River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-05-17
Land Ownership in Europe.

The laad agitation in Ireland, which
has resulted, in recent years, in so much
turmoil and disaster, directs attention to
the manner in which land is held in the
European Countries generally.
The Irish troubles have brought into
bold relief the fact, that in that unhappy
country, the broad acres are mostly
owned by few great proprietors, while
they are tilled-by the vast body Of the
population as tenants only. The land
has hitherto been so tied and hedged
about by unjust laws, that it could not
freely come into the market to be bought
and sold. The result of this iniquitou:
Iand-system las been Ireland's present
poverty and misery.
How IS it with the other European
countrie,?
It may be said, generally, that nearly
ell the landed property OF central anc
western Europe vas, centuries ago, hele
under what is known as tie "feudal
SYSTEM"
A great lord or baron owned the do
main. He lived a part in a stately castle
At its feet clustered little village. This
was inhabited by his "vassals." The
vassals titled the ground, and gave GER
tain proportion Of its crops to the lord.
They also owed him service in the field,
in time of war; and were bound to de-
fend him from his enemies.
OF all the European countries, Eng
land is the last to which the remnants Of
the feudal system, as to land, still cling,
In England, ss in Ireland, the domain
is held, in large part, by wealthy and Of
ten titled possessors. 1t Is protected by
the laws Of prImogeftitttre and entail, by
the operation of which estates are Kept
in the great families, and cannot be sold
and divided up by spendthrift heirs.
The great mass of the farming popula-
ton in England are only tenants under
these landlords. They till the land OF
another. They have no interest ol
ownership in the soil. English law has
in many WAYS shielded this system of
large estates. One of the chief obsta-
cles to the dividing up of the land, SO
that the tenants might become owners
by purchase, is the expensiveness OF
transferring land 1t costs great deal
TO have titles examined, deeds made out
and for other legal fees TO be paid.
In France the land is absolutely free.
1t was taken from the great mobiles and
landlords, who used to own it in the
same way as land is iiow owned in Eng;
land, at the time Of the French .feyolu.
ton. The result is that to day, the land
of France is divided up into little farms,
each owned and TILED by small farmer
There are no laws tending to keep and
increase estates in few hands.
The feudal system still fingers to some
degree in Germany; but it may be said
that, in most of the German states, the
land is owned, as in France, by the
farmers who cultivate it, and that the
great estates Hhitli once existed there
have been extensively divided up among
small proprietors.
The land system of Russia is curious
and exceptional. There the land is gen
orally owned. not by large pfoprietors
in vast estates, nor by small farmers il
little patches, but by the villages, OF
"communes." A village parcels out its
land to its inhabitants, and they till it,
return its profits to the village treasury
and ere allowed certain amount fol-
thor personal support. There are, O
eonrse, still many large estates in Rus
6ia;, but the effect of the emancipation
Of the serfs twenty years ago has beef
to divide up the land, ard transfer it tC
the ownership of the local communities
Thus in most of the European eotti.
tries the old state of things under the
feudal system has been gradually pass
ing away. The fruitful farms end pro-
ductive fields have come into the hands
of the cultiyators; and the laws which
sustained aristocratic privilege and bar
onial power hare been, to large de-
gree; swept otit of existence.
1t need hardly be said that in the
tered. 1t cannot be bound lip ia Single
families for generations. It is easily
and cheaply transferred. and passes rap
idly from hand to hand.
There can be no doubt that England,
which in this respect is behind every
European country, must ere very long
also modify her land laws, and open the
acres now bound up to the competition,
and purchase of the farming population