Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-10-18
THE PICKET rtR1Na

The candidacy OF Henry George for
mayor Of New York and the canvass Of
the Dark-Lantern party in Tarrant county
are the sporadic essays Of movement
that seeks TO crystalline itself for gen.
erel onslaught on lndivldualism, for
which it is intended to substitute that
equality which proclalms that "there
shall be no other differences than those OF
age and sex; and that, as all men have
nearly the same faculties aud the same
needs, they ought, consequently, to have
the same education and The same fooo."
THE GAZETTE speaks not OF the men but
the movement, in which the men msy be
either conscious or unconscious instru-
ments
Mr.. George holds to certain views OF
the protective robbery and IT'S evil fleets
on workiDgmen, as well as the country at
large, that would make him in the ma
tlonal congress 20 instrument OF great
good But Mr.. George holds to certain
views, also, on land and its taxation; and
his followers, instead Of naming him for
congress, nominated him for mayor If the
leading city OF the country on platform
which embodies these plankS:
We declare tho crowding OF 80 many OF our
people into narrow tenements on enormous
rents, while half the area OF the city is as yet
unbulit upon, TO be a scandalOus evil, and
that to remedy this state OF things all
tdres on Buildings and improvements should be
abotIhed SO that no 1ne shall be put unon the
employ ment Of labor in increasing living &C.
commodatlons. and that tares should be leried on
land irresp ective ofimprovement,, so that those
who are now holding land vacant shall be COM
pelled either TO build II themselves or to gire
up The land to thope who will
We declare, furthermore, that the enormous
value whieht presence of million and half
of Pc pie gives TO the land OF this city belongs
properly to the whole community; that II should
not 90 TO the enrichment ofindiridIals ana corpo.
rations, but should be taken IN taxation and ap
piled TO the improvement and beautifying OF
tn CITY tn the promotion of the health, com {.
| fort education and recreation OF people, and
| 10 the providing OF means of translt commensu-
rate with the needs of q great Metropolis.
These planks are in strict accord with
the views Of Mr.. George, aud his election
on such platform could not fail to give
powerful impulse to the doctrine EN-
bodied in that platform, Mr.. George is a
man of ability and great personal worth,
and is stalwart opponent OF protection
robbery. But II he is elected mayor OF
New York, neither the cause OF education
nor that of honesty would receive special
impetus therefrom; nor would protection
receive the wound it would were he
elected to congress. Unavodably, how.
ever, those special views of Mr.. George,
as voiced In his platform, would receive
an impulsion through his success that
would promote further tests OF them or
more extended fields than mayoralty
election; and besides this, every ism tina,
wars on the established order OF things
will strive for his success as the entering
wedge to the Achievements of their OWE
more extreme purposes in the future.
Mr., Georges success would, of neces-
sity, be an impellent to the movement
that Ia now seeking to mobilize itself fol
an onslaught on land ownership, and un
DERIVING the contest In New York and in
Tarrant county are the same causes--the
same hostility to indlvidualism. In The
one case II would destroy the individual
right to land; in the other it would de,
stroy the individual right to own rail
roads, telegraphs and telephones In
New York, II the George platform means
anything, the proposition is, logically,
government control of land; in Texas
the proposition is, boldly, government
control OF railroads, etc. In New York
the platform Is, "We declare further
more, that the enormous value which the
presence OF million and half OF people
gives to the land of this city
belongs properly 10 ho ,ohole
community, that 1t should not go 70
the enrichment Of iadieiduals or corpora
lions, but should be taken IN tdration"
In Texas, an advocate OF the paternalism
OF the Dark.Lantern party was expatiat-
Ing on the government ownership OF rail,
roads in speech at Dublin, Comanche
county, when he was asked, CHOW shall
the government pay for them2" "Why,
fellow citizens" said the speaker,
eve haze already paid Ior them" The
two movements, so far apart, have their
origin at the same iountsin-head; in New
York the demand is made for government
ownership OF land as well as of railroads,
etc,i in Texas, nothing is said OF lands as
the property Of tndiriduals, because here
the support Of farmers rs deemed essen
tial, and instead Of demand TO tax the
land into government ownership, there is
substituted a general Indefinite howl
/ 0salnss "moaopoly,N t'baIke-s,n law.