The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-07-11

What is hs Just foundation Of title Il
lsnds Can small number of person
by rambling over a large continent
never long stationary in one spot--'oc
never applying the soil 10 those purpo~
ses Of production for which it is fitted,
acquire such righ, as will exclude all
others from settlement These ques-
tions are treated in the following ex.
tract by one whose sbilties and learn.
Jog we'll qualified him for the exsmins.
ton.
81 shsll confne myself to consider
Me sovereignty Of man over The iusni-
mate creation or The earth ifseICOf this
right of dom inion there is some evi'
dence, above brute animals, in favour
of such as cultivate the earth; because II
is ameliora,ed or made more productive
by the skill and labour Of such. But as
10 savsges who do not cultivate the soil,
or sustain themselves to much ex,ent,by
that means they are in the same situs-
ton as to this evidence Of right with the
beasts. @-.,
"THE right Of Great Britain 10 The
soil Of North America, founded on the
first discovery Of The coastJ however
Just in lis nature, yet was limited 10 its
extent, by the right Of the natives, and
the right Of other nations. The right Of
the natives has been generally supposed
not 10 limit bu, exclude oil others: Fer
the law Of nature vests the soil in the
first occupant, ,sod these from the earliest
times had possessed the country. Bot
shall few tribes thinly scattered over
an immense continent retain possession
Of it, while other parts Of the globe are
overcharged with inhabitants?
To set this matter in clear point oI
view, we shsll revert 10 the origin Of
that right which all men have, in com.
mon with each other, TO the earth, the
water and the air--and this we shall
find In the extensivs gran, 10 the first
pair, and ia them equally TO all their
descendants. This grant is recorded
in The first chapter and the FIRST book Of
p the sacred law; find God blessed them,
and God said unto them, be fruitful
and multiply and replenish the earth,
and su5due It: and hste dominion oUer
the fish ef The sea, and ousr the fo,ol of
the air, and oUer everything thar mo-.
geth upon on the earfh,. The -worde-
OF this gran, convey no righ, OF primo
geni,ure, or any other right by which
one man may occupy s'arger portion Of
the soil than his neighbor--for rights OF
this kind are the Establishments ofcivii
policy, snd can have no place between
individusls in q state Of nature -or be-
2 tween different nstions, who 10 a state
OF nslure--wi,h relation to'esch Other.
The unequal distribution Of The soil,
would dissppoint the manifest intention
= Of the grant, which was 10 people and
improve the earth--for il is unlsvorsble
10 population that societies or iodividu.
ais should possess . gres,esr quantity Of
soil than is necessary for their own sub
= sislence.
To apply this TO tbs sborigines OF ma
tive Indians Of America: Shalt these
tribes, ,inferior in number TO perhaps one
" twentieth Of the inhabitants Of Europe
possess ten times the territory? II will
be SAID that their manuer OF life mskei
greater quantity Of soil necessary
They live by hunting, anu though ,hel
tribes are ,hinly scattered over the con
'insAi. YET the whole is no more tina,
sufficient for hunting ground--nay
with even this extent OF country thei
subsistence is precsrious, and they fre
quen,ly experience the severest rag
of famine, when the wild animals ,hs
make their food are rendered scarce, O
have Withdrawn to a different fore,
Of the country. But do the laws O
revelation or Of nAIure leave everv ma