Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-25
Horny George and His Platform.

L
The telegraph yesterday informed
our readers that HENRY GEORGE had
been nominated for mayor Of New
York city, but did not give his plat
form nor state the fact that he vas
nominated by q convention Of 400 del
egates, nearly every trades union in
that city being represented, and those
delegates claiming to speak for 10000
workingmen. leach delegate for one
hundred workingmen.) JAMES j.
CoooAN had offered s200,00 for q
nomination which cost Mr. GEORGE
nothing, THAT is, as q campaign fund.-
Mr.. GEORGE is one of the most IA.
nous men in the world. He is kno wn
in Europe as well as in this country.
He was twice arrested in Ireland in
1881, where he made speeches for the
Irish cause. On his return he was ban
| Quoted at DELMoNICo's. He is o ns.
tive Of Philadelphia, and is forty-seven
years old. From boyhood until be was
nearly thirty years old his life was
spent on shipboard or around print
ipg-oflice as compositor, or reporter,
editor, and part owner-the last-nsmed
connection with the San Francisco Post.
He attended, as 3 delegate, the Balti-
more Convention Of 1872, taking part
in the proceedings that placed Mr..
GREELEY in nomination for the presi-
dency. He has written four books
"The Irish Land Question:" Social
Problems" Protection and Free
Trade" and " Progress and Poverty"
The last-named is one Of the most re-
markable books ever published. 1t has
been translated and published in various
languages. lie denies the right Of pro.
perty in land. He is q Free-Trader,
eut.and.out, but even his free-trade
book is full of his agrarian notions.
This remarkable man is the candidate
Of forty thousand voters for mayor of
New Yerk. Upon what platform?
Read, and reflect. We give only the
most important planks:
Nv. We declare the crowding of so
many Of our people into narrow tene.
ments at enormous rents while half the
area of the city is yet unbuilt upon to
be scandalous evil, and that to remedy
this state Of things all taxes on build
iDgs and improvements should be abol-
ished, so that no fine shall be put upon
the employment Of labor IN increasing
living accommodations, aud that taxes
should be levied on land irrespective of
improvements, so that those who are
now holding land vacant shall be COM
PEELED either to build on it themselves
or to give up the land to those who will.
v. We declare furthermore that the
enormous value which the presence of
million and a half of people gives to
the land OF this city belongs properly
to the whole community that it should
not 60 to the enrichment Of individuals
and corporations, but should be taken
in taxation and applied to the improve
ment and identifying of the city, to the
promotion of the health, comfort, edu-
cation, and recreation of its people, aud
to the providing Of means of transit
commensurate with the needs Of great
metropolis. We also declare that ex-
listing means of transit should not be
left in the hands Of corporations, which,
while gaining enormous profits from the
growth of population, Cypress their
employees and provoke strikes and IN
terrupt travel and imperil the public
peace, but should by lawful process be
assumed by the city and operated for
public benefit.
No. 4 needs no explanation. No.
s means that the increased value at
tached to property because Of increase
of population belongs not to the owner
but to the public. In other words, if
you buy city lot for thousand dol
lars and the city's growth causes 1t to
be worth ten thousand the nine-thou-
sand increase belongs to the public.
This is what JOHN STUART MILL
called "the unearned increment"
| We regard this as most important
movement. But no one reading the
New York papers would guess at its
true nature. The Tribune says:
"Previous efforts in this direction
have not met with much success at the
polls, but Mr.. George has shown more
sagacity than his predecessors in d.
recting such movement. He will
doubtless poll handsome vote, and
give his Democratic competitors Q
much closer race than they now antici-
pate"
| The World says:
| sit is understood that Mr.. George
will formally accept the honor conferred
upon him at q public meeting to be held
At Cooper Union on the evening of the
5,h Of October. Mr.. George means to
make an earnest and determined fight"
| The Herald says:
"Whatever opinions we entertain
about Mr.. Georges theories Of a social
reorganization, we believe that he is On
honest man who stands by his record"