Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-02-25
The St Louis Convention.

The 81. Louia1 convention must not Do
underestimated. Its members numbered
nearly thousand, and their good stand
ing In the communities from which they
hail b sttosted by their constituents at
homa II might be styled mongrel con-
vsntion, because II was composed OF repre-
sentatives from many organizations OF diff
ferent kinds; and yet that designation
would do injustice to highly respectable
body OF men. We choose TO call 1t the st.
Louis Convention. We wish to say word
rtwo ss TO some subjects that were broach-
Cd therein.
There we're about seven hundred and
6fty delegates present, representing, as
We have said. various organizations. To
the Farmors' Alliance were accorded more
than one third Of the delegates. No other
organization had as many as hundred.
The Knights Of Labor had 50 delegates.
It il worthy OF mention that the Colored
Farmers Mutual Benefit Association had
ninety-seven delegates-tbe largest dele
cation except one. This fact indicates
new departure. 1t has not often happened
that the southern delegates to such con-
ventions were willing to treat the colored
delegates as II they were on a plane OF
perfect equality with the white delegates.
The admission of ladies Is delegates would
seem to indicate that large majority Of
The members were from the northern
States.
The Knights OF Labor asked to have
their creed incorporated into the national
platform. They have become disciples of
HENRY GEoRoE. They declare that land,
including all the natural sources Of wealth.
is the heritage Of all the people, and should
not be possessed by any body except those
who wish 10. occupy and use It and that the
taxes upon land should be levied upon its
{. full value for use, excluding improve-
ments, and should be SUFFICIENT to take for
(not from the community all unearned
increment. We long ago discussed these
several propositions. They seem to as to
have no merit. To tax the GNrER man.
,sion at the price Of the land upon which it
rs erected. and no higher than unoccupied
land Of the same value, would be to run
counter TO all our notions Of Justice.
For our lives we cannot see the
wisdom or propriety Of such mode
Of taxation. nor how il could posi-
bly, benefit the non-real-estate owners.
Taxes ADJUST themselves. The owner Of
the land pays them now, and he would pay
them under any system of taxation, but
no recoups himself when he prepares his
rent-list. No moro houses will DO erected
by the capitalist than will prove to be
rood Investments. There can be no law
compelling men to invest their money
in real estate. In aword. all such schemes
rs those of the Land Reformers must fail,
because they are totally incompatible with
the laws of nature. Count ToLsroI soon fol-
lowed up bis creed to its natural results and
concluded that all men must do all sorts
OF labor and adopt mental occupations II
they desire to do their whole duty to their
fellow-men. Think Of it. Who would be
willing to raise corn, wheat. tobacco. or
cotton, or mine coal, or cut wood, or do
anything else, If all men were possessed of
what We now call wealth. Is it not evil
dent that the passage of laws dividing out
all the property Of the community equally
would destroy the entire value of all pro-
perty and convert the community into a
body of paupers, totally unable to procure
even livelihood?
The Knights OF Labor demand also a
monetary system which is foolish, vision
ary, and imprscticable. They also de,
mand that the Government shall obtain
possession of all telegraph, telephone, and
railroad lines-a more reasonable demand
bat one that does not % yet promise TO bt
conceded. 1t would be as difficult for the
community to do the business Of banking
and teleeraphina and railroading as te
carry out HENRI GroRGz's wild schemes
We may have moro to say hereafter con
eerning the, st. Louis convention. II Il
not an Insignificant movement that find
20 many and so able champions IS were IL
that body or represented therein