The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-03-09
THEILLINo1s CENTRAL R. r. PLUMBER

The directory of this gigantic Land Plumber
have published a statement of the conditionVt
the Road, with special reference to the ways
and means of raising about two millions of
money that are needed. Among other things
it is stated, that those who purchased land of
them are in an unfortunate situation-being so
heavily in debt to the company, and the scarce
crops leaving them without money. Such is
the wall of the working class everywhere, under
the swindle of the Land Monopolists. The
agent of the company tells the stockholders,
that he had not deemed it advisable to Gust
the farmers along the line, because their i'm
proved fields would grow over with weeds, briers
and bushes, and be of far less value than the
untouched prairie! The inference is, that if
the company could make money by thrusting
these farmers into homelessness, there would
be no hesitation in proceeding against them
Of counsel How often do we hear of cases OF
leniency and accommodation, where money can
be made by sacrificing humanity?
These farmers purchased land of the COM
pany at from ten to twenty-five dollars per acre,
on credit, and under the pledge of improving
annually, one-tenth part of their purchase. A
hard bargain which few will be able to carry
out. Many will spend all they had in building,
and otherwise improving under the tempting
encouragement of the company in large state.
ments about the yield per acre of the land, and
the ease with which they could pay. for a
quarter section. The game is the same that
has always been played by land speculators-
making fabulous to the poor and
those of small means, to stimulate their hopes
and induce them to settle on the SPECTATOR
purchase that his lands may rise in value
The sagacious, eloquent and dishonest, thus
play upon the credulity and honesty of the less
cunning, to get what little they have, and
otherwise make money out of their sacrifices.
We know a man in the north of Ohio, who
played the same game with a man in Erie
county, inducing him to exchange a valuable
farm for sterile Tennessee lands. The specu-
lator told him of the salubrity of the climate,
the borderer between the temperate and torrid
zones, uniting the productions of both, and
thus, by his persuasive eloquenee, got the
working mans farm for nothing. This ,specu-
lator is now rich, rolls in splendor, and fits
out his family in good style on the plumber of
the working class.
But it is said that the Rail Road is the vital
power of the State, without which the land
would not be settled. To some extent, under
the monopoly system, this is true; but the sole
reason why it is necessary to the development
Of the State is, because monopoly has prevent
ed the natural and riehtfui settlement off Tic
country in limited allotments. Under the
actual free settlement system; every work of
interal improvement would be carried along
pari passu, with the steady advance of the
tide of population. The Rail Road would be
the peoples improvement, and entirely free
from the blighting curse of monopoly. Under
the present system, however, it is a double
monopoly-both of the land and the road
Under this system, a few nabobs are built up,
and half the people struck down; while under
the true system, the working people would be
built up in accordance with the law of God.
that those who will work shall. flourish, and
those who will not work shall die.-How diff
ferent is it under the selfish robber-system =
Those who do not work get all that twenty men
earn above the most limited support, while
multitudes of the hardest workers suffer great
privation in our country, and absolute starya-
ton in other countries where there has been
no Land Reform for centuries. The reason