Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-06-05
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
THE WESTERN FARMER AND
THE SINGLE TAX.

HARTFORD, Mimi, March l6.-I have
been for years an ardent believer in the
single tax. but have never before ad-
dressed letter to The Standard, ex-
cept to send in my yearly subscription.
i 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 up desultory correspondence
in few papers. / should not write now
if it were not for the fact that | can see
that the single tax is getting before the
people of my community in some mys-
FERROUS 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 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, 1.-The
settlers who have improved the country
have given these railroad lands all their
value and enabled the owners to exact
a 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.
widow, who has taken up home
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
them was some corn meal, and her
youngest child was suffering from lack
of nourishment, the coarse food disa-
greeting with its young and delicate or
ganization. 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 can
call their own. One more season of
drought and failure of ciops will de-
populate portions of Dakota. There
are thousands of families living out
~ lain 10th IN,
rags and subsisting on the most meagrc
diet, praying Heaven to give them rain,
so that they can make enough money
to build themselves homes, while mil
lions of acres of fine agricultural lands
in Minnesota, Iowa and other states
situated in the region of ample rain
fall are lying vacant, in the grip of the
land Spectator.
| believe the present session of the
Minnesota legislature will result il
strengthening the cause of single tax.
1t is composed largely of farmers who
are earnestly seeking remedy for ex-
listing industrial wrongs, and are es-
pecially DESTROYS of formulating plat
form upon which the farming class and
the so-called wage workers can occupy
as common ground. Single tax men
will know where they will finally land
if they persist in an honest search for a
remedy that will emancipate all in
dustry. Within the past year l endeav-
ored to get the single tax discussed in
the county and local farmers alliance
organizations in my county, but failed
to get a hearing. Recently | have re-
ceived notices from two different local