Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-08-27


ing the soil bear another set in their
place, you have constituted yourseiI
lord of this soil for all succeeding time.
.sOh. those natural products which !
destroyed were of little or no nse'
whereas caused the earth to bring
forth things good for food-thiugs tha1
help to give life and happiness.
'sStill, you have not shown why such
q process makes the portion OF earth you
have so modified yours What is 1t tnas
you have done? You have turned over
the soil to few inches in depth with
spade or plow; you have scattered
over this prepared surface few seeds;
and you have gathered the fruits which
the sun, rain and air helped the soil to
produce. just tell me. if you please.
by what magic have these acts made you
sole owner of that vast mass OF matter,
having for its base the surface of your
estate, and for its apex the center OF
the globe, all of which, it appears, you
would monopolize to yourself and your
descendants forever"
ssWell, if it isn't mine, whose is it?
have dispossessed nobody. When l
crossed the Mississippi yonder. l found
nothing but the silent woods. II some
one else had settled here and made this
clearing he would have had as good
right to the location as / have have
done nothing but what any other per-
son was at liberty to do had he come be-
fore me- While they were unreclaimed'
these lands belonged to all men-as
much to one as to another--and they
are now mine simply because l was the
first to discover and improve them.
.'You say truly. when you say that
while they were unreclaimed these
lands belonged to all men, And it is
my duty to tell you that they belong to
all men still; and that your improve
ments,' as you call them, can not vitiate
the claim of all men. You may pillow
and harrow, and sow and reap; you
may turn over the soil as often as You
like; but all your manipulations will
fail to make that soil yours, which was
not yours to begin with. Let me put
case Suppose now that in the course
of your wanderings you come upon an
empty house, which in spite of its dilap-
idated state takes your fancy; suppose
that with the intention OF making it
your abode you expend much time and
trouble in repairing it-that you paint
and paper and whitewash, and at con-
cost bring it into a habitable
state. Suppose, further, that on some
fatal day stranger is announced, who
turns out to be the heir to whom this
house has been bequeathed, and that
this professed heir is prepared with all
the necessary proofs of his identity;
what becomes of your improvements?
Do they give you a valid title to the
honse? Do they quash the title of the
original CLAIMANT"
tNo"
Neither then do your pioneering
operations give you a valid title to this
land. Neither do they quash the title
of its original claimants-the human
race The world is Gods bequest to
mankind All men are joint heirs to
it; you among the number. And be-
cause you have taken up your residence
ON certain part of it, and have sub
dued, cultivated, beautified that part -
it as you say-you are not,
warranted in appropriating
it as entirely private property. At
least, if you do so, you may at any mo-
ment be justly expelled by the lawful
''Well, but surely you would not eject
me without making some recompense
for the great additional value have
given to this tract, by reducing what
was a wilderness into fertile fields. You
would not turn me adrift and deprive
me of all the benefits of those years of
toll it has cost me to bring this spot into
its present state"
''Of course not; just rs in the case of
the house, you would have an equitable
title to compensation from the proprie-
tor for repairs and new fittings, SO the
can not justly take posses
sion of this estate, without paying for
all that you have done to it. This extra
worth which your labor has impaired
to it is fairly yours; and although you
have without leave, busted yourself in
lettering what belongs to the commu-
nifty, yet no doubt the community will
duly discharge your claim. But admit
ting this is quite a different thing
from recognizing your right to the land
itself. 1t may be true that you are en-
titled to compensation for the improve
ments this Enclosure has received at
your hands; and at the same time it
may be equally true that no act, form,
proceeding or ceremony can make this
inc1osure your private property"
FRO BE CONTINUED