The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1895-04-06
PLEA FOR SINGLE TAX.
Strong Words by Colorado Priest
in chicago.

L. III. Malone, OF Denver, on Inc
Catholic Church and the Single
Tax" at Orpheus Hall last night,
saws the Chicago Times. Herald OF
March Is. Before Father Malone
began his address II. II. Harding
called attention to the fact that the
plants OF three daily newspapers OF
Chicago we're located on school
lands, aud that the projectors OF
the Daily News aud the Tribune had
obtained ninety. nine year lelseholis
at what he declared To- be uureason-
ably small figures in ouA case The
valuation set by the appraisers act
lug for the school bocrd being 80
percent less than the presen, market
value OF the properly. On Mr..
Harding's motion, n committee OF
five was appointed to institute, il
possible, legal proceedings sgainst
the school board aud its tenants in
order that "this gigantic steal might
he prevented" The COMMITTEES ap
pointed by the president includes
Messrs. Harding, Brown, Bingham,
Cooling aud White.
Father Malone began by saying
that the question OF the attitude of
the Catholic church toward the sin
gle tax might be- considered from
three points of view, theological,
philosophical aud humanitarian. at
is from the last point Of view," he
said That have been insinuaiiug the
position of the church under au.
other name, in lectures delivered
throughout the United States aud
thr ugh the columns OF my paper,
the Colorado Catholic.
The conditions which presaged
and fastened the downfall of the
Roman republic exist to day, and to-
day menace the life of our own re-
public. 1t was an age OF intellectual
progress, OF schnlasticism, Of fraudu-
lent elections, OF senatorial MAORI
ties, of epigrams and dinner parties,
OF pamphlets aud disputations, aud
above all an age iu which a vast
landed gentry held almost absolute
power. The questions we must ask
ourselves are: Do the same condi-
tions exist to-day, and are The found
atoms OF our republic any better
builded than were those OF Rome?
"When we realize that our flag
to day is mathematical of a hope
rather than Of reality we can but
feel that the conditions do exist. /
do not know how il is in Illinois,
but | do know that in Colorado
ability and worth do not send men
to the United States senate. 1t is
with US no longer a question OF
ability or Of worth, but question Of
aman's power to buy ballots. Just
rs Italy was absorbed by vast estates
so TO day il Americs absorbed by
the corporations. Truly has it been
said that this country is to day a
country Of landlords and tenants,
with tho tenants in the helpless
majority. II has become a grave
qu.,Iiol as to whether we arc being
governed for ourselves or whether
W. are being governed for the for
eiguers-the foreign landholders.
And let me say now, and | say H.
knowing that may be greeted with
the cry OF anarchist or 'alarmist,
that while our 100000 unemployed
sit to pisht holding out the hand Of
suppliants they will some day rise
and the suppliant's hand will be-
come hat of the avenger and will
strike down the oppressor. And yet
th4re is idle land lying within a
stones throw of the crowded tene-
ments. Great estates ruined Italy
was the motto written above the
tomb 81 Roman civilization. Let
no mau mistake himself or the signs
OF the times. The battle is on. The
party OF the property owners, the
party OF i'll gotten gains, the party
that has enriched itself by percent
ages OF sweat and blood stands on
the one side. the party of the poor
ana the landless stands on the other.
But when tho American nation
grapples with any problem it means
that that problem will be solved.
And never before were the great
economic problems of national life
receiving such study as at the pres
ent, time. Men are aroused, but,
better still, the church OF God il
aroused, aud what remedy do l, a
churchman and priest, offer for
the upbuilding OF a permanent ma,
.tional life! Simply the doctrine that
to all the people shall be given equal
opportunities TO enjoy what God has
given them. Land is the source oil
all wealth and he who owns the land
owns the people who must use the
land. Labor applied to land pro.
duces wealth. We have enough
labor and enough land, yet far from
Il \