taxes - federal, state, and local - should be rolled into one payment. The government would own all land and assess a rent on the property to fund all its needs. Buildings would not be taxed. The party was based on principles established by Henry George (1839-1897).

In 1915, some followers of Henry George decided to try to organize a political party. They ran candidates in Pennsylvania in 1916: one for U.S. Senate and seven for U.S. House. In California, a single tax amendment to the state constitution failed but received 260,000 votes. Two years later, the party offered a candidate for U.S. Senate in New Jersey and four candidates for U.S. House in Pennsylvania.

Party leaders met in New York City on 6/18/1920 to make plans for the upcoming national convention. Supporters of Sen. LaFollette wanted to test the waters to see if the STP would be interested in nominating him, and several newspapers ran articles that the party was considering his name. Party leaders considered him but announced afterwards that they did not desire his name to be offered. "Statesmen of constructive ideas, and not mere demagogues, are now needed," said a STP attorney, reading a written statement [New York Times, 6/19/1920].

National Convention of 1920

The Single Tax Party National Convention was held in the Auditorium Hotel in Chicago, 7/10-14/1920. The convention was held concurrently with a national convention called by the Committee of 48; the latter group's convention formed the Farmer Labor Party at its convention. At first, the two groups hoped to cooperate, but the C of 48's desire to run Sen. LaFollette complicated matters [NYT 7/9/1920].

On the first day of the STP convention, delegates agreed to accept the offer of the C of 48 to observe its convention. The STP delegates set three principles upon which they would cooperate: 1) inclusion of a single tax plank in the platform; 2) an acceptable national ticket; and 3) a suitable name of the party [NYT 7/11/1920]. R.C. Barnum of Ohio was appointed to represent the STP in the amalgamation discussions [NYT 7/12/1920].

The Single Tax delegates finally decided to walk away from the C of 48 convention on 7/13 when it became apparent that that group was willing to change its platform and run LaFollette for President (though the negotiations with LaFollette also fell through). The single tax plank was not acceptable to most C of 48'ers and was not likely to be included in the C of 48 platform. The Single Taxers were the first group to bolt from the C of 48 convention [NYT 7/14/1920].

Once the Single Taxers resumed their own convention, they easily approved a platform. Robert Macauley, chairman of the national committee, was nominated unanimously for President. R.C. Barnum, who had represented the STP in the negotiations with the C of 48, was nominated for VP [NYT 7/14-15/1920].

Single Tax Campaign.

Macauley mostly conducted a "front porch" campaign, similar to the strategy used by Harding [New York Times, 7/15/1920].

One of Macauley's campaign themes was that high government spending was used to transfer wealth from working people to bureaucrats and non-workers. He pointed out examples of prison inmates who made more money working in prison than other people out of prison with families to feed. Macauley's most important example was a man in an insane asylum who collected over $2,500,000 between 1912 and 1920 for work he did in the asylum. In a speech in Boston, Macauley stated that the STP was "the only one in the field which has a constructive program to lower the cost of living." He also charged that the League of Nations would fail as long as nations sought to "steal the real estate of another" [New York Times, 11/1/1920].

Commonwealth Land National Convention [1924] (new name of party, chosen in 1924)

Popular Vote of 1920

Electoral Vote of 1920

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