Henry George supported labor unions and was proud of his membership in the Printers' Union. But he did not regard them as the final solution of labor exploitation. He championed labor as one of the producing classes. His foray into politics as the candidate of organized labor's third party was characteristic; he had had much involvement in politics earlier. Although he supported labor's immediate demands, he sought mainly to use his candidacy to build a constituency for the single tax. Samuel Gompers, then head of the American Federation of Labor, at first worked for George's election but came to the belief that the unions alone should direct and control their political efforts. This view prevailed, though he and George remained good friends. But it is now a question whether Gompers' policy, at this time, serves labor's best interests.
The American Journal of Economics and Sociology (AJES) was founded in 1941, with support from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, to provide a forum for continuing discussion of issues emphasized by the American political economist, social philosopher, and activist, Henry George (1839-1897). Today, the exciting encounters between sociology and economics remain a natural subject to explore, and AJES continues to publish carefully crafted essays in the social sciences.
The American Journal of Economics and Sociology (AJES) was founded in 1941, with support from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, to encourage the development of transdisciplinary solutions to social problems. The journal is currently undergoing a transition. It is renewing its original mission by publishing thematic issues on institutional responses to contemporary disruptions of social harmony and environmental sustainability. Unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted.
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© 1991 American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Inc.
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