A Poor Shot

Uaúer the eaption of "Ward's Argumenta ('anied Out," the Ann Ai'bor Courier unburdeu.s itseli of the following: ■■The Ann lArbor Democrat takes rather a eurious view of the reeercH ïnunilicent donatiöii to the rniversity tL 1,-iud ia Detroit ly ex-llegent Barbour, valued at $15,000. Mt. BarbouT slMiuld Have 110 credit, tliat paper argües, bi't-ause the vahie of the land 'is not the résult of any expenditure o!' iMieivy or self-deni il liy ils past or present ownrs.' Tiie paper cvntlnues: , ' 'Diivctly the value of this laad is made by tlie people1 who have erected biautiful ho'uses 11 the vicinity. IndirecMy rhis value is lue to :ill of uicis( within 'lic terrif try wihich is roimueivhilly tributary to Detnit, whose labor iielps to make Detroifs commercial greatness possiWe.' "The 'hcories oí Bi'. Ward are of the same sort that brougb.1 so ïnuch nioaey to IWIamy fon the Bale oí hia book, 'T-oofcinir Baefeward.' And yel Bellámy pocketed ;i!l lic eould ?ret out of it. To be sure Bella nv wrote the liook. but what valué would th&1 'nave been to htm il it had not been fot the ninfcrs wiio sim the type. the prissinen win priuted ir. the book-fbiaders wlio bonud it. the pper makers w i made the paper, the mechantes wlio fashioned the maohinery that made The type, the paper, the prasses, and 'on almost without end? And ill those are indebteKl for their knowledge t:i the teachers wlio Uvugbl them the uses ot' all ihesi thingè. Bellamy shotild divide lii ill-gotten gaius with tliose wlio made it póssible for him to sell the work of his own braiu. "If every penson obeyed the golde'i rule the worid could dispense with chun-hos. fchere wotild be no oeed for them. An,l the world could also dispense wilh ])i'isons. for ilic (iivin;:inieuts of every persou would be such tiiat he co iid do no wrong. Of course it would le no eredil to the individual -he couldn't help liimself. "When we reach tliat millenial state - when eaeii persou abors Cox Ihe ])i;')Iic good and ceases to care for private pain. fchen ir will be time enough to julopt the way oí the millenimu. "Ia faet. Bro. Ward ís yery snsh in taking unto hlniself the credit and profits of the excellent paper he gi rs ont. It, sliould go to the printers, pressmen, paper maker, etc, wüo have made it possible. It is also probable that, the paper1 present environment- adds greatly to Hs valuè. Ooiue down, Bro. Ward." It may be that the Courier bas been the vehicle of' politica] vagaries so long that its good judgemeni in otber directions suffers trom the contact, or a suelden and acute aittaek of ibiliousness upon bhe person of the usually amtaihle editor of the Oonrier may nfford' the tnie explaiMtion oí the tbove dissertatlon. Be thai as it may. if the effort is iniended as a critielsm of anythiug whlch lias appared in The Denioci-at, tlie marksmansliip was exceedingly poor. In the flrst place The Democrat dld not coutend that Mr. Barbour sliould have no credit for 'his donation. It said: "It is unquestionably his to dispose of and uo pne will say that hc lias not wisely, even generously disposed of it, but it is no discredit to the gift or the giver to éall atteution to the fact that. under a system whi h would prevent spequlation in l.-uul and preserve it. for the use of the people, this unearned increment, which furnis-hes the speoulators proiit and Which :s paid ly the earoings of labor, would furnish n fund suffleieut for all public purposes alid uiake donatious of thls öharacter supertluous." Or in ether words were the single tax upon land valui s, t n 'v'-orre the speculative valúe of la'.uls wortld yield revenu ■- snfficieat for all pujblie purposes, education iiiclnded. Ward's "theorie" and Bolbuny's iheories havo nut hing in coinniou. Ou tha contrary it is the OouriéT whach, in the line of its political duiy. must needs uphold proteetion to the monopolies, trusts, etc., which are Uie only forms in which sodalism has chus far become ot' practical eomsequence in lAmerica, whieh lias a through ticket Cor Bellainy's Utopia, Ward's theorïea are all toased upon the simple Democratie doctrine whlch finds its highest realization in the ciernan for "Equal and exact justiee áir all; special privileges for none." The artiele which -Hovokod the f'ourier's eriücism was wxitteoi, aot to deprive Mr. Bai'bour of any credit thac inay be due liim. bul to give a forcïble ilhistration oí the principie of the sinIr tax principies, which, by the way. are held iiy all of clie progressive thinkers of tliis age. And the siugle taxers would rob no man of that which he lias by .-.Ui 11 of hand or 'orain ereated. Oii the coutrary the right of every uiau ;o the full and enjoyment of all thai lie thus creaies is a fundamental preuiise of the aingle tax doctrine, and it is to secure tint veiy eondition thai it is propoeed to defray public burtlens out of that which is createcl by jüdustry of no man. luit is the co;nroon product of tl!