The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-23
City and when they are sold you will be

City and when they are sold you will be
paid
Good-by, my dear friends, the first to encour-
age and assist me in San Miguel and the first
to do anything for me in my present troubles:
Very sincerely, ARTHUR H. DODGE.
LATER-My last wish is that my few friends
will not throw away any money in defraying
our funeral expenses. If Single Takers have
any money to spare let it be put into the Della
ware campaign. My hypocritical, mercenary,
wealthy relatives can well afford to do this
A. II. D.
The omitted portions in the above letter
contain references to purely personal and
altogether immaterial matters. In the
following letter Dodge discusses, in the alb
stract. the question and the causes OF
suicide. He writes:
SAN RAFAEL, CAL, August 81, 1893.
Ma Dear Friend \ If you speak of this
affair of mine kindly state that it is not due to
'despondency," but series of misfortunes.
A terrible drought, panic and the foreclosure
of mortgage striking me simultaneously, to-
gether with failure to find employment,
renders this deed necessary. And suicides VIII
increase until every man and woman capable
of thinking about matters other than their
own petty affairs grapple with the social prob
lem, which, some one truly says, is tine
man out of job" Fifty years ago there was
no ''labor question:" because no involuntary
idle labor. Then is not the idle labor question
the idle land question? Yours very truly,
ARTHUR II. DODGE.
Several years ago Dodge purchased the
San Miguel Courier, and conducted 1t ably
until two succeeding dry seasons brought
the farmers and merchants OF his district
to such pass that they could not support
the journal.
Then Dodge sold out for what he could
get. or was sold out by the Sheriff. Any
way he secured some Ocean View lots Ill
exchange for reIinauishing his newspaper
property. These were not worth much,
and he had long since disposed of the last
one before he reached the extremity that
made him court the inevitable that other
men shrink from and fear.
He was an active and enthusiastic single
tax advocate and the author of book
called "The Socialist: Popular Errors. y
He worked as a printer in this City, off
and on, quite recently, and spent most OF
his time here. He is about q years OF age
and comes of good family in the East.
His health has been none the best fo1
some time past, and it is thought by his
friends in this City-by those who cannot
see sufficient reason for the act in the
cause assigned by Dodge himself-that ii
was state of mind produced by his III
health which brought him to make such
! determined attempts to end his life.
Dodge is very well known in this City
not only among the single takers, but also
among the printers and publishers. They
| sneak well of him, and deplore what they
call his rash act. But evidently, from the
manner in which it was planned, it was
anything but rash.
He has many friends here who would
readily have tided him over temporary
financial difficulties, but from some OF
these Dodge had already borrowed. He
saw nothing ahead, so tried to die, but the
fates would not permit it.
The latest reports from San Rafael last
night was that Dodge would surely recover
and that Mrs. Dodge was yet very low and
in a critical condition.