Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-01-02
PROGRESS OF RApICALlsM.

PROGRESS OF RADlCALlSM.
So long as such sentiments as the following
are freely circulated we may look Tor disorder,
strikes for wages, anti-rcnt outragss, and every
We find il in the Tribuue's advice
70 the carpe, Weavers OF YarlIvi!le.
"Our earnest advice to them is DO not hope
To live longer by Carpet Viewing, but buy lit
tie place, each OF you, in Connecticut OF
stretch OF at onoc for the ample, bounteous.
magnificent West. There buy tract of land
or squat on one, If you cannot pay, and wait
the not Gisfont day when crery hnditss man
shall be declared entitled 10 some portion Of the
soii to cultivate for his own
subsistence and that Of his femily."-N. y.
Tribune
We place in italics The sentiments which
have arrested our attention. We are here in
formed that this school Of refomcrs IS looking
forward to the day as "not distant when every
lnndless mar shall be declared entitled 10 some
portion of the appropriated SOIL" There are
millions OF acres Of such land now in the United
States. and "landless man. can have on ere
of IL for hundred and twenty five cents, and
as much more as he wishes n, the same prlce,
but if he will wait til mo, distant day he
"shnll be declared entiled' 10 farm. This is
agrarianism the most radical, and If men o'
sense ani patriotism, who look 10 the pe'ma-
nence of such Instructions aS the above, they
will find in them the elements, winch now,
more than any other, threatento WORK The over
throw of our free government: Inc govern
ment owns a tract of land: 1t is 10 he used OF
disposed of for the equal benefit Of all the gov.
erned no one class of men has right TO 1t
more than another, and least Of all has the i'm
ported throng of foreigners, not only "iandless'
but coatless, light to appropriate it TO Them.
selves. But if the progressive democracy OF
this new school could tinker the leg's latlon OF
the country, then the "not distant day" would
be here, when "eveyy landless man wooldb be
made frceholder forthwith. II is VAN That
You talk OF vested rights. and the faith oil states
or the federal compact, there are some millions
Of "landless men, each one OF whom must
have farm. and instead OF buying il at fail
price, working FOR it as he ought and paying an
equivalent for what he gets, he must be "de'
clared ent:tlef 10 it, and then the " landles'
man" is "landlord."
The above comments on an article
which appeared in The Tribune some
years ago, we find in Gle Of the Neu
York Obserrer,-a paper rsoIesscdl!
devoted to the cause Of Christianity, and
an influential organ OF the Ccngrega
tional Church. How a Christian maj
can find language to express the con
lcmptuous sneer for the 'landless" an.
"coa.less" poor, contained in the above
we do not know. To feed the hungry
and clohe the naked were once thouSh
to be-C.;;stt.a duties. But the n,os
holy Editor of the Obserrer seems her
rGej at the idea of "landless man
becoming a Landlord" without frs
"workins and paying" government 70
the privilege Of having home in tht
Wilderness.
\ Whence came the title OF the Israc!
Iitcs to the land of Canaan Did they
purchase it? Whence came the title o
the Government TO the inappropriate
lands Of the United States +? 1t was By
treaty, conquest. and purchase. Ha'
the Spanish, French, and English an.
othor foundation 10 their title to lands il
I America than discovery They hat
mono. Our title is no better than theirs
resting altogether on discovery, which i
no foundation at all,
| There is but one system Of land It'll
founlcl on natural right, and that is ac
tual occupancy and cultivation. 1t wa
: all right for invading armies to conque
Europe, and divide the land among sue
, cesslul generals, who thereby establishe
, a permanent landed aristocracy. Th
most holy Editor Of the Observer coul
see no wrong in this it were sacrilt
gious thing to question a title founde
upon such right. The Church got h'
, share in the conquered territories, an
must vindcate her tenure.
The church never entered any con
plant against the Spanish, French, an
6 English crowns monopolizing the lane
t in America. But for the I" lundless an
, coatless foreigner, or even for our ow
I, |landless neiShbor to be permitted, b
d Cove .nment, under direction Of the "Pr,
I grcssive democracy" to 60 forth int
the wilderness and subdue and cultiva
lit, and to plant home there for his wi
and children, is "a8rarianism," an il
] novation Of !" vested rights" and dal
4 ger GUS to the I" faith Of States"
Does the Editor suppose, that If Il
"Iandless men" are made landlords, III
their attachment TO Government wi
: thereby be weakened. that they will
. suddsnly converted into parrciides :
! time. past tho church has done much ar
done nobly for the cause Of humanit
I Its very founder was the prophet Of h
!. Democracy. He came to the poor, II
: afiicted, the down trodden masses al
q spoke to them as q brother. "The spil
4 Of the Lord God ives upon him becau
i H had anointsd him 10 preach 90,
tidinss 10 the poor" While he thu