Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-05-21
>INGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
TIE 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 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 a 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 unmistaka bly, that the
outlines of the cat are becoming visible
to many. A resolution expressing the
sentiments of a local farmers club was
placed in my hands recently, which dis
approved of state bureau to encour-
age immigration, las all the benefits of
immigration accrue to land specula-
tors" l 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, 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.
A widow, who has taken up a 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 crops will de-
| populate portions of Dakota. There
| are thousands of families living out
there on the bleak plains clothed in
| rags and subsisting on the most meagre
| diet, praying Heaven to give them rain,
so that they can make enough money
| to build themselves homes, while mill
| 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 in
| 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 a plat
form upon which the farming class and
| the so-called wage workers can occupy
as a 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 hearing. Recently | have re-
| ceived notices from two different local
tiles requesting me to be present on
dates named, to participate in discus
sion of the single tax. l think we can
make these meetings so interesting that
the people will want more of the same
| kind.-J. III. Sheets, in the Standard