New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-08-11
Gerrit smith on land Monopoly.
From the Christian Rtformer.

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Land Monopoly. trust that YOU will DO more than
you have done the attention Of your read.
ers 10 the importance OF this subject
The SsAi-God be praised for the Sea and for
the universal acknowledgment that ali hsve right
to it And the LAND God be praised for that
alsoi-and merciiully hasten the day when all
shall acknowledge that all have night 10 the Land
as well as b the Sea
The monopoly Of the Sea That would be
great curse God be praised that 1t is not rnonopo.
hzed--tnat It is free The monopoly Of the Land
OF that curse, immeasursbly greater than would
be the monopoly ofthe Sea, the world alas has had
long and bitter experience
That the Civil Governments Of the Word DO not
provide against the monopoly Of the soil ia one Of
the inDUmerable proofs that they are administered
for the advantage OF the rich and strong and o,pres
slve The Bible. which each IS that the great end
Of Civil Government IS 20 afford protection % the
poor and ignorsnt-to hold the shield Of the com
munity over the heads Of the weak and helpless
members-tesches, also. that the distribution ofthe
sol among His cbildren-all His children-is the
will Of God Ii was only very limited buying
and selling Of land which He permitted TO the
Jews His law 20 them The land shall not
be sold fors1er" Lev. XIV 23l And when their
avsrice would deprive the poor and unfortunate
families Of a home forever, He restrained it. and
made such deprivation but temporary. The spirit
OF the ble goes much farther than the letter OF this
them would have been deprived Of their homes,
even for a brief period. The Bible makes the sit
ting Of " every man under hls vine and fig tree
Micah iv. a prominent feature in its picture Of
supreme earthly happiness. How truly It does 80,
leave 10 be testified by the lOr gings OF every heart
among the lsndless poor for home oft own
Delightful world this. when there shall be one
spot however small Of this beautiful green earth,
which every msy call his own Delightful
world this, when every man shall have his own
vine and fig tree-shell have his own dwelling. be
il but the humblest and rudest Of cabins Delight.
iu world this when the much Wanted idea alas
that IL is but an idea :, that every mans house IS
his castle shall be realized, and avarice shall no
longer be permitted 10 tear the poverty stricken
family from that beloved hearth stone. around
which they reioced in prosperous days and around
which they now love 10 minge their tears, and
Join with each other in constructing new hopes in
the place OF those which misfortune has blighted.
Were there no land monopoly and were the soil
properly distributed, the rich and the poor would
rapidly approach that happiest Of ali conditions.
which lies midway between them. There would
then be an abundance of bread. Such wretched
poverty as poor Ireland suiiers-such irghtiul
famine as she is now passing through-would then
be unknown. Then marriage, earlier, happier and
more universal than now, would gather the whole
human family into cODtented homes. Then wee,
which preys especially upon the homeless and
upon the tenants OF unhappy homes would fast fail
for lack Of subjects Then war itself would starve
to death for lack OF &" food for powder lack OF
vagabonds from whom to obtain recruits Not one
in one hundred Of the common soldiers, who have
gone % plumber and murder the poor outraged and
unofiending Mexicans. was drawn away or could
have been drawn away, from the attractions OF
home. The man with home VIII not consent TO
be common soldier He Will not exchange the
solid comforts of home for the empty charms OF war
] would have every man own portion OF his mo
ther earth. The mechanic, IT ne have not garden
and no time to cultivate II, should nj least own
flower patch, or grass plot and even the seaman,
though he be not able to revisit 1t twice IN halt
dozen years should also own speck OF earth,
which he may think OF when upon the pillows, and
hasten 10 it at the close OF his voyage.
BY what means can land monopoly be arrested
by what means can it, hereafter, be prevented -
One means will be the teaching of its selhshness
and wickedness from the press and pulpit and other
sources of instruction. Another means will be iegls-
latinn for limiting landOwnership. Neither our
National Governments, nor our State Governments.
should sell their land. They should give It all TO
actual settlers Again. every mans home should
be made nalienabe, save by his own consent
Moreover there should be laws either to hindertse
accumulation of unduy large landed estates, or to
break them up ut the death Of those who accumu
lated them. The latter, If eiectual, as think u
would be- is preerable-ior the reason that It would
not be liable like the former 10 the objection OF IN
terierng with ones freedom. either IN the direct
securities or other steps IN business which might
result in the acquisition OF such property.
We have in the northern part of this State We
ry striking instance of the pernicous effects OF
Land Monopoly. There is an almost unbroken vii.
derness containing some 1000 square miles Had
our State instead of selling It to land spectators
given il To actual settlers 1t would now be coun-
try of smiling fields and happy honest would
now contain no very small share of our population.
and no very small share OF our means OF taxation,
and for sustaining the common burdens OF the State
close with saying that the abolition OF land mo
nopoy in America would be the abolition OF Slave
~ in America For various reasons would this ei-
feet follow For none. however. so much as Tor the
breaking up of plantatiOns-oi tracts OF several
hundred and, in many instances, OF Thousands OF
acres-nto farms of fifty or an hundred acres -
Such sub divisions would leave little room-little
occasion for the employ ment of slaves.
Why. then. should not the friends OF the slave be
the OPEN active enemies OF land monopoly Why
should they not be aboring in their social political
ecclesiastical relations, for its overthrow
GTRRiT SMITH