The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-18

ably. shall never be disturbed by legs
shall determine that it shall be modi-
fed or changed. Gentlemen If there Is
on the face Of this earth an avalanche
of human stupidity 1t is contained in
those two words initiative and referen-
dunn.
Now suppose that every time we have
. q =, q . y q q 80 q and and "a re {ern
oWould Causeo f fMfpty difrer thirty iy.
q Great q S be- passed fnse ar Upon 20
2 Confusion. . f tSre, the Who If Is ga
oooooUo Stand "f them?
They all need study. They need debate
That is what we have Legislatures for
And yet the proposed candidate for Gov
ernor says, not to the Democracy, be-
cause business men in the Democratic
Populists that he will do all In his power
as Governor of this State, If elected, to
bring about this condition of confusion
and turmoil and irresponsible action.
Fellow citizens, that is enough for me.
] would never vote for a man who could
honestly say that he was in favor of the
initiative and referendum.
More than that, the Populists, whose
platform Mr.. Mcguire stands upon, al
though the Democratic party ignores II,
is in favor of the Government Of the
In unlimited quantities. according to the
needs of the people. And four years ago
+ tb po9H platform e
to issue to every man, woman and child
in the United States fifty dollars Of ire
deemable paper money.
Now, they say that the national banks
should be made an end of. There never
was so good a banking system as that OF
where the rights of the people. were so
protected, where the interests of deposit
ors and where the holders Of their notes
were so guarded on every side, and there
is yet to be a single instance of national
bank failure where the holder of its bills
did not get full value received for them.
But they say, do away with all the sys-
tenn of national banking. Let there be no.
body but the Government to issue money,
and let that money be issued to the people
through public improvements, and If there
are no Improvements needed, let the Gov
eminent go to work and start great big
enterprises for the purpose of issuing its
paper money.
What system! Thing of it for mo-
ment! government like ours, now ap-
preaching one hundred millions of people,
with no banks and only the Government
as 1t is needed for purposes of
lgo government; It goes out to the
people, and the Government GER
tainly would not be kind enough to issue
paper money that ii would not take back.
1t goes out from the Government, and the
people get 1t, and when duties are to be
%
the Government and goes out again And
that thing shifts about until endless bank
ruptcy comes and are in a condition
that the Continentals were in with their
Continental money.
Then, last of all. comes Mcguire with
the single tax ! don't question his sin
9 . oooooo az S Serity about SS 1T.
oMaguire andoo been f. Z ii klns :
= His Single . g2od Inns many y I Years Z .
lax. . an issue. l say IL
y . . ooooy . 8 e euhse is M fb; an Ma-
tie of that, and in that very platform is
munity, whichever it may be, shall have
the right to determine, INDEPENDENT of
any other portion Of the State what its
system of taxation shall be. Was ever
anything more absurd than that? Siski-
you with one system of taxation San
francisco with another, San Mateo with
single tax.
Now what is it? 1t is a proposition that
and alone shall bear all the burdens OF
ton is the socialistic idea that any man
who claims to own land for himself is a
usurper; that land belongs TO the people,
and that no man has a right to the use of
i except so far as the immediate culture
pt the soil is essential to gaining his live
ahood or furnishing him vegetables and
20 feed his chickens What is the single
tax? It is to set free from the burden of
supporting the Government your banks,
your railroad corporations. your steam
Ihips. your manufactures, your homes Of
elegance picture galleries. whatever is
beautiful, whatever is of luxury in life,
shall be free from taxation. Nobody
shall pay tax except he who has land.
Mr.. Mcguire said the other night that IL
8 claimed that the tax upon land would
;mpoverish the farmer He says, no, it
Ices not; the farming interest already in
CALIFORNIA pays 50 per cent of the taxes,
Ind that is not because the farmer is
taxed upon his land, but because every
thing he buys has paid a tax before IL
comes to him. and it all finally eliminates
npon him. Take off the taxes of the
manufacturer and the farmer won't have
to pay the tax that his plow costs He
Eon't have to pay the tax, upon the crop
that he raises; he won't have to paw q
lax upon anything. and so. instead Of
paying 80 per cent, he figures out that the
farmer would only pay Il per cent of the
billion of dollars necessary to run this
State.
Well we say, where is the rest of It?
He says, "Oh, that goes to the city."
hose people who live in the cities and
own land in cities have to pay the