Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-05-04
CORRESPONDENCE.



graduated me in the JOURNAL of April 6
on the good fellowship was showing to-
ward Mayor Pingree and his potato
patch plan, an alleged off-shoot of
single-tax, | wrote to the Mayor direct
to ascertain just how much of single
taxer he is and just what proportion
of his plan is based on single tax.
The Mayor has honored me with a
reply, which, while showing his per-
sonal appreciation of single tax, proves
that he has never but once limited to-
wards its adoption, and that, in the
formulation of his Detroit plan, he
had no thought of single tax"
What aid have, therefore, given
his plan and what commentator |
have likewise given him as a practical
reformer are matters wholly oblivious
of single tax. If Henry George HIM
self could come forth with some thor
oughly practical and immediately ben
efclal plan formulated entirely out
side of single tax, | would rs heartily
commend him. In fact, as back num-
bers of the JOURNAL may show, have
sincerely eXpostulated with him on
his lack of practical effort and pointed
-unavailingly, of course.
Single takers have an aptitude for
appropriating every reform bearing
land on its face. In fact, they wanted
badly to appropriate my farm reform
IT would make it pay obelsance to
their god. Their par ers were the
first to publish the Pinglee plan, and
who there first saw the plan, were
naturally inclined to reject it as of
single tax origin. Such persons
should be informed that
MAYOR PINGRFEs PLAN Is NOT OF SINGLE TAX.
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR,
DETROIT, MICII., April II, 1895.
Mr.. FRANCIS B. LlvEsEY, Sykesvillc, Md
Dear Sir-In reply to your letter of April
s would say that | have been frequently
called a Single Taxer," The nearest have
ever officially committed myself to that
theory, however, was in my message to the
Common Council Of 1891, (page g. a copy of
which | send to you by this mail.
| have never called myself single taxer,
but | am heartily in favor of more generally
raising public revenue for local purposes by
taxing land values, and of relieving the pro
ducts of labor from taxation as much as
possible. l am satisfied that the full single
tax plan would solve great question.
In originating what has come to be known
as the "Pingree,' or Detroit plan" had
no thought of the single tax There was
merely the idea that the poor might be kept
from applying for charity if they could get
access to the land. Most of the poor here are
land workers and find it easy to raise veg
etables if they only have half a chance The
results of tile plan here showed that they are
able and willing to work for themselves if
they are permitted to use the land that is
unoccupied and held idle for speculative pur-
poses.
think that this is exactly what the single
takers want to do-they want to bring the
workers and the idle land together Their
method is slow one, however, and my plan
is practical and Immediately beneficial
thank you for your kind expressions, and
have the honor to be yours very truly,
H. S. PINGREE, Mayor.
How PINGREE HELPS FARM REFORM.
Poor people who have worked on the
Pingree plan reason to themselves that
if they have made half living on half
an acle, they could very likely make
whole living on few acres, and
they begin to seek homes in the coun-
try. This fact has been emphasized
by Mr.. F. B. Dickel son, superintend-
ent of the poor, of Detroit, in his OBJ
servatlons upon the results of last
years work. Hundreds are supposed
to have already permanently located
in the country. The Hon. Joseph
Waltz, of Waltz, Mich, writes MIR.
Dickerson that % families from Detroit
have located in the vicinity of his
little village alone.
In New York, whe:e the plan is in
full operation, calculations have been
do k,, III, al, 30 III, l. l.
the New York World and other papers
that the tendency of the plan will be
to get people away to the land-not to
Mnd gicen them, but to Mnd that Mey
either buy or rent. The charitable New
Workers have also been in correspond
ence with me, and they have decided
to favor my idea by devoting any sur
plus funds to the establishment of a
permanent farm for the poor, as Rev.
DR.. Alex. Kent, Of the People church,
Washington, writes me:
Our present methods of dealing with the
unemployed are the most stupid as well as
the most demoralizing and wasteful that can
be adopted. What this city spends in one
decade in charity-pauperizlng charity
would, o" yo"r pIa', furnish plant sufficient
to put every idle, capable person in the city
in the way of permanent selfsupport.
With New York city leading off.
dozens of other cities are preparing to
try the Pingree plan this year. The
trial of it simply means that thousands
will be educated by it to permanently
locate on the land and thereby relieve
the congestion of the cities. All who
leave will brighten the prospect for
themselves and make better wages for
those who remain. All thanks to
Mayor Pingree, whose motto is
Educate the people to till the soil and give
them opportunity to do SO.
THE SAN Francisco EXAMINER.
This paper recently took up "the
suggestion that au organized effort
should be made to put the unemploy-
ed where they can support themselves
upon the uncultivated, or partially
cultivated lands of the State" and It
goes on to combat the opponents of the
suggestion who cry that agricultural
products are so low that the people
could not sell what they raise for
enough to support themselves. 1t
takes up the same line of argument
with which | answered "Silveriten in
the JOURNAL of Nov. 10, last In fact.
that idea has been going the rounds of
the press ever since. In few words
the idea is that the coming small
farmer will live mostly within himself.
The Baltimore Sun heads Its quota
ton from the Examiner with "a Cali
fornia idea of settling poor people on
small farms when the fact most likely