Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-10-24
LAND MONOPOLY.


One entire page Of tho Daily Glol1
comes to US, freieh,ed with advertise
men,s for the sa!e Of the public lands ir
the states OF Missouri, Illinois, Iowa
Michigan and Wisconsin. The sole,
are advertised to be made by townships
The quantity Of land thus thlown iu,t
market will afford another grab for tn,
vampires who have drawn from the pio
neers so much Of their very life blood
These vast tracts OF land will 60 into
the hands Of the men who own the pal
aces in Wall street, New York, and
State stree, in Boston, who will hold
them until the pioneer will pay them
from ten 10 fifteen dollars per acre.
The system OF Withdrawing lands from
private entry for the benefit Of stock
jobbing railroad spectators is still more
pernic ious than that OF sales by town.
ship to the professional spccula,or, be.
cause in the reservations made for the
Railroad companies. the lands foil into
the hands Of European capitalists, who
will hold them for generations, as they
have done in New York and Ponnsylva.
mia, merely for the profits that will &C.
crue TO the Landlord. How riliculously
absurd i, is for the political quacks a,
Washington 10 assume that the Govern.
ment has the constitutional power 10
to gran, lands 10 construct local i'm.
provements, when the proposition is ad.
mit.ed by oil sound constitutional law.
yers, and every man Of intelligence,
that the Government has no power to ap.
propriate money for any such purpose.
The policy, viewed in the ligh, Of poli,.
ical econ omy, would be infinitely better
to appropriate ten dollars in money in
place of every acre Of land ,ha, is given
TO Railroad companies. The PROPOSE
ton is perfectly clear that the Govern.
m ent has no more power to appropriate
land than it has to appropriate money
for purposes Of local improvement.
We have long disputed the righ, Of
the Government to make merchandise Of
the land, any more than it has the light
10 appropriate and trade in the sunlight,
or the vital air. All are equally neces.
sary for mans support. and are free gifts
of his Creator.
What God has made free, man cannot
lawfully bind.
For years past, the apostles Of the
true Gospel democracy, in this country.
have demanded that the wild lands Of
the nation shall not be subject TO sale
by the Government for speculation by
individuals. but that the land shall be
free 10 the first occupantin limited guam.
titles only. The occupancy end cult.
yation shall iorm the highest evidence
OF, and a sure guaranty Of title.
At the last session Of Congress, the
House of Representatives,, penetrated by
the sentiments Of the people. passed u
bill, permitting every man to occupy
100 acres Of land withou, price, but the
United States Senate, that citadel Of the
Slave power, perceivins that this meas.
ure of enlightened policy would be like
ly soon to convert Missouri and Arkan.
sas into free States, brought, in substi.
tute, called a graduation bill, that was
passed into law, the provision Of which
we published at the time of its passage.
Tha, law is entirely useless, will DO OF
no benefit TO any body. 1t won, affec,
in the slightest, the rutnous workings Of
the present land system. This "gradu.
alton bill" gotten up by Senator Hun.
ter and the men Of his school, will not
be accepted by the people. They will
press this land reform doctrine until they
are adopted, or their opponents driven
from places Of authority. The u. S
Senate, though nominally democratic
is highly conservative /; and that bod,
as it now stands, in conjunction with :ht
present weak and conservative adm mis-
tralion, have the power and stupidity
for while, at least, to defeat the pop
ular. will on this great issue. But tn,
disciples Of this new Gospel Of Human
ity are an unterriGed and hopeful band
W no will yet teach the conservatives an,
their creatures, the stock .jobbers ant
land monopo lists, that the democracy o
numbers must rule and direct the policy
Of this nation.
EG The swine of Ireland are dyin1
of a diee,ea eino;Inr IN Chole,o