The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-09-02
TIE LAND QUESTION, NO Z.
BY < q. PETERS.


Ii ..- at uu. az. nI,u THAT the lncIea>e n th
an Her towns and in the coun'r, lroh .hl,
an uu.rd TO >tm ar sum. II IT I w
re le -gi that he t m tune r ci ri
cr.a-e" F, us,d tu .,p.c>s an }. --rl~
vh. h .r..u ''w.,hout fort or rxrcnii-
rurs On be part ID r.c proprietor. ta oug
the general increase VIZ wealth ani popula
tun.
According to tie estimates made in The
fifb au...c of This series. tie aggregat,
prof, ;hus N de by the English laudo~n
lnz ylS> durng the sixty years il queS
ton. r,pu sen an Il ,tion Of some 1919
Q OUl year to their annual rent r.
cripts B rap d as has beer tie uncarneo
Inc ease "a the vain. OF land Ia En-llnj
It has been tat more rapid in orr owl
country. Daring the same SIXTY years
W ich doahpd the population of tirrar
Britain orr own popuaton was doubled b,
six, and the growth through which we hay,
alrelIy passed III trlt ng il comparison
with that which, under favorable coy
dt.ons We are destined to experience H.
the future. TIE growth in tile a.ue o.
lard 4 even more rapid than the growth q
population, and quite naturally %, becaus,
% D. promoted by a variety Of O. her causes.
especially by the continued Increase ia th,
wellrh-producing capacity Of the people
tr'u. lu pro ed indusu app iances.
nerr.yI ! .>tcs Uf t'i, growth ale su-
? r;iuous because Il e general fact s open
70 universal observation. Great Statt ;
have Suddenly grown up in the wilderness,
I'D vii agricultural land has advanced
from he merely nominal price az which il
was ,oli hy the government 70 an ayerag,
OF $50 or $40 an acre WI hin less than De-
coHc>p'r ling number Of Years. A pat
ot lhts Increase ot course, represents th,
vt'u IF buildings, fences Gc.. plac. u up
On tne rnl With the cost OF ads, bridges
and other Improvements Of general char
ac.'r u, the greater position Of it is ID,
result ~ Il the zen raj increase ID wealth
al population, ana bus accrued "wifho. I
lH ID d expenditure on the PIT Of t.l
prppretors of the lana.
But as ia England 50 with Us, it is IL
TIKI rl n growth ~ toAns and cities thai
tIr In.rrus Iu tba yalu- Ut land hls beer
mast suioln-'y manifested. Think o.
Cleveland, Clncj natl, Indianapolis, Chi
c--o. s., Paul 0 uahI, San Francisco and
scores Of other smaller, tur st.l rapidly
owiu- places, nearly oil % which bay,
gown tom their earliest beginnings with
ia tie last fifty years aud most Of the
wthn 4 far -horter period ID All Of the,
cases M which wa> hardly thought
wur RI. honnL ia less am0uu's than qulIttr
cjion, has c.,ue 70 be greedly clutch ed
IN minute parcels, whose va.ua Is yllcu ateu
MT in acres but in square feet Land
which, forty years agO, vas thought scarce
IN worth tWO dollars al acre i probably
worth as much as ten dollars tie square
iolJ 10 the best locations in some of these
cites. AMI ZEN dollars the square foot j.
S435. 600 D acre, making due allowance
ior IHv cost DIT streets, : wers AMI All pub
lie Improvements, he cost Of which la,
ben charge VI. q the propsietor- O. lis
The Unframed measure u value ha- SUI
be " meredith hr,e
Ute. rtune. have b, en
he made xH .ron tlJ a siugir
.--- ..-e-ef 20 u.. 2-..A .on sna- zine asu
tv aM ,f .I ' ny ar0l 'tlnce
S.r u c'r .r. agO iemsr
u,ug.fu 4u .rtl ~ iaui within ~ near
the runiclp i limits for 5000. Out o.
jr- land he la, Stree sold l0-- to th,
4moIu ot about Of s800tOl ari whlt
Ivy -as gtr y said 70 be worth \ million and
blf Thus our Of "a Original invest
mrut Of Sc 900, be ha- already reahz,
upwar1 Of Two million dolirs, without e.
fott or ezpcnd ture of BIZ Dan, ami lhe
increase ID value ID the land lie sill holds
has o., hy any means reuc Ell is limit.
Similar cases will occur TO almost every
ob>-rv mt reader. Indeed iudcous spec
uIa.ion ~ the r.,e Of land j. one uf Thu
most familiar WAYS Of making money With
Oh. working for It.
Any proposition to interfere with a
source Of profit SO generally regarded a.
Legitimate and proper may be expected Y"
encounter intense oprosition-more lntnse
perhaps 10 OR own country than el-e'here,
since the op2ortunjti.s TOT such sporula-
htion 10 new and rapdly liiling country
arr very numerous and tempting AHd
ytu Is umd-HiaBiy q ne that ecery z Ufr
tins ,Jt1tned IS tokea ait Or other meH y
eIH.ugS U.thrUt compensation. IL j.
certainty a very comfortable thing to 6nt
oneself growing richer year by year through
ID In1--s,e ID thc value 81 fields ug town
los without any trouble or expense On une Y
own pant and 1t is a very pleasant deiusion
ID suppose thai this increase Is a growth
w.Ir1 ,nrcues one without impovyr ~bIn4
another Bit the growth Of value y
much ke tile growth OF plant or animal.
Is not The Great on Of new substance, bur
ire transformation Of one substance into
another The tree is formed out ct ma
trrals furnished ~ the earth and air.
TIE value If Land l. formed out Of mater
iA furnished by human Industry. The
most beau iiul aud fertile tract on which
he eye Of man ever rested would have tut
s-uil value 10 an hum Ill U-in. u situated
tho sand mles from any settlement. /
colid no. er release It's poSsCNsor from the
operation of the decree, lin the sweat
-5r ,ur NOW shalt thou eat bread" unless
lily cculu and some one else u cultivate "
end give I'm all or part Of its produce.
NJ man "tald attach value to n. posse. ion
"a any nor, land than be could personally
u~e, II be roni nnt make The surplu, /;
Irre U. income; and TO become sourc,
" Inc ne it must be made pToductiv,
3, other mems labor, and share O
I'd, products must be pad to is owner
I'll, value WIN be oporuoned 70 the in-
-oua Y can thus " made ID yield and thu
al depend on the amount which tho>'
gto use it can be induced or compelled
A pay for The privilege. The prluipe j,
III the same whether i be rcn ed IL tenln ,
u ruIrya W IN birelings. The rise ID its
price, th refore, which takes place as popu-
l4',uu ruc cases Only suoAs tnu the ah-o.u o.