The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-06-10
4 ErnehOIder.

Inc basis OF ola EUEleH sOCiclS was Inc Iict
land holder,-Bill Allen lived in Cincinnati then
as now The Englshman was the free land hold.
er; he was the "free-necked man whose long
hair floated over his shoulders" &c. We are one
OF them fellows, only, as we once passed through
Joliet, our hair doesn't hang over our shoulders
Joliet atmosphere is bad on the hair, only
bald headed men can live there with any com.
fort But we are a land holder; that is with the
aid Of mortgage and the tax-gatherer we can
keep the land from going out of the county. Ac-
cording, then, to the old English idea, we are en-.
titled to full rights as a citizen. being a free
holder, rights that are inseparable from the pos
sion of our holding" We just found this out,
and are very glad to know it. No one ever dis
puted our right to pay taxes or vote the Demo-
cractic tlcket-though they do say that in New
York they never say anything about citizenship
when they vote the democratic ticket. They
have, however, disputed our right to vote q
dozen times or more at republican caucus,
though We think Beveridge good man-to SUI
perintend Chicago brewery,-they say or he
says, he never drinks,-and have even disputed
our right to get drunk on Sunday or any other
day Probably there may be some doubt as to
our holding" We never had any such doubts,
nor have our friends. There is, though, some
doubt about our holding, we reckon for our
rights as a citizen seem to be confined to the
liberty of taking our drinks on week days, pay
ing taxes and being patriotic.
Bulwer says the man only who owns real es-
tate is patriotic, or words to that effect" We
are therefore patriotic,-to the extent OF 30 odd
dollars, the true value of them lands. The asses.
sor says they are worth more, but he is apt 10 be
antigudted in his ideas. In ordinary seasons $50
worth of patriotism, backed up by pair of good
lungs and our professio nal bellows, is sufficient;
indeed we do not like to encourage wickedness
in high places by having more land to pay taxes
on. 1t will be remembered, as Chas. Dudley
Warner says, that it is 1000 miles deep, but for
tunatey We only pay taxes on the top This
year, the great centennial, we concluded we
should need little additional patriotism, and
have gone into improvements. First, We paid
1926 taxes. 1t may bother some to see the i'm
provements in this outlay This of course re-
quires time. Receipts in two colors-" red and
white ARE very pretty, and in short time We
expect to have enough TO cover the whole land,
which will give pleasing effect to the scene,
and then Wen be happy-may be we can let up
then: we at least would have no objection to
doing so. More lately we invested Sc in a drain,
These lands are not in swamp by any means,
but we never did take to water well, especially
canal water, which is too much mixed for home
consumption; besides, We thought our future
wife might object to going about the cellar in a
boat or in rubber overalls. trying to harpoon
herring for breakfast. Fortunately drain is a
hole and can be covered up, or we'd have but lit
tie land left. As 1t is, our drain is in, and our
improvements finished, (tll some Aladdin runs
up a shed for u.s. and we figure up:
Them lands. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
Tayes 526