The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1883-10-06
SATURDAY. OCTOBER 9, 1883


SHIELD three parts out of four of the
territory i'm s~everalty and in small or
medium sized tracts, it Is clear that
there can neither be any single per-
son nor nobility able to dispute the
control of the government with
them." In no country has this prin-
ciple been so fully exemplitied as in
our own. The exploration and de-
veloptnent of o new continent I'M
svoidabiy placed the land directly in
the hands OF the people. Every man
who has had the ambition or desire
has become u land owner or property
owner, and thereby acquired an in
terest in good government, the en-
forcement of law and the faithful adj
ministration of justice. The public
welfare in such cases being identical
with individual interest, the advance
ment OF the one leading to tho promo
ton of the other.
Every person in possession ofprop-
erty, by an unavoidable law of human
nature, is anxious that legal protec-
ton shall be given that property;
while on the other hand, those who
have nothing at stake and seeing
others in possession of much more
than is necessary for their support,
feel the inequalities OF life and are I'M
likely TO oppose laws seeking a more
equal division of wealth.
Now it so happens that whom the
former has gained an undue prepon-
derance, through consolidation or
otherwise, oppression of the latter is
the logical consequence; reversed,
contiscation and anarchy follow in
quick succession.
That the tendency at present and
for some years past has been toward
q Capitalization OF landed interests
and the amassing Of enormous tracts
In the hands of a few is sadly too APP
parent to call for more than a mere
statement of the fact. Throughout
the entire list Of Western States east
ern corporations have been buying up
and monopoli1ing tens Of thousands
of acres of the very best and most ar
able lands. For example, the STAN
dard Oil Company, that gigantic,
constituencies monster whose skinny
clutches throtlles all opposition, has
turned its attention toward land alb
sorbtion and has purchased already
in the State of Wisconsin an immense
tract containing $4,000 acres.
Nothing can be more inimical to
free institutions, more preJudicial TO
republican government, or better cal
culated to subvcrt and destroy our
national fabric than monopoly when
applied TO the public domain. When
the masses become dependent upon
the will of the few for the sources of
living, when INSCRIPTIONS hands
have gained control of the fountain OF
all wealth, when to be a tiller of the
soil is to be an oppressed mental,
when tenants at will have taken the
place of our free educated yeomanry,
and railroad kings have been equalled
in power by landed lords, our repre-
sentative system will have become a
mockery, our boosted liberties will
have vanished, our rights and prerog-
atives remaining only in the shape
OF footballs for politicians. That such
q fate is really impending and threat
ems at no distant day To be productive
Of even more evil than has been pre-
dicted no thoughtful, well-informed
person will gainsay. We have no
agrarian principles to advocate, no
equal division of the profits of un-
equal labor Is sought after, but that
the future may remain as full of
promise as the past has been OF real
i~zation, immediate steps seem neces-
sary to arrest that spirit OF aggran-
dizement which, not content with le-
climate gains, seeks by unjust dis
elimination and consolidation TO fur