Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-11-30
LAND REFORM.

IL away. "A man may sell any thlng he may
own. The earth belongs to God. He only has
the title to II. lie owns it by creation, and has
never parted with his title to any man.
Man never having owned, may never sell land
He cannot sell what does not belong to him
He can sell nothing that belongs to God. Such
are all our rights. They are his-we only have
the use of them-but may not traffic in them
They are inalienable We are his stewards
and agents, and he has given us the eat to
use as possession only on which to exercise
our right. God gave men the fruits fthe earth
and all they could get of it, but he never gave
the earth itself. The title to the soil he resery-
ed
Hence the savages who conquered the Ro-
man Empire, and established our land titles in
Europe and America, adopted a false theory
and hence all the trouble. Those savages as
sumed, that title to the earth may be had by
conquest, blythe sword. Having conquere Eu-
rope, they claim to own it. Hence our law in
regard TO land titles. Those savagls had no
God, no Bible, as we have. 1t is not strange,
therefore, that they should adopt tie theory that
" might makes right" and allow the strong and
gifted to take all from the weak and simple, and
make them laborers for such strong ones, being
deprived of homes, and in state OF utter depen-
dence. We say it is not strange that savages
should adopt such land lawsuit it is strange
that any but savages should insist upon them
What then should Government do in the mat
ter Our correspondent says that Government
should let our naiienable rights entirely alone,
that it has nothing to do with them. Our answer
is, that Government has nothing to do with any,
thing else but our inalienabe rights Its bust
ness, and its only business, is to regulate and
protect them Our idea is beautifully expressed,
4" 1t is not for them to say how much liberty en-
JOY" may range freely in creation, until 81
infringe upon others, then Government may Law
its hands on me-that is, Government must pro-
tect me, and must do no more. It's business is
only with my rights. There is the beginning
and the end OF all my claims upon it, and of all
its just power over me. may be rich as Croe-
sus. But in what may | be rich 4? In lands p
No. Not an inch of land may own. Land is
not the subject OF property any more than light
and air, and should be as cheap and free as light
and air. But Government should see that
have land because it is my inalienable right to
have it, as it is to have light and air-and the mo-
ment, that shrewder or stronger man than my
self attempts to get it from me, then is Govern
ment to interfere, and see that he does not get it
from me. 1t is to be the guardian of my rights
1t IS to see that my rights are equal with my fell
lows, however much may fall behind them, on
account of the nferiorty of my physical and in
tellectual powers. | am we'll enough so long as
my rights are preserved, however superior to
me others may be in natural gifts. The mise
ries of this world come from the infringement of
those rights, not because one is superior to an
otherlD natural power.
Yes, Government is to see to it, that have nv
needed portion of land And lift gives me the
occupancy of more than need, it Injuries no one:
IT all others have enough or more than they need
also. l,nor they, are monopolizers in such case.
1t is only when they absorb other rights in the
soil, that they are land monopoliZers. Regard
ing land as the subject of traffic, other prop
erty, and thus enabling the unprincipled and
powerful to gather it from the simple and weak,
and make them and their families dependant, ig-
norant, and wretched laborers, for the poor priv
llege of existence upon it-that is land monopos
ly.
We claim that mans homestead should be
exempt from sale That homestead should con-
sist OF all the land he is allowed to possess
Government should not scrimp it. 1t should be
sure that the homestead be sufficiently large
Noinjury can follow from the largeness OF the
homestead There is a surplus of land after all
are supplied.
Our friend sees trouble in carrying out our
principles. Surely he need not trouble himself
about that. We have nothing to do with that.
Our only business is with the theory. If our
theory is right, God has not left men without
the wisdom to carry it out. We need not fret
ourselves on that subect then. 1t is labor lost.
do not say that man may not sell his pos
sessisn, with the consent Of his family, to per-
son who has no land. But then, who does not
see, that upon our theory, the Improvements will
constitute in high degree the market value
Limit the quantity of land which any man may
possess, and make it inalienabe but to land
less men, and the price of land Immediately falls
to nothing. 1t is reduced to the market value OF
a natural and common right, which can have nc
price. improvements will be all the value.
Our correspondent claims the right to labor
But how shall man labor whose land is all mo-
nopoZed by others before he is born If my
parents sunk the farm in the dramshop, and | am
born beggar what can do but beg If la
Dor, | must beg the privilege to labor III draw
wages, others must fix the price. If | have a
place to stand, or lay down, to live, or die on,
must beg for it.
Talk of leaving ''mcn free to engage upon
any plan of business" when a man is depend
ant, at, and from his birth, to a spot to lay his
head on is superlative absurdity-to talk OF
competition or Justly regulating human affairs
when one portion are dependant upon the will OF
another portion, for bread, for labor, for a home
upon the earth, to US, seems wild enough. To
talk of leaving us unmolested in the full en-
ioyment of liberty, without any portion in the
earth, upon which alone liberty can be enjoyed
and to talk of permitting no one "to outrage
us except that they may get away from US our
homes, and turn our families in the streets, to
become beggars and vagabonds; does seem to
us too irrational language for our friend to use.
MIyyEsoTA-The first territorial Legislature
of Minnesota closed laborious session of sixty