The evening times., 1896-01-12
SINGLE TAX COLUMN.
'ru.., -
me Iimes undertakes DO responsi-
siiify for Any yviev~scxpresSssk IN this
column,

ihe Times undertakes no response
D'hfy for any -stewscxpresSskf fn this
column. -
Somebody under the pscudanym of
.'krumroy,'' has sent To the .Cominq q
Nation" OF Tennessee City,, Tenn.. our
column article on the cause of financial
crises, taken bodily from Tlse sT,isspcs of
October 20, ] S95, claiming it as original
with himself. While tiYis sBovss good indc.
mcnt, 1t is hardly in ACCORDANCE with the
sense OF justice 2fhat ought 20 clara ctcrize
reform"r, which '.Krnnlrcy, claims to be.
CONCERNING FRUIT AND NIGHTGowNs
The Washington Post, In an article on
political economy, suggests: -
''If rich people spent no more than was
actually necessary To feed and dztlothc them
selves In simple comfort, the army of the
dependent and destitute would soon attain
hopclcssly nnmanagcablc proportions. The
money spent, or squaidcrcd. in unreasonable
fruit AMI fancy nightgowns fulfiI!s at lea ut
one meritorious function. II goes to the
Industrious people who grow the fruit and
make the ngi,tgowns."
The article goes on 20 remind the laboring
classes OF The debt Of gratitude they owe
10 capitalists who furnish them employ
mcnt."
Those who have thoughtfuily perused
these columns hitherto are by this time
able 10 detect The cgregious fa!lacy OF the
preceding extract I1ff .ts-
A WHOLESALE TRAMP FACTORY.
A fortnight ago 1 narrated n chapter
from my own experience rs a pioBcc- in
the Northwest, in slavery to Il land specu-
lator. Every few days during my ten
years of honda gc some one would apply to
me for work. But was compelled to an
swcr them all, in substance: Il need you
badly enough: am drudging here six
teen hours "A day, from D O'clock in the
morning until O'Clock at night; ] would
much prefer to work eight hoErs day and
have you work fer me the other eight;
but can not pay This land speculator 5000
gear and at the same time Pa YOU for
working for me; SO | shall have TO keep
on doing two DAYS work every day,
while you Keep on tramping till you fetch
UP in the poOrhousc, or the jail, as the
case may be-"
AS before remarked, there were thou
sands of MS in that one community uEder
mortgage to that same land speculator;
and every mortgage meant a tramp.
Moreover. with the 500 600 that We
in the aggregate paid him annually for
the privilege uf letting us live in his country,
we might have bought considerable fruit.
Our wives might have worn fancy night
gowns instead of making over wOrnout
IIOuT SdtGs INTO sOItle tfuue sOTt Oh EOC-
turnal apparel. In short by spending our
own money. instead of handing ii ever to
him TO spend. we could have done vastly
more than be did toward preventing ''the
army OF the dependent and destitute from
attaining unmanaceable proportions"
THE UNFORTUNATE ISLAND.
Possibly the situation might be made a
little clearer to the ordinary comprehension
by narrating a little parable.
There WAS an island, OF fertile soil, in
habited by an Industrious people, ingenious
i'll the invention and construction of labor
saving machinery. What with the pro-
Guctiycness OF the soil, the diligence of
the inhabitants, and the effectiveness OF
the machinery, they wercsible 10 r,ise all
the food and make all the clothing and
other neccssaries OF life by working five
hours a day. ..s nll tIs
To this island there came, from across
the broad ocean, a couple Of strangers.
They brought with them Information OF the
higher civilization and the improved in
dustrial system OF the country from which
they came, the United States OF America.
They finally induced the inhabitants of the
island to allow them TO import thiiher and
put into practice the economic customs of
that far-off country.
One of the newcomers was given the
proprictorsbip Of all the land OF The island.
A law was passed that any person who de-
sired to till portion OF the soil, or pse.it
for any purpose must come and pay tribute
to him for the privilege. '''''
The other newcomer given posses
sion OF all the machinery of the island.
Persons wishing to work must apply TO
him. and he would furnish them employ
mcnt-if lie chose.
The landowner at once hired n considera-
BILE number of persons to cultivate his land.
The machinery owner hired about an equal
number OF person TO work with his
machines. Very naturally. each con-
sidcred primarily his own profit. rather than
the welfare of his workmen or the needs
of the community. Hence they demanded
that their employees. upon the farm or in
the factory, should work ten hours 4 day,
instead Of five hours a day, as had pre-
viously been their custom. a--..
DESTITUTIoN CONFRONTING ABUN-
DANCE. .-s-T .r.a --
1nasmuch rs the inhabitants of the island
had DItI Inv fi,-.. bnn .,