The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-06-09
Old Fogyism-Landed .Aris,ocracy.

ceedings of the town Council Board of that
place, on the subject of abating as nuisance
a steam saw mill, which it was alleged ought
not to be allowed to stand on Change Street,
it was dangerous on account of fire. Wit
nesses were called and examined, and after
much discussion the mill was not declared a
nuisance, Mr.. Justice voting it a nuisance,
and Messrs. Menninger, Stanly, Osgood, OH
yer and Robertson voting to the contrary
Mr.. Justice, it seems, was very active IN his
efforts to have the mill removed; and in the
course of his remarks he laid much stress
the fact that petition praying that the mill
be not abated, was not numerously signed
by real estate owners, as if real estate owners
were the only people in this country. The
Times says:
Councilman Justice, (placilly and flow
cry this time) wish to know why this pc
tition was not signed by real estate owners
Why is it only signed by new corners, so
journers, and traders ? Those who sign the
petition own no soil except that which
is contained in flower-pot, (sublime.) Saw
ing wood does not produce commerce. Saw
mill should be on the outskirts of town. Let
those who own the soil say where the mills
shall be. Real estate owners have a perma-
nent interest in this question, not those who
can pack up in moment and leave, taking
all they have made with them. Why should
property owners be liable to suffer for the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of one ndividual-death
fire and destruction may result at any time
from this mill Mr.. Whitcomb Zone of the
signers of the petition) informs me that when
this mill is fired up in the morning he eX-
poets to see chink of iron fall through his
roof when the wind is north east (sailor
phrase) He cannot wash himself on ac-
count of the cinders that fall in his wash
basin--all these sojourners wish is, to get
what money they can and leave drain the
State of its finances to the detrimcnt Of the
permanent citizens, those who are endeared
to the soil by every tie by the sacred dust of
vcneratcd ancestors. Our Athens shall not
be endangered for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of
any one citizen"
Mr.. Justice-dear old fogy that he is
dear, placid, self-sufficient, oligarchic old
fogy-has no respect for those business men,
mechanics, and working-men who lean
pack up in a moment and leave taking all
they have with them" He bets on "real
estate" people, who are distressed because
they cannot wash themselves Oh account of
the cinders that fall in their wash-basins,
from an establishment that gives employ
ment to working-men and stimulates enter
prise and industry. But Mr.. Menninger
said, in reply:
II am really surprised at the remarks of
my honorable friend. 1 have no knowledge
of any of the parties signing the petition,
and 1 attribute his remarks to the fact that
he is member of the Bar, and has the priv
ilege to impugn the motives of all men.
The signers of this petition are citizens of
this place, and are owners of property liable
to destruction. l don't come here to listen
to family ties or sacred ashes. l don't wish
mills to be erected to burn up the sacred
ashes of any body. Men of capital should
be fostcred and kept here, whether they be
sojourners or traders. They should not be
insulted here or any where else. Among
your soiourners and traders may be found
the priceless muscular motive power of the
State Are these men to be insulted because
they own no real estate They are the real
wealth of the community. They must be
had. They run your mills-they sail your
ships Put stop to the mills in this city,
and you drive away two or three hundred
men. Why docs not Mr.. Justice include all
mills in his resolution2 He alluded to the
owner of the mill in question sojourner.
will defend all honest men who come with
me to this city. My interest here is as much
as any integral part of the community, and L
will not allow any man to say 1 am So
journer."
Well said, Mr.. Menninger There will be
/" life in the old land yet" if your views, so
pointedly and appropriately expressed on
this occasion, shall prevail but if the views
of such as Mr.. Justice are to shape our course
as people, we shall drift, drift to "a shore
where all is dumb" We want not merely
real estate, but what is more important, we
want intelligence enterprise and industry
This is the "priceless motive power of the
State" Without it, we shall look in vain
for prosperity. The same number of the
Times which contains these proceedings has
an excellent article on the subject of Capital
lowing extract
THE conflict between capital and labor
can never be adjusted in this country, while
occupied by an entirely free society, so long
as we have landed aristocracy. The true
interest of the South demands that this Ian
ded monopoly be broken up. 1t is as much
to the interest of the large land owners them
selves, as it is to the interest of those who
own no land, for them to cut up their large
plantations into small farms of from fifty to
a hundred and fifty acres each, and sell or
lease them on reasonable terms to those who
are now in our midst, or who may come
among us, who own no lands. We would
thus invite emigrants of the better class, both
from the Northern States and from Europe,
to come and settle in our midst and bring
with them their capital, energy, enterprise
and industry, to help us bring back our de-
vastated country to its former prosperity.
What honor profit is therein a mans own
ing thousand acres of land, on which he
does not raise enough surplus produce for
market, of all kinds, to pay his land tax
when it is sold? Yet, such is the condition
of hundreds of our people, and such will con-
tinue to be their condition as long as we hold
on to the landed aristocracy and carry out
the system of landed monopoly. Under this
system ours will continue, as now COM
munity of rich paupers, with the title deeds
of thousands of acres of productive lands in
our possession, but so poor as not to be able
to buy decent suit of clothes. This system
will not work, and the sooner we change it
the better.
The method of adjusting the conflict be-
f,raa,, n, r,itaI opJ ahor Inv tho lob oup