Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-12-03
Gree Land" as a Political Issue.

Gree Land, as a Political Issue.
The prominence given to Henry George
by the large vote given to him in the re-
cent mayoralty contest in New York city,
has caused his extraordinary political and
economic teachings to receive more gen.
eral consideration in the public mind
Archbishop Corrigan, of New York, in a
recent pastoral letter to his flock, has
deemed it proper to consider deliberately
the question of individual property in
lands, and TO defend it as entirely conson-
ant with natural liberty and the divine
law. He warns his people against agita-
tors who declare against property in lands
The fact that SO prominent divine has
seen the necessity of thus publicly. at this
late day, defending the title of Individual
property in lands, is one of the signs OF
the times. 1t shows how deeply the seeds
of social revolution have already been
sown in the minds of many ignorant peo-
pie, who under the policy OF our free in.
stitutions are invested with the all potent
right of franchise, and the dangerous crop
of bad fruit which is likely to be the har
vest.
In past ages the question of absolute
individual property in the substance Of
lands, based upon prior occupancy and
thus transmitted from generation TO gene
ration. has been fully discussed by the
writers upon natural and international
law. All concur in the validity of the IT,
tie and this doctrine may be fairly consid-
cred the corner stone of the modern social
and political fabric. Mr.. Justice Black
stone in his Commentaries thus describes
the origin of individual property in lands
Gas the world by degrees grew more
populous, it daily became more difficult
to find out new spots to inhabit, without
encroaching upon former occupants; and
by constantly occupying the same individ-
ual spot, the fruits of the earth were con-
sumed, and its spontaneous produce de.
stroyed, without any provision for future
supply or succession. 1t therefore became
necessary to pursue some regular method
of providing a constant subsistence; and
this necessarily produced, or at least pro.
NOTED and encouraged, the art of agricul-
ture. And the art of agriculture, by re,
gular connection and consequence, intro.
duced and established the idea of more
permanent property in the soil than had
hitherto been received and adopted. 1t
was clear that the earth would not pro-
duce her fruits in sufficient quantity with
out the assistance Of tillage; but who
would be at the pains OF tilling. if another
might watch an opportunity to seize upon
and enjoy the product of his industry, art,
and labor? Had not therefore a separate
property in lands as we'll as movables been
vested in some individuals, the world
must have continued forest, and men
have been mere animals of prey, which,
according to some philosophers, is the
genuine state of nature. Whereas now
$50 graciously has Providence interviewer
our duty and our happiness together) the
result of this very necessity has been the
ennobling of the human species, by giving
it opportunities of improving its rational
faculties, as well as of exertiug its natural.
Necessity begat property: and, in order to
insure that property, recourse was had to
civil society, which brought along with
it long train of inseparab!e concomi-
tants,-states, government, laws, punish
ments, and the public exercise of religious
duties. Thus connected together, it was
found that q. part only of society was suf-
ticient to provide, by their manual labor,
for the necessary subsistence of all !: and
leisure was given to Others to cultivate
the human mind, to invent useful arts ::
and to lay the foundation Of science"
To assert at this day that an individual
cannot properly hold an absolute title to
land is little different from the general
maxims of the communists that "property
is robbery The tendency of Mr.. Georges
philosophy is directly toward the school OF
the anarchists and the communists and il
he follow it out to its legitimate conse-
quences, he will not be able to escape an
utilization with that class of philosophers
Though it cannot be denied that great
abuses have been practiced under past Re-
publican administrators in the distrbu
ton of the public lands, which are vested
in the general government in trust for thu
people, whereby rich corporations have
absorbed the choicest of those lands te
the exclusion of agricultural settlers; anc
this is certainly great wrong to the PEG
pie and source of just complaint. Blu
the remedy to this evil does not lie in tht
absurd and revolutionary agitation of Mr.
George. 1t will be found rather in de
priving the Republican party of furthe
power to continue and increase the wrong
and in upholding the Democratic party
in its well-defned policy of preserving
these lands to the people.
There is still land enough in this broad
country to supply the demand of all who
wish to devote themselves honestly tt
agricultural industry. When it is con
sidered that here in Southern Maryland
within few leagues of the national cap
ital, we have an abundance of good land
growing up into forest for want of occu
pancy and tillage, it will be readily seer
that the cry of Stree land" as a means o.
amelioraling the laboring mans condition
is premature and out of place.
If George and Powderly and their co
agitators were true philosophers and hon
est sagacious leaders, instead OF their in
surrectionary agitation. they would coun
sci their followers to quit the overcrowdec