Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-08-18
The Right of Property in Man.

Hc AleEt Oh property IN -ndis
Extract from an impressive Dis
course delivered in the First Congre
gational Unitarian Church. in Phila-
dclphia, Sunday, July 3, 1889, by
WILLIAM II. FcrSEss, Minister:'-
Putting the gross iniquity Of this
claim out of sight, to say nothing o9
its rank barbarism, what can be more
palpablc than its absurdity? Can
there be any such thing as right of
property to any thing whatsoever,
save upon the ground of every man :
inalienable right to himself? Here Is
the beginning and the basis Of all
rights of property. If a man do not
belong to himself, If his hands and
his feet, and the various organs and
faculties of his being are not his. il
his property in these things may be
sequcstcred, when he has done nothing
to forfeit them, except being born OF
certain complexion. AMI that was no
act of his, then there is nothing else,
neither houses, nor lands, nor implc-
ments OF toll. nor beasts of burden, to
which he can assert the shallow of n
right. For if there is no such thing
as natural and inalienable right to
ones own limbs, there can be no claim
to any thing which the cxcrtion ol
those limbs produces. How, then,
can one man hold property in another
when he does not own himself? Thus
the assertion OF such claim involve.
flat denial of il; and it only shows
into what depths of absurdity men
plunge when they give up Right, and
make Power Law.
Deny the right Of every man t.
himself, and there are no such thing,
as natural rights. which government,
and legislatures arc under the slightest
obligation to respect. The hard won
earnings of the day-laborcr may Lt
taken from him ut the close of every
day to the very last cent, or the accu
mulatcd wealth Of the rich may b,
appropriated summarily by any on,
who is strong enough to take it, ant
no wrong is done. no right infringcd
in either case.
To assert, therefore, the right o
man to hold property in another man
in other words, that one mans RICH
to himself may be appropriated b!
another, so that the latter may la,
claim to him just as he lays claim t
n horse or an ox,-the assertion o
such n right of property is DESTRUCTIVE
of all rights of property. 1t annihi
lates the very idea of property. 1t i
the very central principle and soul o
disorganization and anarchy. 1t cx
terminates human society. For it en-
thrones Brute Strength as absolute
lord of the world. Recognizing n
basis Of things but arbitrary power
IL degrades men to beasts of prey.
That | do not exaggerate, that ! an
uttering no ultra doctrine, no fanatic
al delusion. but only what is so plain
" true that it is shame that it shoul
neei to be stated. when | say that tn
claim to hold property in man de
stroys the very itlca of right. an
leaves no foundation for the holdin,
Of any property whatsoever. human o
other, is evident from the fact that
is expressly asserted that slaves pos
sess nothing. and Shareholders act up
on the assertion; and this monstrou
doctrine of savage power Is actual
carried ont in what are styled. in bit
tier msckery, courts of justice. Ther
have been cases. as Won know, !
which Shareholders. having made a
agreement with their slaves that the
should purchase ttesnselves for a eel
tain sum. and having received nearl
: the whole amount of the hardly earnc
purchase money. have sold the slaves
aud kept the money as their owl
claiming it as the proceeds Of the
property. Aud there was no redre.
for this monstrous wrong. as q sla,
can not hold anything. nor make
contract. We are shocked at the il
describable basencss of such proceed
: ings. But they are the necessary cor
sequences Of the essential principle I
American Slavery, the right Of prol
; erty in man. They illustrate that; an
they show that in fact. as in principl
the claim N hold man .e prooo~s,