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

What is lhe Just Foundation Of title 10
land2 Can a small number Of persons
by rambling over a large continent
never long stationary in one spol--,nd
never applying the soil'to those purPo.
ses Of production for which il is G'ed,
acquire such right as will exclude ell
others IRON settlement These ques'
tons are treated in the following ex'
tract by one whose abilities and lesrn.
Jog we'll qualified him for The examin'.
ton.
al shall confne myself TO consider
Me sovereignty Of man over the mani
mate creation or the earth iEseCOf this
right of dom inion there is some evi'
dence, above brute animals, in favour
Of such as cultivate the earth; because il
is ameIioraled or made more productive
By the skill and labour of such. But as
10 savages who do not cultivate The soil,
or sustain themselves 10 much exlenl,by
that means they are in The same situa-
tion as to this evidence Of right with the
beasts.
"THE right OF Great Britain 10 The
eoiI Of North America, founded on the
first discovery of The coast; however
Just in lis nature, yet was limited 10 its
sxlent, by the right Of The natives, and
the right Of other nations. The righ, Of
the natives has been generally supposed
not 10 limit but exclude all others Fer
the law of nature vests The soil n the
frst occupant ,aod these from the earliest
times had possessed the country. But
shall few tribes thinly scattered over
an immense continent retain posse Ssion
oft, while other parts Of The globe are
overchsrged with inhabitants?
To set This matter in clear point of
view, we sh,ll revert 10 the origin Of
tina, right which all men have, in com
mon with each other, 10 the earth, the
water and the air--and this we shall
find IN the extensive grant 10 the av'
pair, and in them equally TO all their
descendants. This grant is recorded
in The first chapter and the first book of
the sacred law; find God blessed Them
and God said unto them, be JiuiVul
and ma iipy and replensh The earth,
and Subdue it: and haze dominion over
the fish ofMe sea, and over Mefo,ol Of
the air, and over everything that mo.
Veth upon on the earth. The words
oil this grant convey no right OF primo
genilure, or any other right by which
one man may occupy larger portion Of
The soil than his neighbor-for rights Of
this kind are The esle blshmeEls Of civil
policy, and can have no place between
individuals in q stale Of nature e-or be.
tween different nations, who in a state
OF nature--wi,h relation 10 each 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 unlavorabe
10 population that societies or individu
ais should possess a greaIesr quantity oi
soil than is necessary for their own sub
sisIenee. :.
To apply this 10 the aborgines or ma.
tive Indians Of America: Shall these
tribes, s,inferior in number 10 peIhaP. one
twentieth Of The inhabitants OF Europe,
possess ten times the territory? 1t will
be SAID that their manner OF life makes
greater quantity of soil necessary.
They live by hunting, and though their
tribes are lhinly scattered over The COZ
,ineAl, yet the whole is no more than
sufficient for hunting ground-nsy,
with even this extent of country lheir
subsistence is precarious, and they fre
quenlIy experience the severes rage
of famine, when the wild animals ths'
make their food are rendered ,cs-es, or
have Withdrawn to different forest
of The country. But do the lava Of
revelation or OF nature leave every man
OF liberty 10 use whs, manner Of lie