The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-05-27
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
THE WESTERN FARMER AND
THE SINGLE TAX.


HARTFORD, Mimi, March 16.--I have
been for years an ardent believer in the
single tax, but have never before adj
dressed letter to The Standard, ex-
cept to send in my yearly subscription.
! am located in a backwoods district,
and being usually driven with work all
the year round have had no opportun-
ity to do any missionary work, except
to keep upa desultory correspondence
in few papers. should not write now
if IL were not for the fact that can see
that the single tax is getting before the
people of my community in some mys-
terious manner, just as epidemics
spread without any apparent cause.
The late political cyclone made me rep
resentative of my county in the Mime
sofa Legislature, and, being known as
believer in the single tax, my cores
pondence shows Enthusiastically that the
outlines of the cat are becoming visible
to many. A resolution expressing the
sentiments of local farmers club was
placed in my hands recently, which dis
approved of state bureau to encOur-
age immigration, as all the benefits of
immigration accrue to land specula-
tors" do not know that any of these
farmers are single tax men, but there
is no doubt they soon will be. Numerous
petitions are being signed by farmers,
urging the enactment of a law that will
compel railroad companies to pay taxes
on their lands, acquired under land
grant acts that exempted them from
taxation, for" say these farmers, ''the
settlers who have improved the country
have given these railroad lands all their
value and enabled the owners to exact
higher price from the purchasers who
want to settle on them and improve
] them" These farmers are learning
their A. B. Cs. and will get on in time.
A widow, who has taken up home
I stead claim in Dakota, passed through
our neighborhood last week, asking aid
to keep her family from starvation until
she could get another crop from her
land. The authorities had done all
they could for her and others in similar
circumstances, but all they could give
thcm was some corn meal, and her
youngest child was suffering from lack
of nourishment, the coarse food disa-
| greeing with its young and delicate or.
ganlzation. She was only one of many
living on the free lands of Dakota who
have lost three crops from drought, but
having no where else to go they cling
desperately to the only land they car
call their own. One more season o.
drought and failure of crops will de
populate portions of Dakota. Thers
are thousands of families living ou
there on the bleak plains clothed il
rags and subsisting on the most meagr,
diet, praying Heaven to give them rain
SO that they can make enough none.
to build themselves homes, while mil
lions of acres of fine agricultural land
in Minnesota, Iowa and other states
situated in the region of ample rain
fall are lying vacant, in the grip Of th'
land speculator.
believe the present session of tn
Minnesota legislature will result il
strengthening the cause of single tax
1t is composed largely of farmers VIII
are earnestly seeking a remedy for ex
listing industrial wrongs, and are es
pecially desirous of formulating plat
form upon which the farming class an
the so-called wage workers can occup
as a common ground Single tax me
will know where they will finally Ian
if they persist in an honest search for
remedy that will emancipate all il
dustry. Within the past year endea,
orcd to get the single tax discussed i
the county and local farmers allianc
organizations in my county, but faile
to get a hearing. Recently | have re
ceived notices from two different loca
tiles requesting me to be present o
dates named, to participate in a discus
sion Of the single tax. think we ca
make these meetings SO interesting ths
the people will want more Of the sam
kind. H. Sheets, in the Standard.