Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-03-12
P0PULlSTS In ALEXANDRIA.

AAONoS =
to hear several populist speakers who
were advertised TO appear.
At about eight o'clock DIR. B. F
Longstreet, while those present were
waiting the arrival of Congressmen
Simpson and Mcguire, began a dis.
course on political economy. He said
he was a native of Kentucky, a demo
crat and a free trader, and his object in
speaking was to kill time until Jerry
Simpson and Judge Mcguire should
arrive. After the doctor had proceed
ed a few minutes n of the audience,
to whom the subject was not sufficient
ly clear, asked him to enlighten those
present on the tariff issue and tell them
if the wrangle over it had really pro-
duced the depression under which the
country is nov suffering. The speaker
replied that he was acting the role of
of time-Killer until the arrival of the
other speakers, and his remarks were
desultory, and he could not go into any
extended argument on that subject.
He, however, didn't think either party
was wholly responsible for the present
hard times, but thought most of the
odium in superinducing them was at
tached to the republicans. Hard times,
he said, would come about every ten
years for some cause, ne matter which
party was in power, and would come
periodically under the existing order Of
things.
At this j%uncture Messrs. Simpson and
Mcguire put in their appearance and
the doctor excused himself to the au-
dience, and Judge Mcguire was intro
duced. He began by referring to
the proposition to issue bonds for the
Improvement of streets in this city, and
said the question whether or not this
procedure was advisable was one with
which he, of course, had nothing to do
that was an affair of AleXandrians
alone. An interchange of views, how
ever, on such a question would not be
out Of order nor be regarded in a spirit
of meddling. The speaker was de cided-
" averse to the isue of bonds in times of
peace, as in his opinion it lead to ex-
t~ravagance and w~astefulness. He point
ed out the many evils which inevitably
follow the saddling of a debt on a ON
munity, and said public and individual
experience proved that you had better
pay as you go in this world. The
Judge said all benefit from improve
ments to streets went directly into the
pockets of property owners-they, and
they alone, get it all. He illustrated
his assertion by saying a certain nan
builds houses on a street in a neighbor-
hood of average responsibility. The
~thoroughfare on which the property
stands is subsequently graded, paved
and severed at public expense the To-
cality is made more desirable as a res
idence centre; the landlord immedi-
ately increases the rent of his houses
which the tenants are compelled to pay
and which goes into the pockets of the
real estate owners. Now the latter's
property has had an increased value
put upon it by the community, he not
spending one cent for that purpose; he
receives the increased rent and an en-
tire city is taxed to pay for the purpose
of enriching him. The Judge appealed
to his hearers to know if that was
right. The property owner re-
| ceived all the benefits and should
pay for all the proposed improvements.
The Judge was averse to the public pay
ing q general tax for rendering valuable
any mans property, and reiterated that
those who derived all the benefit should
pay all the cost, and compared modern
landlordism in this country to the mon
archical institutions OF the old countries.
Public improvements made at the ex-
pense of everybody and which enriched
none but landlords would not add one
cent to the wealth of a community. 1t
required and an influx Of
population to do that. The judge con-
Guided his speech with an explanation
of the single tax system and an attack
on land spectators.
Congressman Simpson then stepped
forward and made one of his character
istic speeches, Astounding in humor,
common sense and some practical and
some not over practical ideas. He i'm
mediately referred to the bond issue, and
announced his aversion to such a pro,
ceedure, believing it would be solely to
the interest of house-owners. The issue
as presented in Alexandria, said the
speaker, was one of those which pre-
cipitated the American Revolution
taxation without representation. II
was proposed TO allow only free-holders
to vote on the question, yet a general
tax would be paid by all to meet the
interest on and the eventual redemption
OF the bonds. Was that American? 1t
had been demonstrated by the proceed
ing speaker that the owners of the pro-
perty, not the community, were to be
enriched, and the former should pay
the entirecost. Taxation and representa-
ton must 60 together in America. Any
other procedure was against the prin
ciples of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence. He then proceeded to show
what he regarded as the horrors of
f~oisting bonds upon q community, and
said the mass of the people,
who produce the wealth, event
ually had to foot the bill. He
spoke in substance as did Judge
Mcguire in illustrating how improved
streets advanced the rents of real es.
tate at public expense and how the
landlord reaped the harvest without
any outlay on his part. He subsequent
" spoke of Kansas railroads and assert
ed that in the endthe holders ~ofproperty
through which the roads pass had to
pay increased rents on the supposed ad-
vance in lell estate and high tariff on
transportation by reason of combina-
tons and monopolies, and in the end
l.l,o. tor ,,tnc fNy.