The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-04-05
Squandered PatrimonI.


The Government of the United States,
holding in trust for coming generations
the public domain, has given away,
during the life of the Republican party,
or sold at the minimum price estab-
lished to cover costs of survey and dis
trib ution, over 20S, 900 square miles of
the peoples land to thirteen corporate
and twenty private individuals.
Here is an empire of land owned by
thirty-three holders, embracing 1000
square miles more than the area of
France, 26, 900 more than Spain, S8, 600
more than Great Britain and Ireland,
and as much as the entire German EN-
pire.
The feudal system of England was
founded on 700 baronial estates of less
than an average of $50 square miles
each. In the United States thirty-three
individuals and corporations hold suf-
ficient land to constitute 1887 baronial
estates equal to the average of those of
the great chiefs of the Norman pirate.
The history and experiences OF the
world show that large capitals tend to
absorb small ones, and that large es-
tates invariably absorb small holdings.
This rule of the absorption of the lesser
by the larger holds equally good in re-
gard to political power and personal
and political liberty. Large capitals
accumulate at the expense of smaller
I,ones. Large estates grow by absorbing
lesser ones, and vast powers are concen-
trated at the sacrifice of individual lib
erty. I .a.
The American Republic was founded
on the basis of human equality, the
fvadsx-sdrrol r-fnrhfo Of nd r,o<
and equitable distribution of sover-
eighty, Independence and the means
of prosperity among the people. To
maintain such equality, to protect such
individual rights, and to insure such
equitable distribution, the people con-
centrated all their powers of sovereign
ty and conferred them upon a Govern
ment of their own creation. But in
stead of exercising these powers for the
purposes intended and expressly de-
clared in the Constitution. the Govern
ment has betrayed its trust, usurped
powers not delegated to it, and exer-
cised its delegated powers to destroy
that which it was ordained, TO protect
1t has, without the authority of the
people, given the land inheritance of
posterity to vast monopolies, thus en-
failing upon coming generations the
curses of vassalage, instead of the
blessings of liberty. In this, it has
planted on the soil of the Republic q
landed aristocracy seventy per cent.
greater than that established by the
Norman robber, England, which for q
thousand years has marked the blacklist
page of civilized history. The planting
and protecting of this monopoly viii as
inevitably result in the absorption of
all the lands of the people as did its
English and Roman predecessors. The
Government has also, through the en-
actment of special legislation, and the
granting of special powers and privi-
leges, even to the parting with some of
its sovereign prerogatives. built up vast
capitalistic monopoles, that are des-
tined, if protected, to absorb the last ves-
tige of individual accumulations. The
result of these vast accumulations of
wealth upon individual and popular lib
erty is not doubtful. 1t is a recognized
fact by all students of political economy
as well as of history that wealth is pow
er at compound interest"
While the master slept the enemy has
been sowing tares. The people are just
awaking from a twenty years sleep to
find their blood-bought patrimony in
the possession of robbers and enemies,
who are so strongly fortified by law,
manufactured public sentiment and the
power of wealth as to be well-nigh in
vincible.
There are but two courses fort the peo-
pie to pursue:
1. Totear down and scatter to the four
winds the bulwarks of protection which
the enemy has thrown up for his de-
fense. Take from him his ill-gotten
and wrongfully obtained power and pos
sessions, and distribute them to their
rightful owners, assume the powers of
government and re-establish the Repub-
lie upon its original basis. The monop-
olies will have no just cause of COM
plant. They have no rights to be de-
prived of, for there are no rights in
wrongs. Patriots have given their lives,
mothers their sons, and wives their hus-
bands to establish liberty. Why then
have not their posterity right to pro-
tect and defend their inheritance, even
by declaring contraband of war every
resource of power in the hands of their
enemies?
g To submit. To lie down in de-
spair, like over-worked beasts of bur-
den, and acknowledge that they do not
possess the manhood, even with the aid
of the ballot, to emancipate themselves.
= Chicago Express.
The character of the women in
every society is always the preponder-
ating influence, and when we talk of a
"refined community we lay a tribute
at the feet of the refined women in that
community. We hear a great deal of
talk about disenthralling women from
the prejudices of the ages. But frivo-
lous and vain women viii not be ele-
waited. Their influence is always evil,
for they do have an infiuence.-Louis-
ciiie Courier-Jourpdi.
a Morrno,, hrofhar se;d t, N rant;Ia