Omaha daily bee., 1897-07-04
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TIiE ONE-iDEl MN.

the better argument.
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THt ONE-iDEI NiN.
The onc-idra man is the man imbued
with the idea that he holds the single
remedy for all the worlds Ills ana that
the people are but perpctuating their
own misery ana misfortune by refusing
to follow blndly the path he points out !
Convinced that he alone has the key to
human progress and prosperity, he is
impatient that h" is not at once hailed
as the savior of the universe and per
mittcd to apply his curr-all without re-.
gard to existing conditions or inevitable
consequences. In his consciousness
that the responsibility for the rcdcmu-
tion of the world rests upon his Shoul-
dcrS every one who refuses to recognize
the claims made for his discovery or to
join with him in forcing it upon an un-
willing public becomes in his eyes Il pub
lie enemy or Il tool of the hidrOuS mon
sters that are prcying upon society.
The chief trouble with the onc-idca
man is that there are other Onr-idca
mem besides INN ana that they are not
all imprcgnHtcd with the same idea.
The free SilNclitc, for example, insists
that the great vulture eating out the
vitalS of the people is the Unsuitable
gold standard that is grinding down
the poor man into eternal slavery to the
plutOcratS and money kings. No per-
mancnt prosperity can be restored. no
happiness enjoyed, no progress made
until the government provides for thn
free and unlimited coinage of silver ut
the ratio of Ii to l without waiting for
the AID or consent of any other nation
on earth. All SSucs pale into signli-
cancc before this one and no problem
can he correctly solved before free
coinage is achieved.
But talk tTa follower of Henry George
if you want to learn the true source
of human misery. He will tell YOU that
only one thing ails poverty y-strickrn hu-
mHnity They are being dragged down
! lower and lower by the accumulation
of wealth in the hands that are gather
| ing in the uparned increment of the
! land Nothing can save them except
| the adoption Of the single tax on land
| values. Inaugurate the Henry George
| scheme of taxation and the country will
| flow with milk and honey. Reject it
| and the evils we now suffer must con-
| tinuc unabatcd indefinitely.
Still another one-idra man informs Us
| that the source of all our woes lies in
| unrestricted immigration. Foreign i'm
/ migrants have filled our poOrhouScS
with paupers, our aSylumS with insane,
our prisons with criminals. They are
cntailing upon us Il burden of taXa-
ton that is impovcriShng all beyond
| hope of recovery. Worse yet, the an-
| nuIl influx of foreign Immigrants is
threatening the very fabric of our gov
ernmrnt and it will be impossible for the
nation 10 survive its onSlaughtS. All
| remedial legislation must be in vain un-
| til the undermining force of immigra
! ti"n is ettcctually stopped. On the other
! hand preserve America exclusively for
! Americans and the future for the nation
cannot be too brightly pictured.
\ most recent recruit to the onc-idea
colony is the man who asserts that to
the department store must be aScribed
all our grievances and diSappOntmcnts.
The department store has emptied our
business houses and destroyed real
| estate values. 1t has reduced the wages
of labor ana thrown the laborer out OF
employment 1t has captured the gov
! Crnment and made the pOStOtticcS mere
branches for its trade. 1t has subsidized
the newspapers and closed all avenues
by which the complaints of the opprC SScd
| F,,,;l flat
pus is suppressed all business. must stag
maze, the rich become richer, the poor
poorer. Turn back the wheels of time
To the day when the department store
was unknown and joy and gladneSS and
plenty will once again be the lot of the
people.
Nor does this exhaust the list The
prohibition fanatic says the traffic in
liquor is The sole cause of mans down
fall The socialist holds up socialism as
the cure. The free trader says ii lies in
the eradication of all artificial barriers
to commerce. And so ON with II host of
others. each sure of his own ground and
equally sure that all others are but pro-
tenders.
What a boon TO humanity the one
idea man would be were he only aOn"
in his glory. How quickly he would
reiuvinatc mankind if he were not con
stantly crossed by people aiming at the
accomplishment of the same object but
With "A different remedy How unfOrtu-
nate that none of the men with these
! iutalliblc panaCeas are willing Ia yield
the right of way to the other. Could
they hut settle among themselves which
is the true savior, want and suffering,
pain and poverty, that hav" been with
us since the world began, might be abol-
ished at once and for all time to come.
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One railroad was taken out of the
hands of receivers last week ana
restored To the management of rror-
gani2rd company. Slowly but gradU-