The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-04-07
Truth Fitly Spoken.

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What the people want and ought TO
have are homes and chance homes
and living chance. Give family
home of their own and it is the best
safeguard for the perpetuity Of a gov
ernment and the happiness of people.
/ was always sorry fora family who had
no home, but had to dodge about from
house to house and place to. place-no
orchard to improve, no flowers to love
and nurse, no sacred spot, no castle, as
Blackstone calls it. don't know how
other people prize it, but my home is the
dearest spot on earth to me and my
family. There is no place like home
not rented home, forever wanting re-
pairs, hut home to live and die in,
which the boys whe have found work
afar off can look back to with affection
and revisit with pure delight, and where
the good wife and daughter can plant
the vine and rosebush and SOW the
| flower seed, and the orchard and the
grape vines bring their fruit in due sea-
son. 1t won't do to say that the poor
are too lazy TO work and buy land. and
have hone They haven't been tried.
They don't get enough for their labor to
lay up anything, They are not encour-
aged. Vanderbilt and company get all
| they make over and above poor living,
and Wander ltmust be protected. The
troubl is our people have got hardened
to fixing minimum price upon labor,
just enough to feed and clothe the
family stingily, with no margin for old
| age or sickness, much less house.
What does all this mean that three
syndicates are bying up all the land of
tie great west, 100000 acres and 800,
100000 acres in Texas, and large tracts
in Arkapsas2 Why don't the United
States government buy it up and save
it for homes for our people? The gov
ernment gave away l00,000,000 Of
acerS in Texas at one time to wealthy
corporation to hire 'em to build rail
road-more land than is obtainable In
any four States In the Union except
Texas, and our statesmen made no pro
test. The money is all going into the
hands of few, and so is the land
There is way to stopall this, butwher
| it is agitatel the rich and powerful cry
out agrarianism and robbery, and hire
the press and bribe the big men ant
scare of the little ones and SO it goes
What we need are statesmen, not hire
lings We want fearless men who
can't be tampered with. Let all thi.
surplus wealth, these bloated fortunes
be taxed to support the government
After man has accumulated 500, ,00l
begen to tax the excess, and the more
| he accumulates the HEAVIER the rate; ane
when he gets it up to- million take
all the excess, if necessary, to equalize
| in some measure the burdens and the
comforts of life, and provide homes
humble homes-for the people. A
man with ten acres and house of hi
own is good citizen in peace and :
tower of strength to his government il
time of war. A million Of dollars il
enough for any one man. He ough
not to hunger and thirst fer more, 70
he can't need it, and it makes dog o
him to hoard it up. Who has any re
spect for such men as Vanderbilt, o
| Gould, or Senator Shaon, TO even fo
the memory of Stephen Girard or A
T. Stewartl Nobody "Bill Arp" il
the Atlanta Constitution.
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