The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-20
TO TAX BACHELORS.
An Extraordinary Proposition Being
Considered i'm Canada.
Chicago HeFaId

There is a serious movement in Canada in
favor Of placing a tax on bachelors. For
some time past the Hamilton Herald has
been almost the sole advocate Of the prop
OsitiOn, but recently that paper has been
10 ned by the Montreal Witness, the Winn-
peg Free Press and the StTatfOrd Herald.
three Influential newspapers, and the mer-
chants of Montreal and the members of he
Quebec Government have had the subject
under solemn Consideration. The Herald
confessed that It has been deeply panied by
tie tone of ievty adopted by the Canadian
press in the past when discussing
this serious and important question.
But the close attention now given TO il and
the diTectness Of the arguments brought TO
bear uDon il crafty the Herald and cause
il 10 rejoice that Canadian bachelors may
now be brought TO their knees. 1T is bec0m-
ing more ana more apparent" says the Her
aid. that one great trouble with Canada is
the number of bachelors in IT, They are al
lowing the country 10 90 10 grass, as IL were.
and instead of trying to establish homes of
their own they are jogging cOntentedly along
daTnlng their own SOCKS and keeping the III
selves together by the aid of shingle nails
and bits Of rope and other accessories Of the
bachelors wardrobe"
This picture, of course. is little over
drawn. But the evil is serious one. Can
alton, high rates of taxation. discourage
ments of trade and depression in the farm
ing districts, TO say nothing Of the entaHge-
ments into " hieh half-dOZen eager Doliti
cal parties have drawn her affairs. all tend
10 make life in Canada anything but a
happy one. But upon all this comes the
0verpoweTiDg know ledge that the young
men of Canada. the middie-aged men of
Canada and perhaps some Of the old men OF
Canada, are failing in the most essential
part of citizenship by not getting married
The actual condition that Stares the loyal
Canadian in the face is, without mincIng
matters, that the men by remaining single
force the young women TO become old maids,
and the population, constantly depleted by
deDortation to the United States is not re-
vived BY marriage.
The Herald puts the matter Ia its true
light by saying: ''If the bachelors don't
brace up and fulfill their manifest destiny
what is TO become OF them, and what are all
the dear, sweet pretty, loving and lovable
girls going TO do? II the bachelors persist
in neglectiDg them" continues the Herald.
There Is nothing for it but to tax the young
men from say 500 to $500 a wear each
according TO their incomes and it will he
found that they will very soon be brought
TO realize that the happy domestic life is tie
only one that is worth the living"
Another fact Is apparent in this connec-
ton. The Yankee boys. approaching the
beauty and worth Of the Canadian girls.
seek them for wives, ana short residence
in the United States transfers the loyal
Canadian girl into an appreciative Ameri-
can. This is serious phase OF the matter
for Canadians, and 1t IS true one. as APP
probation for Canadian girls by American
young mrn is fully attested in poem en-
titled MY Sweet Canadian Girl" now going
the rounds of the Canadian press,