The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-01-31

want and suffering that there yawns at
you on every side OF the street. Yes, go
forth; go look into the homes OF the
millions who do not faunt their want
and poverty in the face OF a cruel and
thoughtless world, and there you will
find q world OF things that will touch the
heart Of every real human being, to say
nothing OF the miserable haunts ofmany
OF our rural districts. Then turn and
look into the world Of production, and
what do we see there? Over production
on every hand. Towering grain elevators
reaching skyward with no one to buy
and right in sight OF this immense guam
tity Of surplus-this ove produced
n~ecessity-are hundreds OF families
suffering for bread. Huge ware houses
groan under the weight Of overproduced
meats and vegetables, and perhaps
starving paupers lie. under their very
shadows. Then soberly study the effect
this condition is having on our race and
it's probable results in the future.
Every one who cares to study the
question will find in this the true cause
OF the dreadful anarchist everywhere in
our cities. Anarchy OF the bomb
threatening kind, and in all it's modified
forms, is but the effect OF a cause, as is
also a strike and the riot that so fire.
quently follows. Bellamy's eutophian
dreamso beautifullypictured in hls"Look
ing Backward" is the product OF a mind
that has observed and keenly felt the
unjust and inhuman condition of our
present social system. And it was from
an observation OF this kind-ift the reader
will pardon a personal reference-that
awakenedin me, ten years ago, a deep in
terest III the study OF the cause OF the
social inequalities and to enquire into the
cause Of this constantly increasing
poverty in the midst OF an ever increas-
ing wealth producing power. And 1have
tried to do this from an unbiased point
OF view. And while there are many
minor causes 1 have no hesitation in
saying that the chief among them all is
land neutrality-suspicious. in the
DOulllUlCS " Itlul'lC3 NJ
the forces Of nature by individuals, and
compelling labor to pay a huge royalty
for the privilege Of using one OF the Tree
! gifts OF God, and givingnothing in return
Now, there will be but few OF my
readers that will agree with me here, fol
; they think it is perfectly proper that
men should speculate on the natura
, opportunities because it has always beer
so and is the common custom. SOM
OF these ommon customs appear very
absurd in the eyes OF reason when onct
they are investigated and considered
Force OF habit in the mind is very stron!
and hard to overcome. Charles Lamb
) in his "Travels in China" tells Il gooe
t story that very forcibIy illustrates this
point. He says that the way the
Cinnamon found out the pleasant TASTE
Of roast pork was by the accidental
burning OF a Chinaman's hut, in which a
pig was burned. The smell OF the roast
ed pig attracted their attention and SO
ever after that when they wanted to
roast q pig, they burned down a house,
until a great many years afterward whcl
a great sage arose and spent ~ Lifetime
in explaining to the Cinnamon that they
!, could roast pigs without burning dow
houses. sometimes fancy that thos
old Cinnamon poked as much fun wit
y as much logic at the dc sage as do man
t. OF our newspapers nowadays at Il
y single tax men.
" In this article I desire to say to II
, farmer friends that they need never fe;
20 that the single tax will be sprung
:. them without first having a thorou
III ventilation, for the reason that o
vi constitution will have to be amended
30 Il vote OF the people before it can ]
= ~ come law, which insures a thorou
hs consideration by the whole people, a
Vi us the single tax agitators have no otl
ny object in view for the present than t
awakening OF an interest III the study
a. the subject. When once we have acco
'es plished this, the success OF the moveme
III will not be long delayed; for it is as 81
TO win as night succeeds the day. SIM
~. because tits right and just. The farm
y, may secure many minor reforms VIII;
will help them temporarily, but tt
'us will never have their rights wholly
a. tablished until they have Invested tn
minds OF the deluslon OF land speculate
40 in connection with farming, which
NV evitably goes to enrich capital and
empoverish themselves. Many will {
VI this is a misstatement OF facts, but
"S only ask you, as honest men, to stu
the subject,
at The single tax contemplates moth
en- that is not founded upon the very I
itv damental principles OF justice. Let
re- see. We say that whatever a man p
in duces by his own exertion, belongs
him, as against the world. This no
YER will find fault with. Again, we say wi
eve one person takes the produce Of
is others labor, without giving IN equi
lent in return, he commits a wrong.
low will agree to this in theory, but m,
re- will oppose it-perhaps ignorantly-
is practice. We also hold that any t
mes tenn OF government OF society that
to mits or compells the members OF g
will government or society to take from Il
fellows a portion OF their produce W
out Just compensation, should be d
bic away with. Allow me to insist on y
,sal careful consideration OF the follow
red What has the man given you /,
The owns a tract OF vacant land with
and improvements who charges you, we
!, Of say, 500 per mum for the use OF
A Or, suppose you want to get the abso.
,gis- CONTROL OF it, that Is, to buy it, and
charges you $4,000 for it? What
you get in return for your money? \
AK. don't pass this by lightly, but think
ngle over it. Hasn't he given you just W
ome the big boy gave his little brother W
to he took the apple from him for