The independent., 1903-04-30


1903 Mississippi ave-,
st. Louis, Mo.
MIR. SPACKMAN RETCRTS.
Editor Independent: I was very
much surprised to find my letter 10
The Independent published in the lass
number under the headline, Wants
the Earth" | am delighted to lind
you right on the single tax doctrine
for once Yes, sir, we single takers
want the earth and have started out
to get it and will be satisfied with
nothing less. We want it for the
home of all the people whose heritage
the great Omaha populist platform de-
it is. Do not for one moment think
that slap in the face like that you
gave me in your remarks will check
the determination Of one who has
worked to help capture the earth.
Please let me explain. | was con-
sidering how many of the 10000 ex-
ira copies ! would take and | wanted
to know what | was likely to get for
my money. l meant no unkindness
when | said that | did not consider
either the editor of the assistant edi-
tor qualified to edit the edition. I
propose to stand by my guns and II
you will be as liberal with your space
in publishing what | now think is my
due in the matter, as you were in
the article | did not want you to pub
lish, think will convince your read
ers that l am correct!
If some editor who is opposed to
government ownership of railroads
should propose to get out an edition
and present the case of public owner
ship, would you consider such al edi-
tor the proper person to edit such an
edition? And do you think the friends
of public ownership would expect it
to be the best presentation of their
case that could be made?
e. B. SPACKMAN.
Fullerton, Neb.
Of in the supposed case, such pa
per turned over its entire space for
one issue-exclusive of the advertis-
ing eolumns-there is no reason why
the friends of public ownership could
not make it stronger paper than
any single regular edition of a paper
advocating public ownership. The
Henry George Edition MAY 14) be-
longs to the single takers. They will
fill it's columns. Their articles will
be printed without modification, ex-
cept mere technical errors in spelling.
ETC., and without comment. What the
editor or his associate may care to
say on the subject will appear in the
issue of June II.
No single number of any single tax
paper in the United States will sur
pass our Henry George Edition, eith-
er in amount or quality of the mat
ter printed. 1t will reach many thou
sands of our regular readers who
never saw an exclusive single tax pa
per. 1t will cause discussion of the
subject among men who are not now,
but may become, single takers.
IF The Independent had announced
that henceforth it would champion
the single tax philosophy and had set
itself up as an authority" upon the
subject, Mr.. Spackman's objections
might ha@e some weight. Those who
want such paper know where to look
for it-they get Louis F. Posts The
Public (box 6S7, Chicago, ILL., But
our Henry George Edition will reach
thousands who may never see The
Public, and it will contain much more
about the single tax than any single
edition of Mr., POSTS paper. Year Ia
and year out, of course, The Public
will contain more single tax, just as
The Independent will contain more :
populism.
Of the several hundred single tax
ers who have written The Independent
within the past two or three weeks,
Mr.. Spackman is the only one who
denies us the right to conduct our
own business in our own way. Our
offer to sell sample copies does not
carry with it the right to conduct The
Independent to suit the whim of the
purchaser of such sample copies