The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-21
THE SINGLE TAX THEORY
The Subject of a Lecture by DIR.
B. F. Longstreet.
A CLUB FORMED IN BUTTE
Longstreet Is One of the Ablest Ex-
Founders of the Theory in the
United States-Ie Is Making
q Tour of the West.

here Will ne distinguished VISITOR
In Butte next week in the person of
DR.. B. F. Longstreet, who on Monday
evening will deliver a free illustrated
lecture on the subject of '"The Single
Tax" There has recently been organ
lied in Butte a Single Tax club, and
there is renewed activity in favor of
the single tax theory.
DR. Longstreet is one of the clearest
and ablest opponents of the single tax
theory, and he is sure to be listened to
with great interest. He will speak at
the Auditorium on Monday evening
to the public in general and on Tues
day evening he will address one of the
labor organiza tions at it's hall
DR.. Longstreet was born in Louis
vile, KY, April 10, 1S49, Of French
Scotch parentage. He was educated in
the public schools of Louisville and the
Jefferson college of Jefferson, Ky. The
ology and medicine were both studied
by him, but he took most naturally to
elocution and the platform, filling the
chairs of elocution and vocal culture
IN the Metropolitan college Of Chicago
for four years, the honorary degree
of A. M. being conferred upon him by
that institution. Besides teaching in
various other colleges, he Travelled for
III years asa public reader part of the
time under the management of one of
the leading literary bureaus of the
country.
Naturally reformer he suffered
even when boy on account of anti
slavery views which he could not help
expressing. When 20 years old he was
forced to resign a, position in the
7. M. G. A. because of his niger
opinions. Shortly after the war and for
the same reason, he was driven from
his uncle's home and ordered by an in
censed populace to leave the commu-
nifty where he had gone to teach school,
under penalty of tar and feathers, for
the reason that he had dared to hold
prayer meeting among the colored oeo-
pie near Kentucky village.
He read "Bellamy's Dream" which
awakened his interest in social ques-
tons, but, while thereby impressed
that. something was radically wrong
in existing systems, the remedy ->"o-
posed by nationalism struck him as be-
Ing too wooden. sytS ag ..si
He was converted to the single tax
in Worcester while listening to a lee
ture. Up to that time he had very
vague ideas of the single tax, this be-
ing the, first lecture on the subject he
had ever heard. He entered actively,
into the work of explaining it to others
at once. He delivered his first lecture
on the subject, Ethics of the Land
Question in April. 1891, in Worcester,
Mass, and his second month or SO
later in Boston before the Question
club. He replied for the single takers
to the general address of welcome to
the Worlds Fair Social congress in Chi
cago, Aug. 28, 1893.
On Jan. l. 1894 he sold out his bust
ness in Worcester in order to devote
all his time to single tax propaganda.
His idea was that much could be ac-
complished by working on the evan
gelastic plan of giving a week or more
to an audience, thus working up an in
terest as the churches do
After several weeks work in Boston
he went to Washington, D. c., where
the single takers of that city, together
with Hon. James G. Mcguire and Jerry
Simpson. recognizing his ability, rem
dered him substantial aid in getting
started upon his chosen work. An as
ISOLATION was formed and number of
engagements secured in different parts
| of the United States. Later, in view of
the then apparently approaching state
hood of that territory, he was sent to
New Mexico to work for local option
| in taxation in her constitution. DR..
Longstreet's splendid work in New
Mexico and Texas is well known to all
single takers. His next move was to
Delaware. and there he worked two
years. He was arrested with some 20
others. for preaching his single tax
gospel upon the streets of Dover, the
state capital, and spent rs days in the
county jail. A little more than a year
| ago he was called to the state of Wash
ington and is now 1ecturing under the
auspices of the single, tax organiza-
ton of that state
The doctor has devoted nearly five
years exclusively to single tax work.
Except a bare living his work has been
without compensation; in fact he has
been obliged at times to sustain him
self with his own means. During that
time he has spoken in over half of the
states in the union and twice in Can
ada. Altogether he has delivered over
1900 single tax lectures and sermons
and has organized about IS single tax
clubs.
His wide information on economic
questions, his ability as an orator, and
the novelty of his methods as a propa-
gandist have made his meetings popu-
lar and valuable.