Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-19
MIR. HEwIrr,s CANDIDACY.

Mr.. ABRAM :. HEWITT, in his letter
accepting the n~Omihation for the ~mayOralty
of New York, meets the issues fairly and
squarely. He says:
A new issue has been sudden
ly sprung upon this community. An at
tempt is being made to organize n class
of our citizens against all other classes,
and to place the government OF the city in
the hands of men willing to represent the
special interests Of this class to the eX-
elusion of the Just rights Of the other
classes. The idea which underlies this
movement is at war with the fundamental
principles upon which our government was
organized and rests. The American ReyO-
luton was a protest against class govern
ment, then represented by the aristOcraey
of Great Britain, and when independence
was achieved provision was made IN the
constitution against the growth n exist
enee of an aristOCratie class in this u
try. The American idea IS essentially
Democratic. Under existing checks against
hasty action the will of the majority Is TO
prevail, and happily for this country no
special class Of interest has q numerical
majority of the whole people, although the
agricultural interest, Owinga larger portion
of the total area of the land, comprise
nearly one-half of the total population,
while a large majority of all classes are
owners of property, either real OF perSOnal.
Any attack upon the right of property Is
therefore directed by o small minority
against the great majority. Where uni
yersal suffrage prevails there is no excuse
for such n movement on the part Of any
class: and when its nature and eOnSe
quences are investigated and understood,
such o movement must inevitably fail ii
free government is to be preserved.
Mr.. GEORGE is the candidate ola single
class. Also the spirit of socialism per-
yades all his writings. Land is to be
eOnfscated by making it bear all the bur
dens of taxation. No man, under Mr..
GEORGES system, could buy q piece OF
land with his earnings or call it his own,
and many Of the instruments of prOdue-
ton and transportation are to be made
public property.
Mr.. GEORGES campaign is arraying one
class of citizens against the Others. His
election would mean the sanction Of his
wild and unpracticable theories. While his
election would not mean the carrying out
of his ideas during his term of office, mo-
mentum would be given his movement,
not only in New York, but in every city
throughout the country, and the result
could not be other than disastrous.
Mr.. Hewitt meets the issue, and takes
the broad view that this isa government
of the people by the people and for the
people" and that the political parties
should represent all the people and not a
single class. Mr.. Hewitt's letter closes
with these words:
The organized movement now made, for
the first time against the methods of pol
itieal action approved by the experience of
o century Of steady progress, aud under
whichth the country has enjoyed 4 measure
of prosperity heretofore unknown to the
human race, must be clearly sustained OF
emphatieaIly condemned by the people OF
this city, which is as much the metropolis
Of the United States as Athens was the