priesthood, both upon the right of private property in land and upon the
Pope.

He is a man of vigorous intellect; and he has defined the issue between
himself and the Church in language so terse and clear that I reproduce
it here. It defines also the real issue of to-day between the Church
speaking through the Papal Decree of April 20, 1888, and the National
League of Ireland acting through the "Plan of Campaign."

No heed having been paid by Dr. M'Glynn to several successive
intimations summoning him to go to Rome and explain his attitude, he
finally, on the 20th of December 1886, wrote a letter in which, with a
single skilful turn of his wrist, he took out the core of Henry George's
doctrine as to land, which really is the core also of the Irish Plan of
Campaign, and thus laid it before the Archbishop of New York:--

"My doctrine about land has been made clear in speeches, in reports of
interviews, and in published articles, and I repeat it here. I have
taught, and I shall continue to teach in speeches and writings, as long
as I live, that land is rightfully the property of the people in common,
and that private ownership of land is against natural justice, no matter
by what civil or ecclesiastical laws it may be sanctioned; and I would
bring about instantly, if I could, such change of laws all over the
world as would confiscate private property in land without one penny of
compensation to the miscalled owners."

There is no shuffling here. With logical precision Dr. M'Glynn strips
Mr. George's doctrine of its technical disguise as a form of taxation,
and presents it to the world as a simple Confiscation of Rents. Many
acute critics of _Progress and Poverty_ have failed to see that when