The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-09-06


out your theory {" Putting aside the proba-
bility that il Mr. George were supreme die
tator he would cozen 10 some Of those frailties
which, in the absence Of dctatorial privileges,
he keeps at arms length, the question reason
ably excites curiosity. We have ourselves
the things we would do il we were supreme
dictator. Mr.. George answered Senator Blair
that he would abolish all taxation excepting
upon land values, let the Government control
the railroad and telegraph systems, abolish
the Navy, West Point and Annapolis, and
abolish the laws for collecting debts" But
these are not the first things we would do,
and after denoting what would be our first
things we will briefly revise Mr.. Georges.
The very first thing we would do would be
to put both our dictato.ial feet on that social
abuse from which so much Of the crime
and injustice Of the country spring-tial by
jury. We would hustle every trace Of that
barbarism into some sea or sink out of public
sight, and make its very memory contraband
And the next thing we would do in our high
Office Of Supreme Dictator, would be to rustic
though Congress, demosh its private Cal
ender," and clear its floor thoroughly OF the
herd of politicians, who feed at that crib, and
by It's means run the Government in the inter
est Of themselves and their private friends,
leaving public business, as has been done
from the beginning OF the Government, to 60
over into the dead sea Of garbage and DRIFT.
And after we had stamped out this private
Calender" and by that process abolish the
politicians, we would extend the basis of rep
resentation so as to. reduce the National
House to 100 members who, as there would
be nothing to do that politicians are capable
occupied by statesmen. We would
next send a police brigade over to Europe
1--WE understand this Supreme Dictatorship to
extend over the civilized world and pick up,
and incontinently smother, those literateurs
and literary societies Of all nations, who have
been striving for 50 years, and doubtless, but
for our descent upon them, would continue to
strive, to get their hands into American poclS-
cts, and draw hence hundreds of millions
annually as a consideration for depriving the
American people of all access to their books
by means of what they have chrstened
international copyright" With a govern
ment of politicians, and not statesmen, the
country is at all times in danger of falling into
this literary snare. Then, we would not only
knock on the head States prison contract
labor, but the States prisons themselves and
establish, under one supreme authority, in
dustrial homes in every State, where all the
pursuits of life would be followed and all the
amenities of life practiced toward and among
convicts as in the social world And Just as
surely as we become Supreme Dictator, that
will be the situation Of the States prison
question. There are other first measures
we have not space for, and others
still which we have not in mind, but
this will denote what is to be expected of us.
The magnificent suggestiveness of Senator
Blair's inteHogatory to Brother George may
have spilled some of its exuberance into our
basin Of ideas.
Now Brother Henry George as Supreme
Dictator, so far as first measures 90, would
not fill our bill. We are not able to follow
him through those shady labyrinths of logic
and circumstance, where he grappes capital
and labor, knocks their heads together and
thus harmonizes and makes them friends.
For ourselves, in Tehearsing this dictatorship |
we let ourselves loose for reform flight in
mid air. There is some of this method in our
witness before the Senate Committee on Edu-
cation and Labor But Brother George is a
little too loose when he lets the wealthy of
whom many do not own an acre OF land, 90 |
untaxed. 1t will never do, brother, to per- |
init, as dictator, capital in bonds, obligations
and cash, to be exempt. We would rather
see you tax wealth, of which it consists.
and let the poor man, and especially industry |
go free. How would it do brother to make |
the rich people, and not the land, pay all the |
taxes, and increase the ratio Of taxation with |
the increase of wealth? If the 100000 man
pays per cent. tax, the $500, 900 man ( per
cent, and the millionaire 10 per cent and |
upwards, according to the cubic measurement
OF his coin, no license, no fitering fine dust
from the poor, nor from little fellows with |
only $4,000 or $40, 600 of lucre, no licenses
nor government relations of any kind for the |
man who works, or lives by industry. We
may want improved field glasses, and pos
sibly microscopes, to find our millionaires, but
we will not let them hide government per
cents, nor corporate bonds, nor any public
obligations, for there shall be none. So the
heid will be clear of brush and high grasses,
and we will catch them. En-, GeorgeG And
we will use the license at high figure to
throttle trade in Injuries, as tobaccos, liquors,
etc. Won't we, Brother,
Brother George is all right about the rail-
road and telegraph system, the Navy and
Military schools, and all right about the law
Tor collecting debts. We are speaking, of
course, in our loose clothes as dictator. Our