Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-05-20
Speculation

Speculation in this country has in il. in.
ausnce and eject. upon society. become a
ro.i,.y. evil. The country is foil Of specla.
tors. The land from which i. derived the
sustenauco Of lile and which affords food for
the millions, is grabbed by grocdy 'Pccula.
tors. who. by their dishorcs, gains. are en-.
abled to create monopoly TO the great in.
jury Of the middling classes. Ga into the
West and you will there see practical de-
monstration OF the evils 4 land speculation.
Large quantitie. OF land in many Of the new
States have bcen bought up by speculator-
at government prices. and then instead OF
selling at a fair profit, eIorbi,An, advances
are drnanded, such as would b. ruinous to
any man Of moderate means. The conss-
quencCs are. that vast number Of town
ships IN Wisconsin. Iowa. aud other new
States, are % very great eIten, kept de-
populated. merely because some Of the best
territory Is in the hands o: land sharks. 4
few settlers 20 on 10 government lands at
government prices, and make them homes.
Al around them are lands held by sPecula.
tors. and instead of one dollar and twenty.
i've eents'psr acre. these monopolizers Of the
soil demand Eve. ten. fifteen and twenty
dollars. The result is these lands are not
taken Up at all. but lef, To lay upoccupiei.
These few sQuatters at length become dis
cnanrej. poll up stakes and em,grate fur
Their west, 10 Kansas. Minnesota, Nebraska,
or some new territory vhercthe soil has not
hem cursed BY spectators. But this is no,
the only evil connected with land specula-
ton. Il creates a monopoly, which gives
the rich an undue advantage over the poor.
"La1Ss for he Indies" i. doctrine 50
sound and equitable, that it has already
passed into pruverb. Make Z" homes for
the homeless, and you make country.
There is no section or the Union which has
not in It's early settlement been cursed with
these land speeulations. \ few men have
amn'sed prineely fortunes, while the many
have been impoverished and crippled in their
means, just in proportion as these few have
grown opulent.
Bot the spirit Of speculation has not been
confined to land. IL has extended to almost
every thing else that is bought and sold, In
Maine, to say nothing Of other States,
scarcely an OK or COW can change owners,
without a shave" to 90 into the pockets
OF the spectators. These men to certain
extent control the cattle market in all the
rural districts; hence II man has a yoke
Of oxen or COW to part with, instead Of
selling TO his neighbor, he first trades with
the cattle dealer. who re-sells, pOcke,ins by
the operation a handsome profit. The same
!. true Of the produce raised by our farm.
srs. Spectators often buy it Up in larg,
quantities, and then sell at their own pri.
ees. But in buying and selling cattle and
produce. we admit the original owner often
gets as much as he would n there were M
spectators about. They sometimes pay q
fair price. The evil is not ielt 50 much by
the producers as by those dependent upon
the producers for a supply. Spectators
boy to make a profit; hence subsequent
purchasers are compelled to pay tribute ID
them.
The worst evils arising from speculation,
are those experienced from nOnopOliss in