Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-09-20
Land Freedom. .-Inalienable Homes for the
Millions.

G,frlt Smith has recently issued nm nd-
dress yludcaiing his views on political ton
ics. lle address is a long one aud il
Characterised with the authors usual candor,
,h'i' fiihropy and ability. On the great ques-
tion II Land Reform, AIf Smith says:
Lind Monopoly is another ofBiese crimes.
lie flglh OF every mnn To his needed share
OF li' soil, Is as inbWn, inalienaI,le, aud alb
so'uir,as his right to life itself; aud the
wort' nus suffered more wrong aud wretch
ednses ifOn the violations ui' this right than
u lmS even from slavery. Indeed, the rob
hiueIoi men Of their liberty is hut a conse-
q'ien e OF rObhing them VI their land. The
p0vriiy aud impotence of tile landlcss mas.
ses, lake them an inviting aud eney prey oi
| siaN sry. The masses, Who fall under the
ynkf OF slavery, iall under Il becatise the,
are fpor. Well docs the Bible say, The
dus't t"c'i0n OF the poor Is their poverty
bnl were the equal riglh 10 the soil pract-
cali acknowledged, there would h. no mnsS
OF Ipvorty: aud, hence, there would he little
or y slavery--aImost cenainly no slavery.
SmNeudUns, however, aud everywhere prac-
iic'i robbery, us is land monot,oly, Govern.
nIttlt nevertheless, does not forbid il. Nay
Il ir's''i'oly and expressly peruiis il. Still
wut-r, u does itself practice it. Government
Is eli The great land mouopollst.
81 Do moan that men haze an equdi right
10 ~ &W-Yes MS equal Az to tho light aud
the air: aud Government slioult withom de-
lay, prescribe the MAXIMUM qiIuntty Of land
wliq !, each family n.ay possesr. Ia our
c~h'fy, as It's population is 10 sparse, the
,t.sl, - Hsss
dtts acres. A century hence, however, aud
the population Insy have increased 50 far, ~
10 r.ke u the duty OF the Government TO re-
due this quantity to a hundred acres. Two
ceI.urics hcuce, and il may, for a similar
re- IN, he necessary to bring it as law US
ii.i acres. The population in Ireland il al
reafy 20 dcnse, that not more Than some ten
or ~eniy acres should be allowed to each
fan ly 10 that islnnd.
The question, whether / would have the
lar iless clainI improved land, ! answer--not
un ! the stores OF wild land are exhausted
Th7 people OF ireland should be put ia inn
mefis'e lIossessioD OF the soil Of Ireland,
"yir,ed rights" i0 the contrary nOiwifhstand
ing. In our country, such rights may bo
81 rcd, for while longer. But tho day is
no dsidnt, when, IL they have not been pre-
iIisly aud peacefully disposcd Of by Home
SD ES.n.pton aud land limitation laws,
~ .s,.s u, sN.ui.lied TO give Way before
tiIA paramount natural right to The soiI,
which inhetcs as fully in every man, as does
his right 10 himself
Had not Gerrit Smith recently given an
immense tract OF land 10 some Two hundred
lIuc!ese American citizens, he would now be
tie largest land owner IA the State of New
YORK. MIR. Smith IL yet q very extensive
land owner, aud his testimony against the
evils OF land monopoly cannot lac impesched
by the sensrless cry Of ssrariauism, which
ti'e opponents VI reform Use TO tTighien fee
ble-minded persons from Sn unpreludiced
consideration Of the subject.
We fully concur wifi the philsnthropic
Smith IN his views OF Laud Reform aud are
much grained 10 notice that lie has devoted
large portion of his able address TO the vim
dicaion OF the Free Trade as we'll as the
LSnd Freedom policy. These questions 90
hand IN hand. He points out, az we have
oiIen done, the utter impossibiity of any eff
fectual reform in the expenditures OF the na-
Iionsl government, until our finsncial system
is based upon Free Trade aud Direct Taxa
lion.
Public opinion is now fastening on all the
Free LabO. States, aud in some OF the Slave
States, with mighty aud resstlcss energy OF
such change ~ our land tenure system as
shall secure 10 every citizen his inslienable
right 10 home aud land 10 live upon. With
our abundance Of unoccupied land, Dir.
Smith estimates that The sllotment OF 200
acres 10 the laIIdless will not deprive any Of
their equal right 10 the soil.
Now is the time to urge the land question
upon the attention of the county. The la
boring people who are 20 be especially ben
efittcd by this great aud beneficent reform,
should look closely to their interests aud see
that men are not elected to office by their
suffrages, who are hostile TO the policy of
securing 10 the poor and the landless that
inalienable right to land to live on. The last
Congress voted millions of acres Of The peo-
pies land 10 single company of epeculaiors,.
which donation is now valued by the recipi-
ents at over S2l 100000. Equally villHnOus
schemes of land robbery will be pressed be-
fore the next Congress. VIII the people
consent 10 this Wholesale robbery Of their
land? Shall Il single individual or a single
company receive grants of land of the value
of S2l 100000, while millions of the people
the real owners of the property-are de-
prived of their own homes aud farms? The
time has come when all end must be put TO
the land speculation business, or the people
will become, in this country, as they are ull-
der the despolsm of the old world, the serfs
and slaves Of landed aristocracy.-Ioledo
RepuJiican.
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