New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-08-30
The Land Question.

There src 10 many cheering sgT- OF speedy and
happy adjustment Of all differences between the
Landlords and Tenants in the disturbed Counties Of
our State tina; we regret the necessity OF saying
another word on the subject. The news from Scho
hsrie aud Sullivan is most auspicIous and we
hope .oon to hear OF the ascendency Of concilaory
counsels in Delaware. Gov Wrghts Proclamation
i. in The main calculated to exert sautary influence
on all parties We would prefer to forbear all
farther remark al present our cotemporaries were
willing bu, they are not. SO we must even spea'
again on the matter.
The The Erea,ng Gazette denies that II at firs'
approved Gov Wrghts Proclamation, as we IN
Ser.tood and remarked On the contrary. 1t dis-
approves il, considering il very much on par
with an bis previous treatment Of this Anfi Rent re-
B,Il,oa We are sure we must have been mistaken
in good COMPANY when we wrote article OF yeser
dsy, bat on the fact that the Gazette specified ap
provingy Gov Wrighis counsel to all the other
classes Interested except the Landlords we cannot
he In error OF course. we differ with the Gazette
on that poin, aud. while we highly respect that
,oarnal we do believe that personal influences
unfsvorablc 10 an impartial Judgment exist in the
case Of lis Editor which do not in our own.
The Commerciai Adrert,ser during recent
brief absence Of the writer hereof from the City de-
voted over a column to this subject mainly aimed
nj the Tribune and speaking of our "deplorabe per
version of Judgment" DC. &c. We take all this IN
good part from our respected contemporary.
The Commercial and The Tribune belong to DIFF
ercni schools in politics, perhaps we should say
10 different cras in Mans history and II b tn had
existed in 1865. we doubt not the Commercials
dissent from The Tribune notions and sympa,hies
wond have been quite decided az in this case and
not 40 kindly expressed In this instance, II gives
ne bad name indeed, but it proceeds TO treat our
views qui,c fairly 1t quotes our illustration Of our
position that the tenants of The leased lands or at
least a part Of them have equitable rights in their
several farms beyond those specified in their leases
and that il would be unjust to exact of them the full
present value Of tho property. After giving our
statement Of the case Of an industrious tenant who
has made his 10, worth $4,000 while his neighbor
has made similar lot worth but $780, the Com
mercia comments:
The writer makes careful display Of all that his in
dustous farmer mas done or given but forges To emu
rn.rae what he has received. IL must be remembered
bsi such lands leased with express regard To their
worthessncss and To their future value the i'm
be effected in the course Of the nifty years
rent IL made low perhaps merely nominal. land
owner havin. large tract unmproyed gives leases for
twenty years at the rent of peppercorn What Is his
object What benefit is he 10 receive Why. no other
than the increased value which the twenty years labor
the tenant IL To mpar That is the consideration-it
10 the vital element of the contract But says The Tn
banc what does The tenant receiver What benefit is he
IA derive frn his twenty years Of labor Why twenty
yesrs of subsistence, twenty years occupation OF he
house he has built twenty years proh from the crops
be has raised the cattle he has fed the wood he has cut
H. has receiving
the landlord has received nothing. And yet The Tri
bune says Is bard and nequifable in the landlord be
last expects and requires the compensation Tor
which he hiss been so long waiting
OF this l. the principle of the case; and ap
plies equally though the landlord may have received
some rent The hns been determined BY the pres
ami the prospective value Of the snd-nohing or
mere trifie now. considerable sum hereafter.
Asf,r the other in the suppositon-that OF the
tia miserable subsistence from his badly managed
Arm years and the end he gets miscrab,
farm for his three hundred dollars The hope of the
landlord dsa. pointed well that of the tenant and
the latter make his farm valuable bis prudent
neghho- has yettweny years OF labor 10 bestow upon
H. Or ne dies aud leaves sterile tract TO his children
while The ncghbor leaves To his In exchange for the tive
thousand dollars thriving. productive and valuable
property. which makes them rich and independent.
Nov ifthc Commercial can cite any cases
In which these lands have been leased for twenty
years at the rent OF peppercorn' we will cheer
fully admii-nay, insisi-ihai the tenants on such
tracts should make improvements without farther
Compensation. But even then. see how loose. how
unius'. how peruicous, is this leasehold system :,
Whether the landlord shall be paid for the of
his land or mo-, ia left entirely the caprice of the
tenant Ii hc sees Fl, to make improvements the
landlord is paid, and perhaps overpaid; but if he
chooses to hunt and fish. skin off what timber will
cell and barely exist he is perfectly at liberty to
do In either case, his share in the proceeds
OF bis labor = nearly the Who dses not see
that this system is calculated to make poor shacks
that 1t offers perpetual bounty for their produc
ton The tenant il OF a home. fuel pasture
and timber whether he spend his DAYS on his land
or al the nearest GROCERY bui if he is industrious
frugal and thrifty clearing up. icr,ilizing and enc
Ing half his land putting up good buildings. &c. all
these belong 20 his landlord when his lease expires
Ough, no, such premiums for bad husbandry to be
discounicnanccd by the State and brought TO an
end
But the Commercial is wrong as 10 its facts
There Is DO land of consequence which has been
rented 70 ne tenants for a peppercorn a year or
any thing like il We have heard that some large
raci- were granted TO the original landlords on
terms nearly easy as these. but not to the men
who have cleared and improved them. In the case
which led to the Andcsmurdcr see that the rent
Of 100 acres OF Delaware land was S32 year, or
twenty cents an acre. equal 10 80 for
the f,c simple while Government land is sold at
o. 4. and Michigan is now quoted by the Express
80 selling lands far better than those of Delaware at
some 80 cents an acre. Ii Earle lot spad twenty
cents an acre rent since il was frs, taken up, we
must consider all Improvements upon it in equity
HE and 90, The landlords-and so in other cases
The C0wr,cy .r Enquirer treats us to this
1t now officially proclaimed by the Governor that
every person becoming member sf an Anti Rent Asso-
csiiou takes upon himself the obligation to make fixed
and regular contributions 10 the funds Of the Association
that 'hc moneys collected paid out under the
direction Of Committee purchase waterfalls for dress
rasls crs ene aamsRioH for fhe IHdIass and 10 pay
he erp~asss Of fser sHbsseacS and cri0aiantHf rAS
oaed or as reh a. 10 ne eIPeses Of aic sEs ard
Afis afi0r"
The Tribune may undertake show possibly. thai
the Of ~ alleged 200 OOO Anti Renters do not belong
90 Ar Rerf fss0ciaoHs and not therefore liable Ia