The Irish standard., 1912-09-14
FIRST DISCIPLES OF
HENRY GEORGE
Among Irishmen Who Believed in
Theory of Single Tax Was
Michael Davitt.
Refused to Sign First Manifesto
in Favor of Proprietorship
Against Parnell.
Another Was Edward Ntzhugh,
Associated With Dockers
of Liverpool.

VI A1VeEpOOl.
AS has already been indicated, the
first disciple whom Henry George
found among Irishmen was Michael
Davitt, writes T. p. O'Connor to the
Chicago Tribune Of Sunday, Sept. s.
Brooding over the wrongs of So
ciety for the nine long years he spent
in penal servitude, brought into inti-
mate association there with the
wrecks of human society, whom her
editary instincts, weakness of will or
inauspicious environment had sent to
the horrors of the convict's life, Dav-
lit came out of Jail with views con-
siderably changed from those with
which, robust man, he had entered
upon his punishment. In the first
place he ceased to be the Irish ma
tionalist Of the narrow and vindictive
| type as he himself put it in letter
to the Standard after his release from
his second Imprisonment. He had
been inspired by a "nobler vision."
the vision of an international demo-
crat, who saw in the fight for the lib
critics Of his own country. only one
part of the work Of the universal lib
GRAFTON of all nations and of all men.
! This preceded his meetings with
Henry George. when Henry George
came to meet him. Davitt was thus
already prepared for some new gos-
pei of human relief, and he became
Georges strong disciple. This trans
| formation of the opinions of Davitt
had some effect, often inconvenient
effects, on Irish politics. The leader
of the Irish land movement believed
that it was quite impossible to con-
duct crusade III Ireland on any 9TH
er lines than those of peasant pro-
=, priety, and would not hear of Davitt's
propaganda for naturalization or
other forms of land reform.
There were some fierce passages Of
arms between Davitt and some of the
parliamentarians, which developed in
some cases into those personal ami
mosities when men are engaged in the
fierce work Of making revolutions.
j These personal animosities disap-
peared, but Davitt was never con-
verted to peasant propriety. 1t is one
of the secret facts Of recent Irish his
tory, which few peoples know that
when the land league in 1S79-sO is
sued it's first manifesto in favor of
i peasant proprietry. Davitt refused to
append his name.
Davitt found some ardent friends
among the 1rishmen i~ Great Britain.
One of the first was Edward McHugh,
then associated with the lockers of
Liverpool and one Of the leaders in
the great strike that took place many
years ago. Edward McHugh is still
alive and we'll, an ardent teetotallcr.
II non-smoker, an indefatigable work.
er, and a fanatical single-taxcr. He
is one of those modest men. however,
who do their work in silence and OBJ
scurity; one Of those men who are
more concerned with their work than
with themselves. But he has man.
aged, though unseen and unknown, to
do good deal OF effective work in
his time.
I may now reveal the secret that 1t
was he who was largely responsible
for that uprising among the croftcrs
of Scotland, which has wryng from
parliament so many crofter acts with
in the last twenty-five years. Mr..
McHugh was then an official Of our
organization, he went quietly and un-
heralded, to the Scotch mainland and
isles where the crofters were already
beginning to assert their manhood.
} In a short time the highlanders were
J, in a flame, and the agitation began
which has already done so much to
alleviate the conditions of crofter life.
And few realized that it was the
quiet, soft spoken, almost fugitive fig
ure of the Irish agitator which set the
fuse to the magazine.
Richard McGhee was companion
: and fellow official Of Edward McHugh
), in the days of the dock strike. The
two men are alike and yet different