The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-02-13
FROM NEW YORK.
NEW YoRK, January %.

NEW YoRK, January %.
70 the Editor OF the woHKissMAS's ADvocATs.
NEW ABoLTioN-GEoRGK FRANCIS TRAIN AMI
THE FREE LAND LEAGUE COMMITTEE.
A committee, BY appointment net Mr.. TraiI
on Thursday evening Jan. 21st, 10 present
copy OF their Workingman's Free Lane
League Chart" The Chairman, Mr.. Fortune
who is President of the National Association
Of Plasters, spoke follows:
SIR-At the request Of the Supreme Com
mittee, present TO you this chart, which EN-
braces the reasons and shows the necessity, anG
presents Che mode for the abolition OF all sAlea-
Bile property in all farming lands, only allowing
tue workers thereof TO legally hold them. Thi.
chart teaches the people how it must be done,
without loss 70 the preseut sO-called owners,
aud without mourning a national debt therefor.
I Should property ia idle farm Ian Is be sacred
while women aud children are starving for its
use to raise food ? Who can doubt the people !
answer when they understand this mode Of re.
Z lief Our Platform is that our homestead and
mining laws be extended until al farm lands
l and mines shall be forever free tor the use OF
any worker without price 70 any one. The only
title 70 land occupation to he working, and no
sale, deciding, or gift 81 it. This chart shows
how this staple but powerful platform which
sir, you perceive is broad enough and strong
enough tor all worship women, as well as all the
men 70 stand upon may be given legal life
Without injury % any person, OF their children,
or debt, By the masses forcing their law makers
70 pass his law.
Be il enacted, &c, That Immediately all
public commons and public lands shall be open
70 the use Of every person without cost or price,
20 long they work their share. That, all
unN0rked mines said la ds shall be free 70
any worker of them, las is now the California
law Not another acre 10 be granted 10 any
body. That after the year !, 200 all farm lands
that are unworked shall be tree for the use OF
any c1!tiyator thereof at that dste the eI>
owners of farms shall have the prior right Of
holding while they work their farms, and IN til
that YER tax heavily enough 70 eat up Its rise
ii piee al Idle owned farm land, held in qdAn-
tity more than eighty acres TO each member of
the owners family.
Il is high time, Sir, that our people sho
uId see the vital Importance Of this land
question, ali other issues before tue people
are subordinate TO it, Bre ad and work is
the poor mau's problem of 10 day. The G. use
Of this enormous price Of food is that the con-
su1lers incre tstser than the producers, while
idle men aud women kept off OF idle lands
that tRey would b glad TO work If they wers
fee. Land has no value until labor is put upon
il, anu the aburer is entitled to the land he
works. Zee what We are coming " nUder our
Eurupeal coupled land laws in the eleventh
century W .lli4m the CVnquerror (the thief aud
Drtcher) had census; &c found one and one
halt million people, and 5000 land owners.
IN 1861 there was 10000, 900 people, 80, 900
rand owners Ia our seaboard States the same
resul are ieit and seen where lands are cheap
there are mapy owners, who decrease in popu.
latiou as the value OF land aud the popula.
tion increases less than men own the
largest part OF this city, 80 will it be here grow
ing worse until the toilers drop dead from their
work, starved in the traces, as they do in Eu
rope, (here We have comfortable soup houses. }
Ia closing, Mr.. Traia, We appeal TO you with
confidence, man OF progressive IDEAS TO
impress upon Oar people in your proposed lee
turing tour TIE Importance of the objects of
this Free Land League, knowing, as we do, thvt
this aboii ton Of saleable property Ia farm
Jug lands IS the only true foundation for all re-
forms 10 build upon and that the chattle sla very
Of the Ieoples laa,d is a more .rustful source Of
wrong than the slavery of men waz
Mr. Tram replied:
Il was high time this reform was started
Land was the mainstay everywhere bn.h &c orr
wrongs and our life the absolute action Of the
Nv vi tue tNnrttANtlon VI hINri ~ UtCDults
valuable, under the laws which allow Of il being
bought aud sold, is shown ia Europe. Five no
bles own o. s-haf of Scotland. OF "A million
acres "a millions are reserved for hares. "a
voice-V aluing the life Of a barrymore than that
Of man. Yes, and allowing them half the land
and the people the other half to support them
upon. Five hundred thousand people packed
in the New York tenement houses.
A voice-"Like barreled her-ings"
TTain-Not at all, they would have air, they
are siike sartines in box, no air allowed them
within three days walk OF IL millions uneuIsiva
ted acres in Il. er own state alone Under the
present owned land system, 40 lAborer can lay
up anything Or a rainy day let alone buy a
house 80 per cent of all capital is labor. Con
meet you idea Of abolishing all farm and own
ership with all the trades unions. Your idea OF
abolishing all titles in farm lands, allowing only
those who cultivate land to legally hold them,
is an entirely new idea, and very ably set forth
in your chart as we'll as a-simple mode Of justly
&C comprising il, and during my proposed lee
turing tour through the country, all can do 70
promote the object Of YOUR league, shall do.
Ar. Lueker, Vice President Of the Labor
jongress, said
According u the record Of Commissioner
Wells, the specie breught into the United
States from 1865 70 %, was 80 millions OF dol
lars, and he estimatd the wealth of their labor
added S5OO,0OO, 900 more intbe three years
The argument used ty the Americans on the
fishery question They said that Until The fab
ermsn iroppe. anchor, and went TO work FISH,
ing, the water was valueless, this is the leagues
argument on the land, the workers of it should
only have the right to hold il SO long as they
work it. This argument is just a. applicable to
our land as to our waters. Secretary Brown
ing refer 70 the injury of the accumulated
land system In England, where Use families
own one-hAlf Of the land. Wells states that
even now only per cent Of our people are land
owners We ask you and every person IN the
United States to sssis. rs 81 sOssgue, pen, or do
nations for the spread Of free land, ideas and doc
uments
Mr. Evans said, That AZ the result OF the
land ownership, protested in Europe hy the self
same Land laws as We enc, !. ere, were seen in
their possible ultimate aim, By looking as the
coraisioa Of ireland aud England's working
people. We must now break down this system
of land ownership here. making it a. free as
are all tae free gifts of God TO all men, water.
FIRE aud sunlight
Col. Burnett sail, Right before this ioor
anu through every street m our city. are
thousands Of iiight-walking protests against
cur system VI land ownership. Daughters,
wives, mo.hers and sisters Of men. working
men mostly, are kept from of their land
whefeon they would raise flowers, fruits and
vegetables for themselves or their loved ones,
whereas now they are forced to publicaily
7 ro2tItnt0 their persona for bread. What