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The Commoner.
SEPTEMBER' 1910
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tion. My observation in life has taught mo
jthat when men have power they are apt to
use It. Give these gentlemen arbitrary
power and no man,- be he democrat or repub
lican, can receive recognition in Now Hampshire
unless he . wears the color of a powerful and
Insolent corporation. I am against the
Boston and Maine railroad because it is designed
to put in the hands of a few men greater power
than can be safely intrusted to them. The dis
tribution of free passes or mileage books is
widespread and everywhere prevalent among
government officials and persons of influence.
All lawyers ride free. The editors and news
paper managers ride free. Ministers ride free
or at special rates. The governor rides free.
His council rides free. All officers at the state
house ride free. Tho members of the legislature
all ride free, not only during the session, but
during the rest of the year. County, city and
town officers ride free. The wives and children
of most of tho free riders also ride free. Above
all, local politicians In every town and ward
ride free.' The exceptions to the above state
ments arc so few that they prove the general
rule. Corruption by free passes and mileagp
tickets is almost universal. No person of any
importance in town or state falls to ride free
unless ho omits to ask for his free pass or his
free ticket. If any person, high or low, rich
or poor, is hrl to make vigorous protest
against any railroad wrong he is approached
by some ready emissary of '.ho road and quieted
by a free pass. It is only desirable at this
gathering to refer briefly to the progress of re
form in the nation, which began about tho
time of the election by the people of Mr. Roose
velt. He is one of the remarkable men of this
epoch, It is impossible wisely to assert that
the reforms would have begun at this time with
any man not possessing the traits and faults
which have characterized him. The progressives
and the insurgents are true republicans. To
the latter we are indebted for escaping defeat
if we do escape it in the coming national elec
tions. For their work of rebellion and their
rescue thereby of the republican party from
annihilation the insurgents are entitled to all
credit and sh6uld be respected and honored by
alh just republicans every where. Always sup to
this moment I have Bald that I would not be
willing to destroy an American industry in order
to destroy a trust monopolizing its product, and
crowding up its prices, without competition.
But lately, in view of the vast growth and reck
less power of the trusts, I have felt like chang
ing my opinion and to hold, as I now do, that
whenever tho government can not destroy a
monopolistic trust without destroying the in
dustry itself, it is better to resort to thfs de
struction rather than to endure the oppression of
the crime of the trust."
FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA, is said to be the
only community in the United States where
the theories of Henry George in relation to land
taxation have been put into practical operation.
A writer in the Houston (Texas) Post says:
"Mrs. Frank Johnson,, who is connected with
the Fairhope School of Organic Education, has
recently been visiting the northwest and while
in St. Paul, Minn., she submitted Ito an inter
view as to the workings of the single tax In this
southern community. What she has to say in
this connection has received considerable notice
and comment from editors who make economics
a close stiidy and a subject to be enlarged upon
at every favorable opportunity. It would ap
pear from what Mrs. Johnson has to say that
the Fairhope single tax colony was founded
Gome fifteen years ago by three advanced think
ers from Des Moines, Iowa, who were devoted
followers of Henry George E. B. Gaston, Frank
Brown and James Bellanger. They bought a:
tract of 2,000 acres and bound themselves to
administer the affairs of tho projected colony
In accordance with the views held by the
founder of the dingle tax movement. Under
the agreement entered into, anybody could go
$o Fairhope and purchase a lot of any size up
to ten acres by agreeing to pay a yearly rental
for its use sufficient to take for the community
tho unearned increment, and a person taking
land in Fairhope under these conditions, be
came a member of the corporation with a voice
In its management. Mrs. Johnson, in her in
terview, talks interestingly of the steady growth
pf Fairhope compared tp surrounding towns
until the original tract ,has doubled in size and
tho membership of tho colony had increased to
,700 and how opposition from tho town residents
who do not believe In the single tax was among,
tho chief difficulties which had to be met and
overcome. Tho plan originally was to abolish
speculation In land and in this Mrs. Johnson
says It has succeeded since, whilo privately
owned property in Fairhope Is high, it is not
saleable as tho land of the corporation is al
ways available for settlement by tho prospective
incomer paying tho annual land or Increment
tax to tho community. Public ownership of
public utilities is the rule at Fairhope. Stato
and county tax obligations are met in the usual
way and paid out of tho community treasury.
Tho stato and county tax authorities lovy tho
taxes and the corporation pays them out of tho
general fund raised by tho annjial land tax. At
present tho community is ruled by tho conven
tion plan of government, but it Is said that tho
commission plan Is almost certain to bo adopted
by tho colonists. It is a little early to under
take to pass judgment on the experiment for
many reasons, chief among which is that it
has not yet passed the state of experimentation
and must undergo tho rigid test of conflicting
individual interests which como with growth
and augmentation of community power. Never
theless, it Is not too early to applaud the mo
tives of tho founders of tho colony as there
exists, even in tho minds of men who are un
convinced of the feasibility of the Henry George
plan, a strong desire that his theories should
be put fully and freely to the test of experience
before pronounced a failure."
GENERAL MARCUS J. Wright of tho war de
partment says that only thirty generals of
the confederate forces are now living, as fol
lows: Lieutenant general, Simon Bolivar Buck
ner; major generals, Robert F. Hoke, G. W.
