New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-05-01
Land and PraperfY.

The Commercial quotes our answers Yes.
Yes Yes to its three questions. and complains
hat they are not specific The following Is its blu
n exceptions
.Ths answer TO our second question Is mooined by 3
long explanation, which is not very clear ont ~non
that there ought 70 D, no rop"y ~ bn
snises ,.Avs < ps-son clantnE 10 haos mat properly nos
s1sis ~s,s. vaiss 70 lond BY labor In other woro.
~ n. man shoud y allowed by law to own OF nave
property the night OF possession 70 squsnuv y,
~ unl,,s he actually has that land In possession AND
srpsnds upon It has expended upon 1t his labor to
matte 10 yield its products
a argue With any useful results unless premises are
SAstiss,iy enunciated and must therefore ask The
Tribune 10 cay whether our understanding OF its mon
aoauon above set forth 10 correct or not hhn not
YIN The Tribune BE- hind enough TO express i's idea
bsefy clearly aud with specific reference 10 tand-ms
hing no slusen nshes or breeies or deer In forests
anything else which has nothing TO 90 WIN the subject
Of our controversy, 10 Wit property IN land Also We
nst beg OF The Tribune prrss into the service
"a the unimproved soi OF the earth, which no one
nan pretends TO slsim 90 TAR We know ana CONNIE
ssf simply 70 the OF apd In the abstract
no nss-r whether one acre hundred acres or hun
dPsd thousand"
- Tho Com msrcials understanding is GER.
tainly not correct i'm fact we hardly ever heard
Of an understanding that was less so. Let us
Try once more TO state our positions so that the
Commercial cannot misunderstood them.
We hold that the unimproved, unnhabited por-
tons Of the earth ough, never to have been recog-
nissd a. private property nor allowed TO become
sssh except as wanted for actual settlement and
cultivation and thea only within reasonable aud
clearly defined limit We think all the unimpro-
we'd lands within the territorial bounds of a nation.
thus carefully held as public property should be
open to settlement by any lsndless citizen. who
should b guaranteed the night to appropriate and
improve q specified area, which shoxld in this
country be less than forty without charge
therefor and If allowed TO acquire larger area
by purchase we think there should be legal
limit TO the extent of any individuals acquisitions
and possessions Our impression is that 800 acres Of
arabic coil is as much as one man should be allow
Cd hereafter to acquire but we propose here TO
enuncate principles and not TO settle details Our
principles. then, are simply these
I. Those lands which are yet Public Property
ought to be retained such until wanted by actual
settlers. when portion should be allotted to each,
boinx otherwise landless without charge;
2. There should be some lesal limit TO the extent
Of arabic soil which any person might hereafter
be allowed to acquire and hold, as his individual
pvopsrty.
Now II does clearly follow from our principles
that land upon which no labor has ever been sx'
pended ought TO have been and to be retained as
public property until some one seeks 1t for his own
ase and improvement bat it does not follow that a
man must actually have certain tract Of land IN
his Immediate possession. or have bestowed his
own labor upon it. in order 10 constitute him It's
rightful owner. Suppose such lsnd-system as
We think just were adopted. merchant or mechan.
ic in this City might have allotted to him quarter
section in Iowa or Minnesota, and might choose to
'smain here at his old business earning the money
whsrewith he paid some other man or men for
hearing and sowing twenty acres. building HIM
ooss, etc.-and the whole would be the righiial
nd lawful property of him who pad for the I'M
not Of these who made them al his cost
IL there anything mystical in all this
The Commercial tells US ihs' no one man
'retends TO claim all the ucinr, vel @o;i o. tne /
arsh Very well. Now we cities, % tho p !
'oytSR4y afforded. the 5aetl,s'es gwen to some
one man to purchase ten thousand square ;1es
{ virgin soil. OF even hundred thousand acres,
o be held and sold by him or bis heirs as bis or
heir pecuriary interest sIsll seem to dictate. We
blink this facility pernic'Oas aud perilous Settle.
,snt is retarded by H. and tie settlers often made
pay az erorbit price for .belr patches Of prim
i've wilde rness--snd to what COCO endf A. B
.vine 100000 p. command. or'being able to Dor.
~ IL buys $1,000 acres of Public Land as a spec.
alton. Interest, tsxes charges and profits must
4 come out Of tho utimste settler who is genera,
assly and gets his money by the hardest The