Middletown transcript., 1895-08-17
DANGER TO DELAWARE.

DANGER TO DELAWARE.
EDITOR TRANsCRIPT:-The Balti
more Sun of August I'd gives a leading
article descriptive of the single ta]
campaign that is to be begun in you
State, and later on, carried into ever.
section of the Union. The single taxer
propose to pick out certain persons il
your State and make of them single
tax "targets," at which the takers il
all parts of the country will aim theil
shafts with the view of converting the
said "targets" to their theory, if such
it may be called. When the target is
converted they will furnish him with
a goodly supply of their stock in trade
-arguments-and leave him to assist
on the ground, while they betake them
selves to another "target." By a
continuation of this method they ex-
pect to get the better part of the masses
enlisted in their cause and then solicit
their vote for the inauguration of sim
gle tax in all of its details.
Having been made one of such star
gets" myself for the past year, I know
little on the subject, in fact, I know
all that is to be known. l started out
year ago to introduce a "Farm Re-
form" and it so belittled and antagon-
lied single tax that, in self defense, the
takers were Obliged to seek my seques-
tration, or conversion. They barked
up the wrong tree, however, as there
was nothing up the tree of my honesty
to be converted tU tlrir robbery, and
numbers of them that have silenced,
mortified and maddened can be found
all over The country. If any of your
good readers should therefore be
selected for ''targets" in the on-com-
ing demonstration, 1 can give them
some very effective shafts with which
to turn the tables and make ''targets"
of the takers themselves. In all
probability, the takers will drop out
from where they know I am In. They
all know me, from Hon. Tom L. John
son and Henry George down.
One reason for their trying to cap
ture a State is found in the ridicule 1
have made of them in the statement
that after fifteen years of loud-mouthed
vaunting they have no city or State ap-
plying their views. They think it time
to make desperate effort to begin, and
they allege that the weakened condi-
tion of Delaware politics and the open
door offered by the State constitution
for ''experiments," is their golden op-
poltunity. They have also lately seen
that Washington and the District of |
Columbia have adopted my Farm Re-
form, after less than years preaching
Of it, through the press only, and they |
know that that which seeks to create |
owners of farm homes by the thousands,
works d;ametrically opposite to their
so-called theory that seeks to ut
terly obliterate all private ownership of
land under the vain promise of bet
tering the condition of humanity gen.
orally.
We tried the singl le tax for all that
t was worth for a whole year at
Hyyattspille in this State, and we found
t detestable. The editor of the
Hyai ts1ille Herald wrote me the other
lay that the people felt like kicking
themselves for ever being fools enough
% allow its rial, and that they would
low think of flying as sson as of again
rying single lax. Single t,xers also
,oast hat their scheme is in full and
uccessful operation in far-cff New
Zealand when the facts are that 1t is a
ie, judging from reliable writers in
magazines and papers and government
epolts. They have been making des-
erate effort i'll the Western part of
his State of late in and around Cumber-
and, but, thanks 10 my efforts in that d,
icirity, they have had to see the city of
cumberland adopt the Pingree plan
his year, which is but stepping stone
0 Farm Reform and reproof to sin
le tax. If any of your readers are
pproached by the smiling and conf
ent single takers, let them give them
~ card and their smile will become
rown and their confidence shake.
hey know that know that they know
nat they don't know what practical
efOrm is.
FRANCIS B. LIvESEY.
SYKEsvILLE, Md.