Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-11-05
HENRY GEORGE.
REVIEW OF THE LIFE OF AN EMl-
NENT COMMONER.

As Printer, Journalist, economist
and Politician, Eie EndravOred
TO DO all things Weii-Though
Somew hat Visionary He Was
Honest.
Henry George was one OF not lew
tvpesetters who have become famous
With the aristocracy OF Drawn he was
an idol; with the aristocracy OF
wealth he took high rank.
He is best known because he wrote
Progress and Poverty" advocating
the single tax, and because he ran for
mayor of New York in 1856, winning
a great victory for organized labor,
though he was not elected. The
Democratic candidate was Abram S.
Hewitt; the Republican, Theodore
Roosevelt, and Henry George was the
labor candidate. The result was:
Hewitt, 9O,552; George, 6S,l10;
Roosevelt, 60,435.
In every campaign since then,
Henry George has been spoken of in
some important connection. The
last time his name was up was in
Albany, when Thomas c. Platt was
elected to the Senate. Senators Guy
and Coffey and Assemblymen Cain
and Zurn, who refused 10 accept
David B. Hill, the Democratic caucus
candidate, voted for Mr.. George. In
doing so. Senator Guy, the faithful
Achates of Henry ID. Purroy, said:
"Mr. George represents what is best
and most enduring in the Democratic
party-the plain, common honesty
and intelligence of the great body of
the people. He is not an extreme
silverite, though believer in bimet-
alism. In the recent campaign-the
Bryan campaign-he did heroic SER
vice for the Democratic cause, uniting
the labor interests in the support of
Bryan, thus making possible the sup
erb results achieved against allied
corporate interests, unlimited CAM
paign funds and widespread corrup-
tion at the polls"
In the Bryan campaign, Mr.. George
wrote over his own signature for one
of the only two newspapers in New
York which supported the Chicago
platform.
Henry George was born on Septem-
Der 2, 1889, in house still standing at
312 Catherine street, Philadelphia.
His fathor was sea captain, ship
owner and a publisher of religious
literature. The son went to the COM
mon schools until he was IL, and then
entered an academy. But he wanted
to go into trade, and his father put
him in printing-house. The spirit
OF adventure was strong in young
George, however, and he soon left the
printing-house for the sea, landing in
California before he was 18. He set
type there for time.
The Fraser river gold excitement
was at its height, but before he could
get to the mines the boom had SUBJ
sided. He returned from Victoria, B.
c., to San Francisco in the steeragc.
There he did what work he could get
as a printer, and got a job in a rice
mill. Borrowing $40, he made his
way to San Francisco. at was then,"
he relates, "that 1 came pretty nearly
getting hungry. 1 slept in a stable
and other places" He was saved
from going to sea again by getting
work as a compositor on a weekly
paper, and on reaching his majority
became member of the Topographic
cal union.
While working at the case in San
Francisco, he wrote anonymous letters
on public questions, which attracted
attention. DR.. Gum, editor of the
San Francisco Times, set watch at a
letter-box to learn who the author of
the letters was. When he caught
George, he offered him place on the
staff. The young man accepted, and
worked his way up until he became
managing editor.
His business as editor took him to
New York on trip, and while there
he was impressed with the luxury of
the rich and the misery of the poor
of the metropolis. His impression
was the seed of progress and Pow.
erty."
"My book" wrote Mr.. George,
"was finished about August, 1879, and
sent the manuscript copy East, ask
ing a friend, Mr.. Hallidie, an assoc
late director in the free public library
that had been started in San Fran
cisco, to see about its publication.
He submitted it, but no one would
touch it. My old partner, Mr.. Hin
ton, who had got himself printing
Office, thereupon said that he had
faith enough in anything I should
do to make the plates, and I put the
manuscript into his hands, and the
first plates were printed in the fall of
that year, closely supervising it, and
doing some little composition myself.
1 then brought it put in an authors
edition, of which l sold to friends at
the rate of So a copy enough to pay
for the cost of printing. I then sent
copies without binding to publishers