The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-11-04
The great truth that binls us to-

gether dawned upon me gradually, Tor
it did not come to me as to some of you,
in an intitutional flash The ''cat" re-
vealed itself in very fragmentary
way. l had heard of Henry George,
and having had some acquaintance
with professional labor reformers OF an
uninspiring kind, put him down in my
mind as one of that fluent but work
stunning brotherhood. remember
one day in the shoe manufacturing
town of Brocton in my state, passed
the doorway of hall where notice
announced lecture by Henry George,
and wondered who would waste time
listening to that demagogue-i exact,
ly the same enlightened spirit that
made men pass the doc, where an
abolitionist was holding forth, in tho
slavery days. 1 date my new birth
from the memorable evening when !
picked up by chance the Nineteenth
Century with Mr.. Georges reply to the
duke OF Argyle. had great respect
for the duke He had married a
daughter of that truly noble duchess OF
Sutherland, who was steadfast friend
of the American abolitionists, and the
duke himself had stood by the cause of
the north, in the civil war, with John
Bright and our other, brave defenders
in that dark hour. The idea of Henry
George coping with him! But my curl.
osity to see what he could say at once
gave way to the fascination of that
iAimitable style. While the eloquence
of the appeal moved mo, the reasoning
touched my conscience and my heart
The native dignity of the humble
printer was in marked contrast to the
scarcely veiled contempt Of his Grace.
and the true nobleman stood revealed.
The derided prophet of San Fran
cisco" dwarfed the English peer. The
scales fell from my eyes, new emotions
thrilled within me, and / had no rest
until l had absorbed Protection or
Free Trade?" Social Problems" and
last of all progress and Poverty"
While in general sympathy with the
single tax movement, many doubts still
remained, but every week as the Stand
ard came to me, one by one, as other
doubters were answered, my own OBJ
jections were met and satisfied, and l
was compelled to write to Mr.. George
my sympathy and regard, and ask to
be enrolled among the faithful. did
not need to be convinced of the iniqui-
ty of protective tariffs, and had been
for many years a free trader on prin.
ciple. But I did not see beyond, and
imagined that with untrammeled in
ternational exchange the conditions OF
the poor would speedily improve. Yet,
here was Great Britain, with approx
mate free trade, still in the chains of
poverty, and the Bitter Cry of Out
cast London" startled mankind "wher-
ever Christianity softens the heart or
soothes the sorrows of men"
The primal cause was yet to be made
apparent, and although many minds
had discussed it and played about the
theme, and in the case of Herbert
Spencer formulated its highest ethical
grounds, the remedy still seemed as far
off as the millennium. Then came the
voice of one crying in the wilderness:
There must be some reason for this;
there must be some remedy for this;
and / will not rest until have found
the one and discovered the other. At
last it came, clear as the stars of a
bright midnight. I saw what was the
cause, saw what was the cure. I saw
nothing that was new. Truth is never
new"
The revelation came in Progress
and Poverty" and in It its author met
the rare qualities of the seer and states
man. The single tax, that intensely
practical name for a great moral re-
form, fails to suggest the uplifting
power of the movement, but it makes
plain our method of procedure and
saves endless explanations Edward
Bellamy excites the imagination, and,
recreating human nature, moulds 1t in.
to his ideal condition, and asks us to
admire the dish from which all relish
has been extracted. Our programme is
sharply defined. 1t does not wait for
the year 5000. It concerns itself with
the practical politics of to-day, and its
influence guides the hand that drafts
the better legislation.
(TO RE CONTTNt1ED.