The times., 1897-10-30

Henry George, for twenty years the
apostle Of the single Ia X theory, was living
illustration Of truth that a personality
eu.iodying a principle makes leader. a
machine causes corruption sometimes,
cruelty sometimes, injustice often, and 1t
Is ruled 10y selfishness. The loyalty Of
men to the personality of great leader can
not be bought OF sold: it inspires truthful
ness; it is ruled by unseInshnss. This is the
explanation OF Henry Georges Influence.
Pc Was clean, brainy, honest man. abso-
utely devoted TO q principle, and that was
why men became devoted 10 him.
Like many typical Americans in the first
half century Of the republic, George left
school early and began to support himself.
BE thus gained an insight into the oondi-
tons OF The common people which he never
los. he seems 10 have exhausted the i'm
pulse to money making with his unsuccess-
fol search for gold in boyhood, when he
wandered atCut California and as far
north as british Columbia through the
Wild scenes Of Argonaut days. His ideal
was never that Of the millionaire. He was
not man who tried to be rich and failed
ana whosenauIe was soured 10y defeat. He
was poor because he cared more for
something else than for money; that was
all Almost his last words to his followers
were that If they thought he could not lee
elected il was his wish that they cast their
ballots for another candidate who would
70 some eytent further his cause Was
there ever 3 denagogue who made sach
request as this? Did ever an ambitious nan
deliberately advise his followers TO be
loyal To the cause he represented rather
than 10 hin?
One Of the strongest convictions Of Henry
George was that freedom meant freedom
for the weak as well as the strong; thata
man had no more right to seize the
property OF another, through juggling
with economic laws, than the feudal ba ron
had to seize his vassals by force. His
HI .4p pry,,-,.cs 80 D., - - Ill. -
peared IN 1879, and brought him more
abase and Iiiore admiration than most men
get II the course Of their lives was a
protest against this baronial condition Of
the economic world. and it proposed a
remedy. l. found readers, and it provoked
discussion, because Of the feeling, which
has been steadily growing stronger in the
last generation, that America is not free,
and cannot he free, until the national
ideal is transformed from dollar bin TO
an intelligent and honest vote; that by
exchanging the service Of a hereditary
noblesse for that Of plutocracy, America
does not become republic; that the man
who is down through no fault Of his own
has rights as well as the man who Is up
through 10 particular virtue of his own.
George was the champion Of the rights
Of the Common man, OF free speech, and
free discussion, and OF absolute govern
ment by the people. In these things he
went back TO the bedrock of the republic.
tie ideal which lowered before the eyes
OF those WHO framed the Declaration Not
TO be bribed, not to be intimida ted, he
stood as . representative of the American
workingmau, and if he did not work with
his hands, it was because his pen would
be Of infinitely more service Thousands
found in him a spokesman, and although
lie is dead, his books live, and the spirit
Of which they were the expression is
very much alive, indeed, and cannot be
ignored in tie future progress of the
nation.
Uncle John to the Rescue.
tn. 1rasans o,.n4f.4or - aE- ~.