Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-01-08
LAND REFORM ASSOCIATION.

A circular has been Issued calling
upon reformers to meet In a general
conference on the 18th of this month,
to consider, lst. Measures to protect the
public domain from being plundered
and squandered by our National Leg
islature. ID. The most effective way
to apply the principles Of Limitation to
private ownership in land. Sd. 10
discuss questions relating to finance.
banking and the currency. 4th. 10
consider the normal relation Of labor
to the general wealth ; measures Of
general amelioration for the industri-
Gus poor; and all questions Of hours
Of labor, rates Of wages, etc., as relates
to human government, considered In
Its civil, economical or political as
poets. There Is in New York City a
small body Of men styling themselves
q LAND Reform Association, organ
lied, as they claim, for the purpose Of
a~bolishing land monopoly. They as
sert that it is mainly owing to their ex-
ertions that public opposition has been
aroused against enormous land grants
to railroad corporations. They defend
the Homestead Law as engaged by &C.
tual settlers. They nov profess to be
fighting for limitation, so As to secure
all land not cultivated to the free oc.
cupancy Of those who would properly
use and cultivate 1t. We give below
an extract from an English letter on
land monopolies:
"Comparing the two countries, your
vast, and, as far rs human wants are
Involved, bouudless continent. aud our
small islands Of the United Kingdom,
a different policy Is necessary requlr-
ed /; for while you, with your unlimited
acreage, may say to land monopollzers,
Thus far and no farther We see all
our land monopolized, either totally
or partially, aud all our people-yea,
even our million Of paupers-dlvorced
from the soil and that natural right to
appropriate sufficient Of 1t for their
beneficial use, entirely ignored by
royalty, a~rlstocracy, the Government,
Church, and %plutocracy. The princi-
pie we maintain 10 that land, In JUS
tice to mankind In successive genera
tions, cannot rightly be private prop.
erty, and hence private ownership OF
land Is condemned by us, aud neither
grants nor leases In perpetuity are
countenanced, but simple tenure un.
der the State, and that, too, contem-
poraneously with It's proper cultiva-
ton and use, and forfeiture BY misu'er
or non-user."
1t Is hardly probable that at any
time the principle that no n should
own land In fec will ever be adopted,
but 1t is not improbable that attempts
will yet be made to prevent by legis-
lation the amusement Of great tracts
Of land in single hands. In our sister
State. California, single individuals
hold many thousands Of acres. This
practice carried out, greatly retard:
the development Of a country, keeps
back population, and Is inimical tc
successful agriculture. As we have
none Of the old English system Of on
tailment In this country, the injury |:
somewhat lessened, but the time viii
certainly come when In certain locali'
ties 1t will be made q serious topic Of
discussion rs to whether large bodies
OF land ought to be held BY persons
for mere purposes Of speculation,
which, If cultivated BY actual settlers,
would add to the strength and re-
sources Of the State.