The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-02-20

FROM NEW York.
NEW YoRR. January d.

on Thursday evening ian. 1isss W preseW
copy OF their Workingmsn's Free Land
League Chart" The Chairman, NJ. Fortune,
Who Is President a. the National Association
Of Plasterers, spoke a. followers
SIR--At the request Of the Supreme Com
mittse, present 70 you this chart whicss s...,
bodies the reasons and shows the necessity, and
presents the mode for she abolition Of al sale-
able property IN all farming land .only allowing
she workers thereof 20 legally hold them. This
chart teaches she people how it must be done,
without loss 20 the preseot so-called owners,
and without mourning a national debt therefor. |
Should property IN idle farm lands be sacred
while women and chilf~eu are starving for its
use 10 raise food WI, can doubt the peoples
answer when they understand this mode Of re- |
lief Our Platform Is that our homestead and |
mining laws be extended until all farm lands |
aud mines shall be forever free tor the use Of
any worker, without pnee, 70 any one. The only l
title 10 land occupation TO be working, and no /
sale, deciding, or gift OF it, This chart shoes |
how ti,is simple but powerful platform. which
sir. you perceive il broad enough, and strong |
enoOgb Ia all worSing women, AS well As all the /
men To stand upon may be given legal HE /
without injury 10 any person, or their children, 1
or debt, BY the masses forcing their lawmakers 4
pass this Law.
Be il enacted, Sc, That immediately all 4
public commons and public lands shall be open \
to the use Of every person without cost or price,
50 long as they work their share. That all I
unworked mines on said lands shall be free 10
ANY worker Of them, las 10 now the California \
law Not another acre 70 be granted 10 any
body. That. after the year 1900 all farm lands
that anworked shall be tsee for the use 81
any eultivator thereof; at that date the ex~
owners Of farms shall have the prior right Of
holding While they work their farms, and until
that year tax hesvily enough TO eat up its rise
in price al idle owned farm land, held In guam
tlty more than eighty acres 70 each member Of
the owners family
IL is high time, sir, that our people should
see the vital importance Of this lAnd
question. All other issues before the people
are subordinate 70 L. Bread aud work Is
the poor mans problem Of so-dJ. The cause
Of this enormous price Of food is that the con
suners Increase faster than the producers while
Idle men aud women kept on of lille lands
tnst they would be glad TO work if they wers
free. Land has no value until labor is put upon
IL and The labOrer il entitled To the land lie
works See what we are coming 20 urder our
European copied land laws in tie eleventh
century " ilIam the Conqueror (Ihe tAief aud
b. tcher1 had d census; be found one and one
halt million people, and 40 600 hand owners.
In lsel there Was 90 go 900 people and 81, 900
land OWNERS. In cur seabOaFd States the same
results are felt ana seen where lands are cheap
there are many owaers, who decrease III popu
iation as the value Of land and the populA
tion increases Less than men own the
largest part ~ this city, % vii II be here gros-
ing gorse until the tOleTs drop dead from heir
work, starved m the traces, they do IN Eu
rope there Ne bave comfortable soup houses
In closing, Mr. Train, appeal 70 YOU with
confidence, as q man o. Progressive ideas, &c
Impress upon or people in your proposed lec
turing tour the ..qpOrtanee OF the objects Of
this Free Land League, kn0wing as We do, that
this new abolition 81 saeable property IN farE-
ing lands IL the only true Foundation for all re
Iorms 20 build upon and that the ch4stle slavery
81 the peoples land j. a more fruitful source u
wrong than the slavery q men was.
Mr. Tran replied;
II was high time TINS reform was arted
land was the mainstay everywhere both Of our
wrongs and our life the absolute action of til E
aw Of the constitution Of land, after it becomes
alua Die, Hnder the laws which ALLOW Of il being
bought and SOLIDS show 10 Europe. Five no
1les own one-half Of scotland VI "a million
,cres "a millions reserved Dr hares. "a
7oice- aluing the lite of a hare more than that
II a mani Yes and allowing them hllf the land
nd the people she other half to support them
ifNAa tive hhtuNfA tDNucdhA pcDp.E pACktu
n the New York tenement houses.
A voice-"Like barreled herringsn
Train--Nos at all, they woald have air, they
re Ike sardines in box, no air allowed them,
within three days walk OF II millions uncultiva.
ed acres IN their own state alone. Under the
resent owned land system, no laborer can lay
lp anything for rainy Gay, let alone buy
0me. 80 per cent Of all capital i labor. Con
ect your idea OF abOlishing al farm aud own
rship with all the trades unions. Your idea OF
polishing al titles ia farm lands allowing only
hose Who cultivate land to legally hold them,
entirely new idea, and very ably set forth
n your chart seil AZ a-simple mode Of Justly
4 accomplishing it, and during my proposed lee
uring tour through the country, all | can do 70
'romote the object Of your league, | shall do.
Mr.. Locker, Vice President OF the Labor
congress, said
According 70 the report Of Commissioner
' els the specie brought into the United
tates from 1853 70 %, was 80 millions of dol :
srs, and he estimat, the wealth Of their labor
dded 100000 900 more 10 tile three years.
he argument used oy the Americans on the
shery question They said that until the fish
rman dropped anchor, and went TO ForK fish, )
Y, the water was valueleas This is he Ie ague's
TgulDent on the land the workers Of it should
nv have the right TO hold it 80 long as they r
Sork id This argument il Just as applicable to
ar land as &c our waters. Secretary Brown
ng Eefers 10 the injury Of the accumulated T
and system in England, where $50 families
wu one-ha,f Of the land. Wells states that
yer now only per cent OF our people are land
wners We ask YOU and every person In the !
United States to assist us by tongue, pen, or do
ations for the spread Of free land, ideas and doc
ments.
NJ 9asI That h rao,,lt - hci
and ownership protected in Europe by the self
anne land laws We ENJOY here, were seen in s
aeir possible ultimate aim, by looking at the
ondision of Ireland and England's working
,eople. We must now break down this system 4
( and ownership here, making it as free as
re al the free gifts of God TO all men, water
ire and sunlight
Col. Burnett said, Right before this door
nd through every street IN our city are
hous nds Of night-walkIng protests against l
'ur system Of land-ownership. Daughters,
wives, mothers and sisters Of men, working
nen mostly, are kept from off their land
wherein they would raise flowers, fruits and
vegetables for themselves or their loved ones,
whereas now they are forced 20 publcaly
prostitute their persons for bread What
nan among as can say my wife or daughter
S safe | hold that those MA gdalens" land
most OF them are truly such) as well as
hose Of our women who are not yet forced
Dut, would rather work land than prostitute
themselves. Ia the name Of God then, let
every woman aud man work and vote to
abolish this infamous system Of ownership,
more sweeping and dsvclish in its wrongs
10 all than ever was property in man.
Mr.. Editor, woDt you please print ibis in
full, so that the workingmen ma see what
we are at; simply Tor the gen raj govern
nent to Immediately stop Squlndering the
public lands, and that they shall be free ia
small parcels to any worker as long as they
farm their share, and that at some future
time there must not be any selling Of anv
Mming lands. With best wishes for YOUR
self and paper, am yours truly, F. n