The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-10
What Liberty and Civilization asave
nOne for inc Farmers.


The following curious facts compiled
BY E. NJ. Chamberlain, Esq, OF Boston,
show from what depths of oppression !
md injustice the common people have (
arisen; and they also intimate the
depths to which oppression and injus-
tice would again sink labor if they pos
sessed the power.
Speaking of the feudal system, Mr..
says:
This system is not so old as slavery,
but still is of very ancient date. 1t ex-
listed in Persia in the time of Xerxes,
and in Sparta. Japan is still divided
into feuds, as England used to be, and
for aught that is known to the contrary
it always was. Feudalism began to dis
place slavery in the early part Of the
present era. 1t was in the greatest
vigor during the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries. In England, among the
Saxons in Alfreds time, thousand
wears ago, not one man in twenty was
free. They were held for the most
part in feudal bondage, a small proper
ton being actual slaves. The degraded
condition of the people was such that
they submitted to be yoked to teams
and branded and whipped like cattle.
Their value was appraised like so much
live stock. Under the feudal system
there were different classes of laborers,
as villeins, bordars, cottars and thralls.
The villeins were of the highest
grade, and at the close of the Anglo
Saxon period, about the year one thou
sand, numbered, in thirty-four coun-
ties, lO2,702; the bordars numbered
1883; the cottars numbered 5,947;
the thralls, 1852; while the citizens
and burgesses were only l7,lO4. Vii
leins were of TIVE sorts, those who be-
longed to the soil, and those who be-
longed to tho person Of their lord. and
were transferable from one person to
another. Thrall is the Saxon for slave,
and they were the lowest order. In
1902 it was declared unlawful to sell
slaves openly in the market. In the
reign of Edward l., l,240 villeins were
held to perform certain specified duties
and labors for their lord, for the use OF
land, and at other times might work
for themselves.
Under the feudal system the labor
ers were harshly treated, could not
| own property, and i caught aftei hav.
ing run away, were frequently branded
with red-hot irons. To kill one was an
| offence condoned by fine, according
! to the grade of the murdered man.
The theft Of a twelve pence was
among the Saxons capital crime, and
! it took the oaths of several of the low
or grades Of laborers to equal the oath
of one of a higher. Numbers fed to
| the woods and formed bands Of outlaws
like that of Robin Hood, who frequent
ly plundered whole towns and villages
| While the barons in the country
were building their castles, which serv
ed at the same time as mansions, fer
tresses and prisons, and their vassals
were huddled in huts around these
lstrongholds, the cities were becoming
by reason Of heir commerce and man
}ufactures, powerful rivals of the LANDED
mobility. In these cities free labor was
Supplanting that of vassals, and we be
gin to meet with the terms free men
journeymen, apprentices, and the like
The barons managed to force theil
dues +, en- the Towns till these last hac
combined in sufficient strength to sue
cessfully resist their seigniors. Thu
corporation of silk merchants wa
founded in ISL, that Of the bakers IL
1855. The carpenters, masons. tailor:
and many other trades, had assocla
tons also established at an early date
Masters and men, with the femal
members Of their families belonged t
these organizations. In l247 the feuda
system began to decline. Money wage
commenced to be paid, instead of priv
Iileges in kind, the chief characteristic
of feudality. In 1851 servile tenant
if employed before midsummer, receiv
ed wages instead Of privileges or per
Quisites, and free laborers who bartere
their services for hire, began to appear
Wages we're then penny day in har
vest time, and half-penny at othe
seasons. In 1850 the s'free laborers
. were first taken notice of by Englis'
: laws. 1t was ordained that in district
) where laborers had been sevcrally pal
in wheat, they should receive wheat o
money at the rate of ten pence pc
bushel, at the option of their employ
ers they were to be hired by the yeal
and other &C customed periods, and nc
by the day. Weeders and haymaker
were to be paid at the rate of one penny
> mowers five pence per acre, or fiv
pence per day reapers, during the frs
week in August, two pence per day, an
from that time till the end Of til
month, three pence day, without die
, or other perquisite. The law enjoine
! .slaborers of this description to carr
!. their implements openly in their hani
, to market towns, and to apply for hi
. in public quarter of the. town."
This regulation Of the laborers an
{ the wages oflabor was repeatedly COZ
$ tirmed by succeeding parliaments.
t The law Of 1853 regulates the di
|. and apparel Of the laborers. That
I'll 1888 prohibits servants from runni1
l. from one place to another. Final
= justices of the peace were directed
= fix the prices to be paid for labor