Curtis Lee, Lunsford L. Lomax and Camillus
J. Pollgnac; brigadier generals, William L.
Cabell, Francis M. Cockrell, William R. Cox,
Julius A. DeLagnel (declined appointment),
Henry B. Davidson, Basil W. Duke, Clement A.
Evans, Samuel W. Ferguson, Daniel C. Goven,
James M. Goggin, William W. Kirkland, Evan
der M. Law, Thomas M. Logan, William Miller,
John McCausland, Dandridgo McRae, William
McComb, John C. Moore, Patrick T. Moore,
Francis T. Nicholls, Roger A. Pryor, Beverly H.
Robertson, James P. Slmrris, Richard Water
house and Marcus J. Wright. Referring to this
list tho "Birmingham (Ala,) Age-Herald nays:
"Many of theso mon havo been prominent in
civil life as woll. General Buckncr was governor
of Kentucky from 1887 to 1891, and was tho
candidate? for vico president on the gold demo
cratic tlcftot in 189G. Ho is tho solo surviving
member pf tho West Point class of 18-M. Gen
eral Cockrell served thirty years as United
States senator from Missouri. General Nicholls
was twice governor of Louisiana, and is at pres
ent an associate justico of that state's supremo
court. Gonoral Pryor served as justico of tho
supromo court in Now York City, and General
Evans is a prison commissioner of Georgia.
General Caboll served four terras as mayor of
Dallas, Texas, and General Cox was secretary
of tho United. States sonato six years. Tho list
of the veterans who wero genoralu In the con
federate servlco Is indeed becoming brlof, and
all of the survivors have passed, no doubt, the
allotted ago of man."
"HISTORY IjISBSON"
Writing In the Louisville Courier-Journal,
Honry Wattorson says: "The republican party,
with William Howard Taft in tho White House,
encounters very much tho samo conditions that
overtook and overwhelmed 'ho old historic dem
ocratic party, with James Bnehanan In tho White
Houso, fifty years ago. The role played by
Stephen A. Douglas then Is filled by Theodore
Roosevelt now. The institution of African slav
ery, swallowing all other Issues, held the centor
of tho stage. Tho issue of predatory wealth,
circling about tho protective tariff system, has
como In the fullness of time to occupy tho cen
ter of tho stage. In many ways tho outer as
pects and internal qualities of the two aro
Identical."
But when tho Issuo was ilavory tho republi
can party, moving toward victory, did not prom
ise more slavery; nor did it surrender itself
into tho keeping of thoso who wero Interested
in perpetuating slavery. Now that tho Ameri
can people are confronted with "tho Issue of
predatory wealth" and aro turning from tho
republican party because It has become tho
champion of predatory wealth, tho democratic
party must not surrender itself into tho keeping
of men who aro Interested In perpetuating theso
very evils.
The Commoner s Million Army
I. H. Woodworth, Culver, Kan: Will do what
I can to increase The Commoner's clculatlon. I
always feel that I have done a man real service
when I have induced him to take Tho Commoner.
W. J. Gillmore, Culllson, Kan. I desire to
say that whatever help I can do for The Cora-
moner will gladly be given. The work of Aid
rich, Cannon and Taft are means to: tho same
'end and I believe the people are satisfied that
an open platform and men with a sense of jus
tice who realize that it should be binding Is
the only recourse. The fight that Mr. Bryan is
making for the initiative and referendum is an
encouraging one. Keep the good work going
and justice shall be accomplished.
W. C. Snodgras, Douglas, Kan. I intend to
send you a club of one hundred for four months.
This will put the paper in every home in my
precinct, Walnut township, Butler county, Kan.
This four months trial will, I believe, give you
several permanent subscribers and thus help
along "tho rule of the people."
In the campaign of 1908 Tho Commoner's
Million Army renderod distinguished service to
the cause of democracy and it may well bo be
lieved that a similar organization will even bo
able to do better work In tho year of 1910 now
that men who wero heretofore Indifferent aro
aroused to the Importance of action.
If half of the readers of The Commoner would
take active Interest In tho organization of this
Million Army plan, the results would be imme
diately noticeable and tho contribution to tho
welfare of popular government would bo
enormous.
Many individuals aro willing to help in a
patriotic movement but find it difficult to know
just what to do to make their efforts count. In
a struggle such as tho one wo are now engaging
in, tho efforts of every man, woman and child
on tho side of popular government will count
and in The Commoner's Million Army a practi
cal plan is presented whereby the, efforts of many
individuals may bo aggregateu and used with
telling effect.
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APPLICATION BLANK
The Commoner's Million Army
I hereby enlist in The Commoner' Million Army, and pledge tny assistance to
secure the nomination of only worthy anil incorruptible men. am democratic can
didates; that J tvlll attend democratic primaries and nominating convention, and
assist in promoting the grat democratic campaign of education by devoting n rea
sonable share of my tfmt to the distribution of literature. J will recommend
worthy persons for membership in The Commoner's Million Army and in any way
X can assist to increase the usefulness of this organisation,
Signed
Address,
With the understanding that Mr. Bryan agrees to accept annual subscriptions to The Commoner from
members of this Army at a net rate of 65 cents each, and that each subscription to The Commoner shall in
clude a subscription to The American Homestead (a strong home and farm paper) thus leaving The
Commoner free to devote Its undivided effort to political matters and current events 1 endows herewith
K centa for one annual subscripUon to The Commoner (Including The American Homestead).
If you are already a subscriber to The Commoner and do not care to extend your expiration date at
this time, the last paragraph above may be disregarded.
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