The herald., 1896-07-11
WESTERN MEN AND THE.
LAND.TAX QUESTION
BY HENRY GEORGE

CHICAGO, July 6-The struggle that
begins tomorrow engrosses all political
attention, but when and how the in
evitable break will take place Is no clear
er than 1t was three days ago. On both
sides are those who wish to hasten 1t and
those who would fain delay, or at least
throw the responsibility on their op-
ponents.
Bland still leads on the silver side, and
the discovery that Mrs. Bland Is a Cath
olic does not seem to have lessened his
chances. But no concentration on him
has taken place, and the hopes of minor
candidates and of dark horses" skill
fully famed by the opposition. will pre-
vent any attempt to set aside the time
honored two-thirds rule. Both sides
have however, been growing more bitter
and more desirous of a break, and the in
evitable divergence of the two elements
will show itself with the opening of the
convention tomorrow, and probably
reach its final expression with the report
Of the committee on credentials.
All the great Importance Of this con-
vention Is, however, not so much in what
1t will do as in what it will open. Its
declaration for free silver at ratio of
16 to l Is certain; but the strength of
this idea In the minds of those who aye
going to force 1t upon the Democratic
party lies really not so much in the be-
ton or any other question as in the belief
that 1t will begin a new era in our poll
tics. Thus what the varying elements
that make up the free silver majority are
really looking to Is g. more interesting
matter than how they will vote in the
convention.
Among those whom would call silver
men proper to distinguish them from
those who are Joining in the movement
as the best way of breaking political
lines, the effect feared in the east of a
sharp and large depreciation of the cur
rency is little considered. They think,
indeed, that the free opening of the mints
to silver will bring about a parity be-
tween the two metals by increasing the
value of silver.
They argue that the demonetization Of
silver has lessened it's value by lesseninS
the demand for its use, and that If 1t is
restored again to use as money it's value
will increase; but if you point it out to
them that the people of this country
have really no use for silver as money
except for small change, and that some
five hundred millions of silver money or
the material for making 1t are now lying
idle in the vaults of the treasury, you
may get at the real thought They do
not suppose that the silver that is to be
coined into dollars under the proposed
free silver act is to be actually used as
money, but that paper money is to be
issued against the deposit of silver. The
way In which they expect the value of
silver TO increase is by the United States
government paying for all the silver that
is offered at the rate of 16 to 1 in govern
ment money and taking 1t out of the
market by boarding it in vaults.
Thus free silver means really an un-
limited Sherman act for the purchase of
silver at fixed ratio. The utter alb
surdity of digging metal out of certain
holes In the ground wherein it is found
in order to store it away in other holes
in the ground where it can be of no
greater use to humanity than if left in
it's natural condition, is not clearly ap-
parent to the men who have become ac-
customed to regard such a storage of
hundred millions or more of gold as the
price we must pay for stable article.
But it is clearly apparent to the green
hackers, who are very numerous among
the silver advocates, and If you ask a
free-silver man of this kind if it would
not be better and cheaper to issue the
needed paper money directly and save
the expense of digging out silver to
store 1t away again, he will readily
confess that he really thinks the best
and most economical money is that di-
rectly based on the credit of the national
government, which, after all, is the only
real thing on which either a gold or a
silver certificate can rest, and that he is
for the present supporting the free-sil
yer movement in the belief that 1t will
ultimately bring us to that kind Of
money.
These men say, and some Of the gold
men say so, too, that the incontrovertible
money plan to which Tom Johnson OF
Ohio has called attention in a letter sent
to each of the delegates, is really the final
solution of the currency question, but in
this convention the fight is between gold
and silver and must be fought to finish.
Underneath the silver agitation that
has gone on so rapidly and widely in the
west more important questions than that
Of currency have also. it is evident, been
pushing their way. The recent Demo-
cratic convention of Illinois, which sends
a solid silver delegation, also adopted
a declaration in favor of local option in
taxation, and the report of the Illinois
State bureau of labor statistics is proba-
bly, the most effective single tax docu-
ment yet issued officially.
1t is attracting much attention and is
being widely called for; the first edition
is exhausted and twenty thousand
more have been printed, while it is pro-
posed as Democratic campaign docu-
ment to SOW broadcast throughout the
state before election.
The Patriots of America is secret
association started by w. II. Harvey.
the author of Coins Financial SSchool
Wn1ch is having Such growth through
the west, and it is said to have already
more than 130 branches in Illinois alone
one Of which, that at Galesburg, has 700
members. Its first object is the pushing
OF the silver question on Coins lines,
but as the first of the great public ques-
lions which must be taken up after
that ranks the land question, its posi-
tion being that of the bitterest opposi-
tion to land monopoly.
The land question. indeed, seems to
lie directly underneath the agitation of
the silver question. OF the twelve Off
Gals Of the Peoria Free Silver club all
but one are avowed single-taxers.-San
Francisco Examiner.
San Francisco Savings Banks Despondent
eat the c1ose savc the San Francicco