The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-02-12
CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA,
SATURDAT, Feb Il, 1870
RECRETS.-.I

There 10 thing which 50 generally strikes
the Imagination and engages toe affections Of
mankind as the rights Of property, or that sole
and despotic dominion which one man claims
and exercises over the external things in the
world, in total exclusion of the right Of any
other individual in the universe. And yet there
are few who give themselves the trouble to con-
slider the original and foundation Of this right
Pleased as we are with the possession, seem
aid ~ look back at the means by which il
vas acquired as II fearful Of some defect in the
title. Or AZ least, We rest satisfied with the de.
CisiOn Of the laws in our favor, without examin-
log the reason and authority upon which those
laws have been built We think It enough that
our title 10 derived BY the grant Of the former
proprietor, BY descent from our ancestors. or
ny the last will and testament of the dying
uwner, not caring to reflect that accurately
rnd strictly speakiDg) there is no foundation in
nature or in natural Law why a set Of words upon
parchment should convey the dominion of land,
why the son should have q right to exclude his
elOW creature from q determines spot of
ground because his father had done 80 before
MIN, or Why the occuper of particular field or
jewel, when lying on his death bed, and no
longer able 10 maintain possession, should be
entitled 70 tell the rest Of the world who should
be entitled TO enjoy it. These researches, il
must be owned, would be useless and trouble
SOme in common lie. II is well ii the mass Of
mankind will obey the laws when made without
~cruinizing too closely into the reasons for
making then. But where Law is mot only to be
considered as matter of practice but as n ra-
|onal science, il cannot be improper or useless
70 examine more deeply the rudinents and
grounds Of these positive constitutions Of A.
'lety."- Blackstone.
The above quotation is familiar to
every reader Of this distinguished jurist;
and to any one who is at all acquitted
with the contentious and suggestive
style Of the writer, it affords material
Tor profound reflection.
We propose 10 make it the basis of
few remarks
The writer starts out with observing
what human history and human expe-
Iience has verified beyond doubt and
that il, that the grand ruling passion
VT mankind at large is the desire Of ac-
curing and owning property. He next
tells us that there are few, who give
themselves the trouble TO consider the
original and foundation of this right. !"
let us look for moment and see what
The original and foundation Of this
right il.
There is no fact more positively
known than that at first, that is, before
society had received its present organ
ization, all men were upon an equality
With respect to the possession Of worldly
-gQQds.- The deductiaRS- Of a pri0ri rea-
son would teach us this even if history
were silent. But history speaks loud
enough for any one who has his ears to
hear. In the days Of PASTORAL sim
plicity, when dispute arose between
Abraham and Lot, Abraham tod his
kinsman to look over the vast expanse
of plain and meadow and select for
himself Flocks and herds, which a
man had raised and upon which he
bestowed his daily care, were his own
property and Justly too, because twas
his labor that produced them, that
guarded and saved them from the in
clemencies Of the season, and from the
wild beasts Of the forest. The product
Of the individuals labor was justly APP
prOpriated to his private use. But the
beautiful green earth, with its noun
tains, its luxuriant valleys, its fields, its
woods and it's waters, created by God
.or the happiness Of all his human crea-
lures, was not a cheese for a real-estate
broker to slice up and parcel out in his
dngy office. " Abraham said unto
Lot, behold, do thou 60 to the right
and then ] will 60 TO the left, or do
thou 90 to the North and then l will 60
to the South" How touching the lang
uage ! 1t reminds us Of brighter and
better days in the far off and almost
forgotten past.
The question then arises how did the
present inequality of possessions among
men originate Alas The answer is
but too apparent. Human nature is
everywhere the same. 1t is graspingI
and avaricious. Men began at an early
period to form themselves into clans
under the leadership of some chief,
whose skill and prowess and muscular:
vigor gave him the supremacy. RIVAL
chieftains and rival clans would 60 to
war and the weaker party were plum
dcred and made slaves. No longer sa-l
tisfed with the ownership Of personal
property, those chiefs now undertook.
"a appropriate the soil. They built
towns and laid the foundation of EN- i
pires. Diplomacy too began, and those
who were not strong enough to seizd
and hold by force had resource to cuni
ming. See here the origin Of property
Fraud and Rapine. No wonder tina.
Mr.. Justice Blackstone remarked thai
1--WE seem afraid to look back at thd
means by which it was acquired as il
fearful Of some defect in the title"
R-E-P-U-D-I-A-T-I-0-N. H
IL has long been a net Dhrase witt