The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-12-26
SINGLE TAX AGAIN.
ANSWERS TO SOME CORES.
PONDENTS.
1t Was a Single Tax Caused the
French Revolution.


event has confirmed our Judgment.
One of them, lady hornet, injccts
her sting into us with the remark that
we had been discreetly silent up to
December l2th," on this questions; as
If we had been afraid to provoke the
terrOrs of the unknown world of horn
cts. Now that is read wrong. We
wanted men, women and children, of
all kinds, classes and degrees, to sup
port the Peoples Party, without re-
gard to their views on all collateral
mattcrs-relgious, literary or philoso
phical. We have read a good deal up
on the Single Tax theOry-as who has
our judgment, still we thought that
Single-taxer could be good Populist:
and that we had no more right to
challenge him, or eXpel him from the
party, for his opinions as to the best
way to levy taxes, than Bishop Corri-
gan had to try to drive Father Nc
Glynn out Of the Catholic church be-
Gauge OF his views on the same sub
jcct. We believe in the broadcast
liberation. In essentials, unity; in
non-csscEt tails, liberty.
But the recent campaign has forced
us to different conclusions. We nom
mated candidate for Congress, in
this, the Fifth Congressional District,
very capable and worthy gentleman,
and we saw him lose thousands cf
votes, because of this Single Tax qucs-
tion. We saw gentleman of that
faith nominated by the Democra ts,-
who have never anywhere in this
world adopted Single Tax platform,
and we saw the great apostle of the
creed, Mr.. Henry George. brought
here, from New York, in the midst of
the campaign, by the Democrats, (who
don't believe in him. to scduce work
lngmen out Of our ranks. by appeals
to them to sustain the Single Tax
theory. We know that this had been
done before in the past, and will be
done again in the future; and in try
ing to clear the decks for the great
battle of 1896, we said to oursclf
that this issue has got to be met one
way or the other. If, upon discussion,
it proves to be right we had better
adopt it, and SO solidify our ranks. If
it is a delusion and a snare the fact
had better be made plain, SO that
those who are following it's standard
into the Democratic party, (Which has
no more endorsed it than the Popu-
lists have), may call a halt and CO.
operate with their friends and not
with their enemies.
And so we propose to 60 to the bot
tom of this question, if we can We
do it with no harsh feelings. If we
can be satisfied that the Single Takers
are right and we are wrong we will be
found battling for the Single Tax.
And, first. our lady correspondent
tells us, that their platform, of 1887,
meant more than single t~x;-that it
embraced the naturalization Of the
telcgraphs, railroads and money. And
she adds,-"A good Populist plat
form!' Precisely. But the Prohib-
ition national platform contains near
ly all the Peoples Party planks. But
they say-we regard the question of
intemperance of such overwhelming
importance, that, although we agree
with you in your fundamental doc
trines, we refuse to help you to sue
cess. This is precisely the position of
the Single-taXerS when they demand
separate action. This was precisely
their position November Sth, in Min
neapolis when they deserted DR.. Clark
the Populist, whose platform was close
ly allied to their own, and went over
to the support of the Democrats who
do not agree with them in a single
particular.
OF what avail will any form of tax
alton be-whether single or double
if the banks have the right to cut
down the supply of currency, depress
prices and impovcrish the people? Or,
if the railroads have the right to con-
tinue to take what the banks leave?
OF what avail will it be to invite a
man to take possession Of and culti-
vate a piece of land, if the great evils
of society. which impoverished his
predecessors, are to continue to i'm
poverish him? So that it appears that
any question of taxation is subordin-
ate to the mighty issues on which the
Peoples Party stands; and any at
tempt to divide the people and draw
them away is treason to the highest
interests of mankind When the
great, monster robbers, ,-'Thc giant
troublcrs of the world" as the roet
calls them, have been crushed, it will
be time enough to enquire what is the
best way to levy taxes.
And our lady friend says that the
great principle of the Single Takers is.
that "evcry child born on the planet
have foothold on the planet" That
is all very pretty and very just; but if
it means that every child}has right
to go to raising crops on the land,
then the Single Takers proposition is:
Every child shall have the right,
when it gets big enough, to become
the owner Of piece OF land, provided
he will agree to pay his own taxes and
the taxes of every one clse"' NO"
says the intelligent child. Il prefer to
own railroad or a bank, rather than
RI NO tho carf of n ocn, ,muO;fv