The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-09-10

ago, TOOK possession anu ulVluCu dill
the lands in England according to
the Domonday book, so the land of
Canaan was taken and divided by
! Joshua, the Hebrew general, among
the tribes and families of Israel. But
that division was made, and the land
question was settled, under the laws
of Moses.
Those laws provided, first, that the
whole land should be divided among
the twelve tribes. Second, that the
lands of the tribes should be subGi-
vided among the families of each
tribe, for an inheritance forever.
But it was expressly provided,
that the title in fee of the family to
the land could not be sold forever.
Only lease of it for fifty years, or
less, might be sold; a lease until the
year of jubilee, which came once in
fifty years. And even that sale was
conditional. 1t was always subject
to right of redemption by the SELL
er, or by one of his family. 1t could
be redeemed at any time "by count
ing the years of the sale thereof, and
restoring the overplus to the pur-
chaser; that he (the seller) might
return into his possession. But if he
be not able to restore it, then that
which is sold shall remain in the
hand of him that hath bought it,
until the year of jubilee; and, in the
jubilee it shall go out; and he shall
return into his possession" But,
even if not redeemed before the ju-
biIee,-that sacred event which pro-
claimed anew, elderly throughout
all the land unto all the inhabitants
thereof" restored every man into his
possession Thereupon all grants,
mortgages and leases were dis.
charged and cancelled forever. The
jubilee was species of bankrupt
law for the benefit of all debtors; OF,
rather, a homestead redemption,
without money and without price.
This was Moses way to guard the
Israelites against land monopoly
and, to secure the independence of
families;-which alone, are the true
foundation of a commonwealth.
Such was the tenure to land
among the Jews everywhere, except
within walled cities, in which there
was a very different tenure,-what
we call a tenure in fee. eff a man
sell a dwelling house in walled
city, then he may redeem it within
whole year after it is sold. But if it
be not redeemed within the space of
a full year, then the house that is in
the walled city shall be established
forever to him that bought it,
throughout his generations. It shall
not go out in the jubilee" prov,
Oh. ISL
In the ancient republics of Greece
and Rome, the land question was
deemed of greatest Importance by
their lawgivers. Lycurgus and So
lon among the Greeks, and Romulus
and Numa among the Romans, met
that question by fixing limit to the
amount of land which any citizen
could hold; and, then by an equal
division of lands among citizens.
All Greek statesmen and philoso-
pliers during the Republic favored
this system. Plato's ideal republic
was based upon an equal division of
land. Montesquieu, among the great
modern writer's upon fundamental
law, says: 1t is not enough in a good
republic that the portions of land
held by citizens should be equal It
is also necessary, among the Romans
that they should be moderate in ex-
tent. Civ. ", Oh. VIZ The exact
extent, must, of necessity, depend
upon the density of population, and
upon soil and climate.
Among the Romans in that rich,
warm soil and climate of Italy, and
in a territory small in comparison
with its population, that limit was
first fixed at seven acres. No citizen
could hold more. The farm of Gin
cinnatus, when he was called from
the pillow to be Dictator of Rome,
contained only seven acres. When
his daughter married he gave her
one-third, thereby reducing his farm
to four and two-thirds acres. So
small limit was only adapted to the
warm climate and rich soil of Italy,
near the capital,-where every farm
could be made garden. But when
the territories of Rome afterwards
became enlarged, that limit was ex-
tended to fifty acres. 1t remained at
that point for centuries;- during all
that period of the republic when
Romans were distinguished above all
other men for their greatness,
strength, courage, integrity, good
faith and frugality, as we'll as for the
purity of their lives, their manners
and their morals. TWAS during that
period that the Senate of Rome ap-
peared to the ambassadors of other
II l.