Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-12-08
The Rights of the Lab0rer.
PHILADELpHIA, Aug, 30, 1847


sSis& q Pn1LADELpHIA, Aug, 30, 1s47.
To the Editor the Times and keystone. -
ssThe mass of mankind has not been born with
saddles ON their backs, nor favored few booted
and spurred ready to ride them 1egitimately by
the grace of God."-JEfrERsoNs last letter.
Gentlemen-True Democracy wishes to
t,lace the faborer on the pedestal of human
happiifiessss and freedom. 1t sees that one Of
the great reasons why the producing class T
es have been hitherto treated as mere hew-
ers Of wood and drawers Of water, is be-
Gauss the earth, which vas made by the.
Great Greatdt for .nl his creatures, has
b beehF ffson5poIfze bs few, sinstead Of be-
ing retained for. the use of all. Establish |.
and maintain landed .aristocracy in q
country, and care not what the institu.
tions Of that country may be, it will be rul- |
eddy an oligarchy. The worlds annals |
pldinly exempl1fy this statement. We
surely, then, should take: warning by ex;;
ample SO plain and SO evident. =, =, s.#a
The ,ffty-six sages broke asunder the
tine revered institutions Of ages, and pro- /
claimed to an astonished world the truths Of
the equality of mankind. Paine, in his po-'l
litical pamphlets called 7'sThe American
Crisis illustrated in strong and convincing
language, the folly and wlckedness of re-
tanning a King. The philosophic and states
manlike pen Of Democracy's own apostle
exploded the abominable institutions of pri.
nlogeniture and State churchsm. In the
destruction of these two engines of despot-
ism, we ought to venerate the mighty mind
which accomplished it. Such men, in their
age, nobly performed their duty to their
country; be it ours to initiate tho splendid
examples. .-'' 49,
The next progressive democratic step
must be a, law that will prohibit in all fu-
ture time, the bestowment oflegal or social
privileges upon individuals or Corporations.
Wherever the eye of the philanthropist
wanders, there he beholds prineely splen-
dor on the one hand and the most abject
des,itution on the other. Wherever the
soil has been monopolized by the few, there
have want and suffering and ignorance been
the lot of the many, doomed from the era
die to the coffin, to toll, toll, toll, and
sBeget race of new born slaves
Who war for their chains rather than be free"
AS stated in my former communication,
air and water are the common property OF
all mankind So ought the earth to be. also,
| and will give my reasons Every man
| should have all he produces or an equlva-
lent No man has alright to say to ano-
ther, although you uaproduce,. will reap the
sffsats of eyour abes. laaf Of bread,
coat, OF q hat can be called into eaptsnce
by human skill and industry. Hence the
absolute necessity of protecting every man
in his labor. Butno man can make an a.
ere of land, any more than he can make
air or water; and as no man can make
land save the Great Creator OF oil hlngs
SO no man can upon natural grounds, claim
to himself particular right to partlcula'
norton of Gods footstool. And not only
have q naural right on our side, but W.
have Revelation also to sanctify this sub
lime doctrine, which any man may be con
yinced of by reference to the year OF Jubi
lee under the Mosaic dispensation.
History, ''teaching by example," give
= timely warning. to the citizens OF our glgan
tic republic that unless we establish a, land
! ed Democracy, instead of a landed arlstoc
: racv. ours viii be the fate of other nation
> which have preceded US. By the insane
assistance which we have given to tn
Ragocrats, the Milocrats and the Aristo
: Gratis of the country, we have enabled thef
to traffic in the public domain, forestall tn
!. !. market, to buy up countless thousands
. acres, at the regular government prlce;
: : and afterwards resell them to actual Sc
:, lers for ten, fifteen, or twenty times tne
u original cost! | ask is it honorable or Jus
or Democratic to act thus?
, arm convinced that if the citizens OF on
y = country could only see whore the principle
70 % of land monopoly were leading them, thel
y, ~ would soon be On end of. it. 'Well, D
- YOU prevent enterprise" say some; "'ye
IA cannot do without rich men." The goverl
ment has to- be supported: of that | WI
8 sneak when come to examine into tax
:" ton, Soft must and can be, without Sc
-, ing an inch ofthe public soil. Prevent e
o' ,,' terprise, forsooth! that is, Foreign Loro
>. and dukes, and Counts, and Marqulses iro
~, ~ coming here and buying up immense trac
- - Of our. country, and then retaining 1t
~ their possession until they can obtain
A. markably exorbitant prices for it from o
own citizens! Believe me, Messrs. Edito
es that this is the kind Of! foreign inf1aen
~ which we have to dread! s.42 . g. e9z
re | contend that by making the soil free,
- limited quantities Of one hundred an sla
III III acres, to actual settlers, we will have Or
~ ~ en- a nail deep and fast into the cothn
-, ~ tyranny nail which all the despots
iar the world can never withdraw. But tn
it is objected that we interfere with
n. 0n. sspursuit of liberty and happiness. Nc
anns anns it generally happens that those who ma
ets =: these objections wish the ''pursuit'' to be
Is ON their own side. / have no other idea
see liberty than for man to say what ne llh
. ace write what he likes, provided no other P
.I'. &c. son is injured by him. Therefore II 1t
'ne be proved that to allow one a monopoly
la'e a. the earth to the exclusion OF his lei
1ly mortals, is not liberty, but tyranny the
sos, ,oI iections raised should go for naught'
s1ai here wish it to be distinctly borne in m
- - HAT democracy always respects We
ere rights: or, in other words, all those nov no
ooo the possession cf land, shall be allowed
hosl makerhe best they can Of it; bat Ell
7ous 7e, laws to prevent all further traffic in
hiy' lands of the United States. -4
W. NOV, rest assured that bank Dt