Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1903-11-12

Ohio is a wonderful state for political
surprises, but nothing has occurred, !
even in Buckeye politics, in the memory
of man, that is quite so surprising, not
so say audacious, as Tom Johnson's
appeal to the farmers for political sup
,t n
When Henry George went to England
and Ireland proclaiming single tax as a
panacea for economic and social ills,
there was a seeming plausibiity in his
propaganda. He appealed to the peas
ant, to the poor and to the landless to
accept his gospel of confiscation. AL
though his plea was destitute of sound
economics and good ethics it, at least
had the plausible seeming seeming of
promising something to those who ac-
cepted the doctrine. People who are
interested in any reform expect to gain
something by the change. To dispos-
sess the Irish and English landowners
by give everybody an equal right to
what others now possess, had at least
the attraction that booty has to the
burglar. When preaching that rent is
robbery to the proletariats of Europe
or the tenement population of New
York city, it seems to promise some
thing to the followers in the crusade;
so when socialists preach that interest
and profit are spoilation of the laborers,
the doctrine has the appearance of a
gospel that would help the poor.
Heretofore. whenever the theory of
dispossession and taking something for
nothing has been preached, the appeal
has been to those who had nothing
but never before was an appeal made
to those who were to be plundered to
support the policy of the plunderer
1t remained for Tom Johnson to pre-
sent this surprising gospel to the farm
ers of Ohio. One of the most pro-
nounced features of Johnson's cam
PuiSI ~ Niiit ne ttillS ltih ItlOiIll anu,
in support of this, he is making a spe-
cial appeal to farmers and home
ers. OF course, he denounces corpora
lions of every kind and character.
Railroads. the so called trusts, and all
large industrial enterprises come in for
fierce attack. Everything, in fact, of a
successful business nature that has not
fallen in line with his political crusade,
even street car companies, in the
manipulation of which he made the
bulk of his millions, are deemed espe-
cially iniquitous. Through the legal
ingenuity of his attorney, General
Monet he would doubtless make short
work of these corporations by legislat-
ing them out of existence, but to the
farmers, he is posing as their veritable
Moses He is telling them how they
are oppressed by ver-taxation, while
the corporations are escaping with q
nominal tax
In the midst of all this it may be
interesting to inquire just what Mr.
Johnson's tax reform is, and what il
really will do for the farmers and
home-owners in Ohio. Shorn of the
buster, the subterfuge and bluff Incl
dent TO an heroic political campaign
Johnson's theory of tax reform is really
very simple. Although he does a ire
mendous amount of posing and in
dulges in unlimited free handed, in
definite talk, Tom Johnson has yer,
definite and concrete idea on taxation
and, except during a heated campaign
he is very frank about expressing them
1t must be known to the farmers o
Ohio that Mr.. johnson is the most con
spicuous disciple of Henry George il
the United States. He was for year
the financial sponsor of Mr. George
To his credit, it may be said that h.
furnished the means for Mr.. George t.
live on While writing his last book
Nothing could a surer evidence of sin
cerity than this.
He is such an invererate believer il
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