The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-12-02

NJ l. W 1C"A lllSy q
to say I was a philistine and a fair
subject for the radicals. Bellamy wrote
me a good letter, Enclosing a~list of the
forty nationalist clubs then in exist
ence. I correspondent with them and
read all their books and pamphlets
the most appalling collection of rot I
ever read. Dennis Kearney did not re-
ply. He never sem me a line. Henry
George wrote a fine letter. He said:
we are far from having a perfect or
ganization, but l send you a copy Of
the Standard, containing a list of our
single tax clubs.
81 wish o would look a little into
our views and aims. l think you will
find in them the only remedy for social
disaster.'"
Mr.. Hall continued: after receiving
this c%outeous reply from Henry George
1 began reading all the publications on
the single tax. I should say that l
a previously read Progress and Pow
erty,' and was not much moved by it.,
but now when 1 came to read it the
second time l saw that it was a great
work.
when l had read all his books I
sought for everything that appeared
against him and his single tax views.
1.-The ablest were the statements is
sued by the Jesuits to break down
George and McGlynn. I not only read
their writings and speeches, but l fol-
lowed the Saratoga discussions at the
convention meeting of the Economic
association.
MY aim was to find, if possible, a
hole or flaw in Georges single tax doc
trine, for I did not care to go before
the world as a rank. I wanted to
know just what l was doing. Then I
went into the single tax movement
with heart and soul In the single tax
doctrine is the remedy for bad gov
eminent and all our social ills.
"Now, in regard to lettering the on
dition of the poor, I repeat what I be-
lievc to be true.
,"Our charities are the result of the
experience of 1890 years. ...
Are they a real good at all? There
is a book about the size of the New
Testament; a very sad book, yet it is
only a directory-a directory of char
tiles in the City Of New York; a sort OF
New Testament of the gospel of mo-
nopoly.
we may establish numberless fresh
air funds, but, though they revive SOM
of the little ones and bring new health
for a year, we can reach at best but {
few of the people, and but a 1.-THE o
their woes. There is no end to tn
demand for fresh air charities.
"When have we don all that cal
be done? Even now charity tries tt
take whole families.
I'VE might give enough money tt
take them all to the country perma
nently; that would be but to pump GU
a well: more spring up to fill theil
places; they themselves will flow bacl
again to the lowest level. Nor would
it be; any remedy to build suburban
toWns-that is but to transplant thu
weed-nor to build model tenements.
ut must sadden the bitterest cynit
~ NilOW IIdI 81 ldI IllOuel lcIlbIIleuls
have but shown that no ability and care
can make 5 per cent on the amount &C.
tually invested in them, unless it be
made by the rise in the value of the
land; that it is more profitable to the
landlord to house men like dogs and tt
treat them like wolves than to give
them decent habitations.
But did model tenements pay eve,
so well and were they multiplied in
definitely, improved tenements would
but make the city more attractive and
bring still greater crowds. Further, il
the buildings are good they will i'm
prove the neighborhood and consequent
ly raise the surrounding rents.
In order to get the space in which
to put them we must teal down swarm
ing rookeries whose occupants will still
further raise the rents Of every Stun
by crowding the mthe more. Over
crowding is a cause Of low wage
Competitions for laborers brings ul
wages to the full amount Of their
products. Competition for work in ev.
cry place brings wages down to the
point where mere subsistence is posi-
BILE. So long as we have overcrowdine
and the glut of the labor market, St
Andrews penny meal stands, sour
kitchens, even Thanksgiving turkeys
and charitable Christmas gifts will
surely bring down the rate Of wages
These things make living cheap, make
more attractions in city life and bring
more people there wanting to work on
the lowest wages on which they car