The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-04-27

Il right to till the EARTH it necessarily follows tht
each individual must have right to till porto
oft; and that no one can rightfully extend his POI
= session so far as to interfere with this right i
others.
If our premises are correct that all those right
conferred upon man by nature, which he cannc
create for himself nalienable and that it is til
duty of the government to secure to each Of its con
stituents their inaienabe rights, we see not why
should not fix some limit to the amount of lam
hereafter acquired, the peaceable possession O
which it will guarantee to any one individual
Upon what principle the powers of the government
should be taxed to protect few in the possession
of that which violates the rights Of ALL we are un
able to perceive. There is evidence that cur cit,
populations are increasing in great dsproportion t.
the agricultural populations and we are not withou
danger from their becoming fostering sores upol
our country, engenderng and dil1usng moral anC
physical disease throughout society. The stock ir
our railroads is chiefly owned by city capitalists
That which was originally taken in the country,
mostly flows to the city before the enterprise is COM
peted. When these reservoirs for the surplus CAPT
tai Of the cities shall become full and capital shall
seek an investment in the SOIL land will begin to
rise, and wages fall in a corresponding ratio. Let
the miionares but become the owners Of the soil in
tile country as extensively they are of the stock
in the railroads, and their property in the bones and
sinews of the working bpeds of the north, will be
far more complete, yet much cheaper than is that
Of the southern STAKEHOLDER in his chattel man. 1t
matters not how wealthy an individual or COM
pany may become, provided they do not transcend
tier natural rights so as TO deprive others of the
PRIMARY means Of wealth.
The soundest political maxim we conceive to be,
to keep the soil as far as possible in the hands of
those who cultivate it. We see no way of accom-
pshing this more etIectually than by fixing con
stitutonal limit to land monopoly. Were our far
mers sufficiently informed on this subject to pro-
cure from the Council of Censors such proposition
of amendment to the Constitution they would ac-
compsh more by way Of securing homes for their
children, than by life of cxertion spent in any
other way Without land limitation one half of the
people must ever remain the virtual slaves of the
other half
As regards the public lands, we hold it to be the
true policy and the duty ,f the General Govern
ment to keep them surveyed into townships and
farms of reasonable size free to actual settlers re-
curing only satisfactory security for their cultiva-
ton and Improvement as q condition Of title As
fast as new Territories are admitted to the Union
the remaining unoccuped soil should be transferred
to the State, on condition Of such disposal being
made of it. Says DR.. Wayland, in his Elements of
Political Economy, "division of property, or the
appropriation to each, of his particular portion of
that which God has given to ALL lays at the founda-
ton of all accumulation of wealth. and of all progress
in civilization" This being the case, the selling of
the choicest lands in large tracts to nonresident
capitalists, must be any thing but conducive to
public interests; for, it is not only deprving a part
Of their particular portion Of that which God has
given to all, but it is manifesty grant of power
from the Government to appropriate the earnings of
those who are thus robbed Of their rights to an ex
tent proportional to the power of land monopoly.
Ofthe means and probability of the attainment of
these measures, we will merely saw that, ain 1915,
through the agency of the National Reform Associ-
alton, National Convention was called with
view to effect as faras possible union ofrefomcrs
at which plan Of organization, by which the soil
may be restored to the people, by political action,
was Completed OF its success thus far, we may
Judge from the fact that the subject is already oc-
cupyng the attention of the constitutional convcl-
tons and legislatures Of several of the different
States Of the Union; and that there are over one
hundred newspapers in the different sections of the
country committed to its support
That this organization will go on, gaining Access
sions till it has power to influence the now organic
ed parties to adopt these measures, we have not a
doubt
Fortunately we are in possession Of the ballot box
and with it, power to arrest the further progress Of
false, partial legislation. Not however by merely
following either of the old political parties. They
have already led us lonS dance in downward
course. Every step taken in their direction will
but sink us and the country deeper in degradation
than we now arc. With them, politics have be-
come trade, and have ceased to be principle
they are merely scrambling for power and p!urder,
as is manifest from the getting up Of the present
war by the one, contnvcning their protested OBJ
jects, and the voting for it of men and money by
its justice and constitutonality.
With them, party ascendency is the ruling prn-
cipe. They both rob the poor of those means Of
moral and intellectual culture which nature has
bestowed upon all, and then cater to their gnor-
ance and prejudces for votes to sustain themselves
in their infamous doings.
All that is required for the speedy success of these
is, that the friends of National Reform
disenthral themselves from all party trammels, of
nature, and take position to act in con-
cert with whichever party will best promote this
great end. Would the laboring masses but strike
hands, and exert themselves politically for their
own interest, as perseveringly as they now do for
their own injury in the ranks of the different par
ties, they would rid themselves from the support Of
droncs and ders and recover their natural rights,
with far less Of eXertion than it now costs them for
either party to obtain victory over the other