Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-11-30
For the pomeroy Weekly Telegraph.
LAND REFORM.

: Land Reform has for its object suct
:. change in our land laws as will, within
i one generation, make every cultivator OF
y the soil the owner of the land he tills
:, and every family in city, town and vii
8 lage the owners of the house and LOT
:, they occupy. This can only become
: the result on the utter extinguishment
l. of land monopoly in city, town and
country.
The doctrine upon which the move
ment turns is that man is endowed by
his creator with the natural right to SO
5 much of the soil as he can use--that he
, has no natural, moral or divine right to
more than he can use for his residence
and business, and if one goes beyond
this in the acquisit on of land he thwarts
the Divine Order, infringes the natural
rights of others, and is guilty of a grave
moral offense.
The land laws of the Union and the
States, are in contravention of this prin-
ciple, opp osed to the Divine Order, de-
prive one-half of our citizens of this
natural right, and both justify and de-
fend us in committing the most destruc-
tive injustice ever inflicted upon man
kind. The people by their votes sus-
tain this system, and if the allegations
above mentioned DC true. we are all
guilty of the home!essnesS, poverty, ig-
norance and misery indurel by the poor,
of the vices and crimes committee. "
;he pcrverse, Of the PRIDE, aristo r9cy
luxury, ieebleness ami unhapp;ness Of
the rich and Of the pe,vertion AMI cor
ruptinn of ali classes
rr--A IL this he.ntf true. every voter be rs
d heayy respansi oility, an his duiy to
at in behati' Of surh change rs vii,
abolish these evils, is Of tie grave i
so,cnnity and importance
The who.e question involving the
above consequences and oblig tion
;rrns upon the truth Of the proposition
IS th" rilhtJ mn to he soa onatatol
r;h2
The logical demonstration Of this
doctrine is briefly as follows
l. Whatsoever God has made for the
Use Of msukinl he has made for one as
well as another The earth was made
ior the use OF mankind: Therefore ca h
one has ii divine aud natural right to as
much as he can use
Carolury-No one has a right to
more than be can use, because others
are deprived the enjoyment OF this right
by land monopoly or the ownership OF
more than ofe can use.
2. Man was born to be and exist, and
must haze room to be in. The earth
affords all the room: Therefore the
natural right of each to some space in
which to be and exist.
! Corollmy.-No one has right to earth
where he does not live, because he can
not exist where he is not
B. All natural needs must be supplied
by the use of natural things. The soil
is among the chief of these natural
{ things: Therefore the natural right OF
every one having natural needs to the
free use of sufficient quantity of the
; natural things.
& Corolla1y-No one has right to a
r surplus of these natural althings. the boun-
J ties of God to all, because that surplus is
: the robbery of others of the necessary
means for their use in feeding clothing
t sheitering and educating themselves.
4. Man was created to labor and shoulc
freely have the means which God provi
ded for the use of his labor. The soil il
n the Fundamental means: Therefore the
free use of the soil is the natural righ
y Of labor.
C5ro7lary.-Those who will not us,
these means Of nature, have no moral
q divine or natural right to obtain them
+ and all the soil that is he'd by til
c wba do not cultivate it, is held a2ains
= the Divine Order, against natural law
: and against morality.
The doctrine o natural right TO III
sol is cle3r!y assertc, by Locke. Psley
Blackstone, MiI, anl all the master
who toucl the questions in their dis
cusS;ons. But not to % to the fathers
e and TO have an authority nearer home
It let the io.owin.s passage De cited from
J. book entitled, lHorulity and tie Statt
Z written by Judge Simion Nash, Of Gal
: lipo;is. ..
e Each individual is entitled to b
n supported BY his own labor applied t
the earth. This he can claim under tn
/, divine grant Of the earth for man
" material wants He has right then I
is portion o' the earth; to portion sudi
= cleAt ~ ihe 1tpiicttion OF his LABOR [
~ ~ provide ior MS physical wants lie
II boilnd to labor; liol has laid that as
u Guty apoH ann, AMI this LABOR he has
right to. apply on some portion Of tn