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

n usurp this right, and throw it into the market
it article of traffic, like stock in railroad, as the
e have done with the land, there would then be
e monopoly of the there is now of the land
that no individual could have access to it except
such terms as the monopolists would be able to es
tort; and these would be high or low, according I
the demand for the products Of the sea, the use
= it as means of communication between nations.
1t is plain to be seen that whoever should attemr
to live by fishing, would have to contribute fror
the products of his labor to the support of idenes
and extravaganza, as those now do who draw thei
sustenance from the soil under the present system
, of land monopoly That land monopoly was tn
primary, if not the sole cause of the recent famine
in Ireland, we have no doubt. That cause was i'm
ported into this country with the first grant of lane
made upon this continent. That it is fast reducing
us to the condition of dependent tenantry, as il
Europe is everywhere manifest to all who examine
this subject. "By it, the laboring masses of every
civilized country have been robbed of their freedom
and the proceeds of their labor" That equality
declared to be the birthrigt of ALL is not, and can
/
means of human elevation in our country there is
even now, as rapidly increasing an amount of mise
ry and wretchedness, staring statesmen and pol
iticans in the face, which neither banks sub-teasu-
'3es, tariffs, or free hade any other nosrum pro-
posed by them can remedy. We have in the town
of Pitsford no less than sixty families living in hired
tenements, paying an average rent of S25 each,
making an annual draught of 81 500 upon their earn
ngs, to be distributed among those who are able to
control more than they are able to use being thirty
families to each thousand inhabitants. Apply this
ratio to the population of the State, and we have
o76O families that say, the birds have nests,
and the foxes have holes but we have not where to
lay our heads;' and upon whose aggregate earnings
there is an annual draught of S22OOJ0; a summore
than sufficient to have paid for our State House, and
saved to the rising generation their school fund of
which they lave been robbed. There is not the re-
motest probability that any considerable portion of
these can, by laboring at wages under the present
laws, become the owners of home, or a sufficient
amount of capital to sustain themselves as iudepen-
dent laborers.
Our State will soon be traversed by railroads
which will cause rise in the price of land, scar
city Of fuel, greater competition among aborer. an
demand for rent, and ultimately more
inadequate compensation for labor. So long as the
present land system continues we see nothing better
in reserve for the laborer at wages, but something
altogether worse. That "orerg,otcn ,ceahh-a dis
position to QRpress-l acWy-laide and imm,oroHt,-
-degradiag dependence aid SerriEty-deJasiog
ignorance and crime," are its certain and unavolu
bic results, we fully believe.
Were there no land monopoly, society, instead of
being as we now see it, broken into isolated antago
nstic fragments, would be one continuous congenial
neighborhood. Each individual would be the owner
Of portion of his mother earth. Says GERRIr
SMITH, "were the soil properly distributed, the rich
and the poor would rapidly approach that happicst
Of all conditions, which lies midway between them"
. would" says he, " have every man own por
ton of this mother earth. The mechanic if lie have
no garden and no time to cultivate it, should at least
own flower patch, or grass plot; and even the
seaman, though he be not able to revisit it twice in
lalf dozen years, should also own speck of earth,
which he may think of when upon theil blows and
hasten to at the close of his VOYAGE"
There are natural resources in Vermont. sufficient
10 sustain comfortably and independently, five or ten
times the present population. The amount of wild,
lncultvated land, within the jurisdiction of the
United States is estimated to be equal to two acres
to each nhabitant Of the globe. There can be no
reason in nature thcn why single family should be
without home, or labor for the support Of others
as a condition of owning
This rendering one portion of the people DEEPEN
dent on another for those primary means of produc-
ton, which a common providence has so abundant
ly bestowed upon all, is an abuse that ought to be
no longer tolerated
The National Reformers propose three, PLAIN sim
pie, lrdctcol measures based upon mans Raliendblc
rights which if adopted and carried into effect would
do more to harmonisc the interests of capital ma
chnery, and labor, and to promote the happiness of
tie whole people, and render permanent our Repub-
lcan Institutions than all the legislation for the last
half century.
" Homestead Erempton-Land LinHtation--und
Freedom Of the Public Lands to actuaL seuIers"-
We place homestead exemption first, because it is
more Immediately comeatablc; it being but an ex-
tension of an established principle. This measure,
if adopted, would go far to give to What among us
is commonly called the credit system, that equili-
brum which would render it blessing, instead of n
curse, to both creditor and debtor. 1t would leave
the unfortunate debtor, who, through want of
necessary prudence and foresight should find him
self involved beyond his DEPTH an opportunity to
retrieve his credit and standing instead of being
driven with his family away from home, to become
ever after prey to swarm of avarc:ous creditors
1t would render the creditors collection more GER
tain In proportion as it would render the debtor
less liable to become reduced beyond hope of re-
covery.
1t would secure many a wife, widow, and orphan
from want, when their natural protector, the hus-
band and father should be stricken down by mis-