Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-01-19

vulgar gaze or all behOlderS. lie got
himself in Jail his principles got
published and he got some 5000 votes
in his home locality in the late cleo
ton. All this except, perhaps, the
dream-happened in the course of less
than a year. am not advocating any
of his aims, but do admire his sin,
Gently, his sacrifices and his practical
efforts. even 1t they all We're for the
realization of personal ambition and
the accomplishment of unwise aims.
The same can be said of Debs, now
undergoing his Jail ordeal, and of John
Burns. who has passed his Jail ex-
animation and moved up.
There is an old saying that trees
are known by their fruits" and all
of we farmers know that after fruit
tree has stood a given number of wears
and bears no fruit but that of the
'cind achistling through its boughs, it is
time to cut it down and make tirewood
of it, inasmuch as fruit trees are not
ornamental shade trees generally. 1t
is time now to ask Henry George to
show up in some practical lines, or
else to put up and go up.
Now, if there is anything in Single
Tax | want it to show up. There has
been enough talk on the subject to last
the reform to the end of the world
All that is wanted is practical work.
As a practical workingman of the sea
and the land. let me here show the
honest readers of the JoURNAL-the
miners. farmers and all the rest-what
| would say on the point.
around long enough. All your friends
want me to be Single TaXer-that
means to join your reform movement
There has been no reform and no
movement so far. and you will die of
congestion if you do not get a move on
you. 1t IS an established fact of the
ages that reformers have to make
fools of themselves if they want to re-
form anything. If | were given to
your style of branching out, | would
here give you a column or two Oh that
point; but | will keep to business. |
have seen that you and your friends
hold that the private ownership of
land is unnatural unjust. scrong, iniqui-
tons and damnabie These are exact
words that come to me from several of
you. You also hold that the govern
ment should own all land; that this
landlord feature of living (another
damnabe thing, as your friends in
form mel should be abolished Now,
everyone of you Single Takers. who
are not tramps, either own some of
this damnable land. or pay rent to some
domnable landlord. 1t is time that you
stopped both of these features of in
consistency at once, so far as present
conditions will allow. Ecery one ot'you
o,cning squire foot Of Lnnd, or oeer, shouM
at once hond 1t in to the government, tile
same as some conscience stricken .tellors do
money to "he conscience tund" That s
the point ard don't you forget it.
TO be, or not to be fools for your re
forms sake should be a question no
longer. You know. Henry, that you
consider every man owning property
us guilty as the man who holds stolen
goods you know you consider it a
duty in both cases alike that the
stolen property be returned and the
pay for it be lost. Now, either keep
your stolen goods and shut up about
Single Tax and reform. or pass them
over. Uncle Sam will take your lands
the same as he has the console nee
money for long years past, and after
he gets it you can probably make ar
engagements to rent the same from him
and thereby start the Single Tax in
operation. Uncle Sam does not tax
his own property; your lands would
then be his: he would rot tax them.
but you would pay him rent for them
just us you profess to want it. The
first man of your crowd that does this
individual act will be worth calling the
biggest man in it and every man that
follows him will be worth calling the
next biggest E; in fact, they will all be
practical Single Tax reformers who
show their faith by their works, and
whose works will have the effect, in
all honest mems estimation, of retiring
all you ''literary felers" and stand
abouts.
For those of your set, Henry, who
live in attics, flats and rented houses
recourse might be had to houses built
upon the lands thus handed in to
Uncle Sam. Then their tender con-
sciences would not be guilty of further
payment of rent to nndlorls, but sim
ply to houselords. If their situations
did not allow them to thus congregate
upon the chosen ''n0 mans land" in this
way, they could worry along with their
tender consclences awhile until no mans
land became more plentiful, and pray,
with more hope than now-"Good
Lord, deliver Us ~
If | have made a mistake in any of
the minor details of this practical lire
of effort, Henry, | will be open to cor
rection. Among other things, if it is
possible that among the many thouS-
ands c'almost UNIVERSAL the accept
ance is, one TaXer writes me- of Single
Takers, not one of them owns foot of
land. then, of course, | will not say
anything. Like the lrishman. | will
simply think hape" and | guess all
the otner honest men will "think
hape" also. After you do some of
these little things, Henry, | will let
you know what think about joining
you; but don't ask me to take stock in
machine that's never been started
up, or to buy horse that I've never
seen trot, OF to buy "pig in poke"
Now, Henry, remember all that I've
said.
Well, Mr.. Editor, INTENDED to quote
about three pages of Progress and
Poverty" to show the absolute correct
ness of my quotation and interpreta-
ton of Henry George. but | find that
the limits of this article will not admit
of it.
Mr.. Stern very cautiously skipped
that Eff la .s1aa1 al Va nu,yr ssua NAV