The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-06-20
a.. &c affsr Rren tha London Bee Hive.
THE = p 6 or SOCIAL SCIENCE.

"Land--or the productions OF the land
capital and labor, are" says Mr. John Stuar,
tion.p
Land, then, being one OF the most import.
ant elements OF production, aud from which
most OF the materials OF manufactures are OBJ
sained, I becomes highly important that the
people Of the country should understand the
foundationl on which the rights Of itsureseni
possess0rs or holders stand the ant " which
those persons owe to the general pu;lic an
the manner in which they should be reo1ired
70 manage the land 80 a. 10 prodnee nv
largest amount Of benefit and subsistence for
the whole people.
These may seem wild and Elusive notions
70 those WOO talk Of stheir right OF doing
what they like with their owD," and Of 'sthe
sacred and inalienable rights Of property y
rights which they undoubtedly deem sacred
and immutabie, without once considering 4
more sacred -ight--that Of The dweliers and
trne owners Of the land, and of their ances.
tors whose isbors redeemed, cultivated, aud
made L valuable, and who in many case
were disposssssed d their rights By despotlc
or arbitrary power.
now lt mnst be evident 10 Justice that
every iahabitant in every country has Al
equal right to the common bounties or na-
ture, and consequently an equal right 10 tbs
lend OF their country; subject To such Dos.
session and control over it as the general
villas expressed through heir government,
shall legally determine, and such as shall
best promote the general welfare Bot n
there could be no sharing IN this general
property @sshout prejudice TO future claims
aud as experience has hitherto found thai
individual property in land-under proper
conditions and restrictions-is the best se-
curity for its proper culture aud productive
ness, in which the inhabitants are mo Il in
terested in,-short Of Individually enjoying
lt-the right Of property 10 land has been
very generally established in all civilized
countries.
The landed possessions OF this country
have been acquired in various ways, some
justly and some unjustly. Some have been
obtained by conquest, some BY the gift Of
princes To panderers and falterers, some bv
urjustly taking the waste a0d common lands
from the poor, some from the church. some
BY purchase, some by inheritance, and some
BY the labor Of enclosing q portion and
bringing it into cultivation but i'm whatever
way they may have been acquired. the hold
ers have no absolute right over them that
can override the general right Of the whole
people.
Might has hitherto been the prevailing law
regarding ,uch possessions but as might
can never justly confer right, no body or
nIeu can rightfully appropriate to their own
use that which pertains to all in common
without consulting and settling with them
through their representatives. And even
then no agreement entered into by the Deo-
pie CT country can give an absolute right
to land which is common to all. as such
agreement can never be binding to those
who may subsequently come into existence
They may grant the power to hold, use, and
convert 1t TO their purpose, conditionally, for
the benefit 0f the nation, but the land itself
cannot be gwen exclusively to any.
Men have n just and absolute right to
every kind Of property which they can fash
lon or create BY the labor OF their head Or
hands but they have no exclusive right A.
the land, as they could not create il, any
more than they conld bid the rain or sun to
render it fruitful.
These common sense views Of the subject
are borne cut by many authorities. Among
them Mr.. Justice Blackstone, the learned
author OF the Commentaries, has said in
Book 2, chap. Z, that no subject in England
has allodial property that is q possession
held absolutely" his precise words are,
@this allodial property nc subject in England
has it being received, and now undenia-
BILE principle 10 the Law, that all the lands in
England are holden mediately or III Iedi-
ately OF the king Again ne says, "all sub
jects' lands in the natars of foedom, fee /;
whether derived TO them by descent from
their ancestors, or purchased for a valuable
consideration, for they cannot come to any
man by either of those ways, unless accom-
panied with those fcedal clogs which we're
laid upon the first feudatory when it was
originally granted" In fact, all the lands
Of this kingdom are held conditionally OF
the sovereign, as the executive Of the people,
the conditions Of s'foedal clogs" being shat
the holders do defray the expenses Of the
army and navy; Of the household Of the
king, and the expenses attendent On the car
rying on OF the government and defending
the country" Even IN Saxon times, before
the conquest, according TO HalIam, the land
had 10 bear its fendal burdens.
Instead, howeye-, of those conditions be-
ing fulfilled BY tie holders OK the land, they
have-by the excise laws and other enact
meLts--shifted the burthens imposed on
themselves o. to the whole people; and
while the Increasing population Of the coun-
try has been the means Of increasing the va
lue and rent Of land more than i've fold
they pay bot mere nominal land-tax that
has mot been increased for upwards Of seven.
ty years. They have made the Ian ! an in
strument Of political power for their own
selfish. ends, arrogating, by that means an
almost exclusive power in legislation; anU
BY virtue u that have enacted the most cru
.sl and oppressive laws 20 protect what they
call "oor property"
In addition to which, instead OF using th,
land for the general wslfarc, by making i
ss productive as possible, they have con.
verted Large portions OF 1t into game pre-
serves, Devastating, and hunting grounds
for their own sports o- emoluments. ofter
sweeping the iahabitrnts from the soil and
by their unjust and cruel game-laws, have
corrupted and demoralized our peasantry
and consigned vast numbers OF them to ian
prisonment and transportation.
Insead of promoting the proper culture o
the soil, they mostly refuss to give the ne
cessary stimulus to capital and industry, by
long leases and security OF terure, and un
iastly require their tenanty to dispose 81
their votes ak their bidding. as n they wer,
40 many serfss while the laborers ON thel
lands suffer n amount Of toil, poverty, an,
misery nnsquAllsd BY any Psasanry uadsl
the sun. lAta
\. Instead cf allowing the land 10 pass from
hand to hand, BY sale and purchase, a. an
other commodity, and to be divided On th
death or the present holders between thei
children, they hAys continued % buy up an
engross the whole of Il in the hands Of n com
psratlvs Few; they have fenced il round b
every kind Ok specious law for The purpos
lof making II m exclusive monopoly, 40,
tAis even regardless Of the jast rights OF thsi
ewn offspring, their bsirs being enriched b
the whole, sud thsir rcmaining children, 1
lmost IustaDcss, qurtsrsd upon the public
Thee ncnstro0s evils pertaining 70 th
land can l0ully Tor redress Coz some alter
alton that shAiI prevent ia monopoly, an
prevenk v from being made an instrument q
bpprsssion such - shall cause the holdsr