( popula tion whicj rcnders it. valuaHlc. aml bonsequeitttly is the eoninion property oi all. The difference betweea the v.-ihie of these lots of Mr. Hai'inn'i's and tiie value of au equal area of good Parming land in Washtenaw eounty Avas nor ereated by him. It was not ayeoj put apon them Iiy circuinstanccs over wtíich he had coiiríol. As we explained before, the value of thls lana is ntade by t,ic pcnplc wlio have erected beau'tiful homes in its vicinify. Indlrectly ihis value is line [o all of those withm the territwi-y in which is coiiimercially tributary to Detroit, whose labor iielps to make Detroit'a commercial greatness missíble. It is made by the eouiiiiunity and of right belongs to the eonunnnüy. Quite different this froni the paralle! drawn by. the Oourieri When Bellaniy produced a book whlch niillions were csrious to read he ereated sometWng aew. The printei1 and bindere ai;d pressiniMi who put his ideas n rcereh&ntable shape performed au essential part: and received a rewaiil wftich was not detcrininod by H'ilamy's profits but by the speculatiTe value of rln land upon which the printing house stond. The farmer who plows and sows and reaps that the world may eat, the anisan who rears the slu-lter. and those who cantrtbute in any way to the suatenance and happiness of mankind ara pi-oducers. But the man who grows wealtlty !.y preventiiif,' others fnin ustng laiin for which he hlmself has no use. unil hls toll is paid has crea.ted uothlng. H has sitnply appropriated values Which are made by Míe (onimuuiíy as a whole and lo whlch lie lias no m.oi-e right than any other meniber of that coiiMiiunity. Wheu the proprietor of The Dt-mocrat, proíluces a newspaper tli.it onehalf or more of the people of Waslitenaw eounty want lo read he is entítled to the enjoymení cyí whatever prorit there may be k-ft n the trausactimi after his printers have been paid. and wheu it comes to the question of the paymeoit of printers- well, perhaps the Coumr would rather rol discuss that part of the program. Ttiaí w.-is a picity close mi ?, Mr. iraima. AVill you have wii.-u h.i.-l or bay í'unr.' Mr. MöKtnley ill put oíf hia Hawaliam aJinexatlon schcuie uutil the gentlemen trora Maine comes olt liis perch. Ooxey proposes to organize a pafly whieh will pnivi.U' wovk fot eveay one. Oofxey does ihh sri'in co ;Li''1cinte rlit sitúa tiou. 'I"]h Democrat will suspend the ralea aud congratúlate Cangrroasman .luim B. t'orliss upoa his speech deuouneing the civil service bumlHig. Severa! excellent rea sous niis'.it be Dauned fot believing fchai the pian oí the seif-appointed monetary conunissiuii luis nor tna.de a luí wlth congres-í. The Réputol'ican press speaks of the purpose ik retire the greenbacks in f;i vfr of uatioii.il bank-notes as ■'l'i-'siMcKialey-s safe ai.d save miho(l." Our vocabnlary does do( coutaln ;i word wliich will accuratelj coi-v.'y our opitt'ion .t' the Tdliw w'ho wam mly broke tb ü shade tree in tlaiiOT-?r Square Sunday Qisht. ! . The '.íii-ícliish adrice witlcli the Repiihlican press is giving the Dcrii-icy upan ili" lurklng dangers o!' the silver question forms the b:iis of om ltope for an ultímate era l' good feeliu;,1 in p0litlcS. Ir. is wonderful how acts nul )ir.poses which were the basest of treasou wlth (ii'ovor Oleyeland '.i,-ivc be((.■nu bright and particular instanees of atatesmanshlp w'heu performed U.v Win. MjKiniIey. The cuTreney must have iUIctí ir.iicil vcry rapidly wlthin thé past 15 moutlis. Por the nier. who weie sliouring in lio aiitunm of 1896 that "the money of the country is all righr, just let it alone," aro mnv telling us that iliis money is no good and must In' dectored up. There can be do öoulbi tha1 ,)rosporiiy of ,-i eertain kind bas dawned over the United States. Trusts are formlng with great mpidIty and of the most. stupendous pvoportions. Recently the brewers CoHned a eom-blae with a capital oí $fY,OQO.(MHt. Xov the American Slivl and W-ire crunpany of Pennsylvania is nnnouaeed, with i capital óf stojiíhi.ooo. Sinmltaueously with this trust thore is a consolida tion oí ibe staa-.ipmg eompanies of the country, wJtn a cpifal of $25,000,000. Tíhus, wlthin a fortnig'at threo ircsts have spning info existanee, with a combined capital of $15R,000,000. Ín the meantime, how is the wa.%e ea roer faring? Over at Pall Itivcr the eottosn operatives are redxiced 10 per cent, in wages as a ('lirismias preseot i'i-om the siiDiisors oí gold ruououietallism and the Dingley tariff. But it must be coneetled nial there s a strike down soutli. and, 'íceordng ro a Republloam conte:njHrary, "a, strike is out' of tlio surest signs of prosperity." lt canuot be denieil tliat there are also strikes in the north Bad west, and thus, with $155,fKK),000 pledged to support trusts ia the eastj, ii is evidenr tliat pxosperity !s geiieml. Republlcan legislation bas prodnced legitímate resulte, rut in power 1 .v the trusts, it protecta these ombiaatious, and the wage earaers jiive their testimouy to the joyous conditioiB Of prosperity by going on strike in the mlddle of Chicago Dispatch.