Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-10-30
The pen,h Of Henry esoras.

midst of his vigorous fight for the
mayorship of Greater New York. will
come as surprise and shock to the
whole county.
Never in eour history has municipal
election in an American city centered
the attention and absorbed the interest
of the people of this country as has
the present one in the great metropolis
of the Empire State.
1t represents the effort of the
Republican and the better elements
of the Democratic party to prevent the
return of Tammany Hall to political
power-a movement, unfortunately,
under divided leadership.
In this great contest Mr.. George has
borne conspicuous part and it is
probable that it's severe and exacting
labors FASTENED his death. His vigor-
GUS attacks upon the sdastardly black
mailers of Tammany Hall have at
tracted the attention and won the APP
probation of the honest members of
all parties throughout the country,
whether or not they have thought that
the interests Of Greater New York
would be best served by the
election of Mr.. George. While few
people anticipated the election of
Mr.. George in the present contest, there
was, nevertheless, a very general feel
ing throughout the country that if
Tammany Hall were defeated he would
have an important part in bringing
about that result.
The biography of Henry George is of
absorbing interest. He was born in
Philadelphia, Sept. 2, 1889; in his boy
hood days he went to sea, as an ap-
prentice on sailing vessel, and in 1858
he reached California, where he soon
drifted into journalism. 1t was while a
resident of this State that he wrote his
first two books, Our Land and Land
Policy" and Progress and Poverty"
The latter was published in 1880
in New York and London, and soon
acquired a world wide reputation; in
deed it is doubtful if any economic
work of recent times has attracted such
widespread attention among thought
full men of all countries as. this. In the
language of its author, the book is,
ian enquiry into the cause of indus
trial depression, and of increase Of
want withYncrease of wealth." In this
work he announced the theory known
as the "single tax" which advocates
the abolishing of all taxes for the pur-
pose of revenue, except a tax on the
value of land, irrespective of improve
ment. Any increment on land which
came from the prosperity and growth
of community, was, in the opinion
of Mr.. George, the legitimate property
of the community, and not of the own
ers. He believed that no man should
be permitted to profit in the holding Of
land solely from the enterprise of his
neighbors, and that the only increase
in the value of land which might prop
erly accrue to him, should come from
his own improvements thereon. The
increment. due to the enterprise and
growth of the community, should, in
ated by the community for it's own
uses, and to this end he advocated the
absorption of it in the form of rent,
thus making all land virtually common
property, and the owners of it merely
privileged tenants.
Few men of recent times have pos
sessed a finer literary style than Mr..
George. He had the power of clear and
cogent statement in a remarkable de-
theories with clearness and force, and
with a wealth of appropriate illustra-
ton, that made them singularly at
tractive to the student of economic
questions, whether or not they agreed
with his conclusions,-and won him
many converts.
Progress and Poverty" will always
be regarded as the greatest of Mr..
Georges works, though. subsequently
he published a number of others;
among them the Irish Land Ques-
tion," Social Problems" Property in
Land" Protection or Free Trade"
1.-The Condition of Labor" IA Perplex-
ed Philosopher" and several others.
Mr.. George was not only writer of
rare grace and strength, but he was
also a platform speaker of more than
ordinary, force and eloquence. He has
lectured extensively in this country, in
Europe and Australia, commanding,
in the presentation of his views, larger
audiences than probably ever before or
since turned out in any of these coun-
tries to listen to a speaker on economic
questions.
Between 'S7 and 80 Mr.. George pub
lished the Standard a weekly sin
gle tax paper. In SO he was the can
didate of the United Labor party for