The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-09-10
OLD SETTLERS PICNIC.
Continued from Cd page,

thereafter take, hold or acquire, by
gift, grant, purchase, devise or in
heritance, with power to enforce it
by appropriate legislation.
What would be the proper limit for
agricultural holdings, for holdings in
villages, and for holdings in cities,
would be settled upon by the legis-
lature of the state at these stated
periods, and each state would deter
mine for itself. This would act, not
upon present, but upon future acqui-
sitions only. 1t would take from no
man any portion of his property. 1t
would only prevent in future the
growth of land monopoly What the
legislature of each state, in view of
its population, soil and climate,
would regard as proper limitation
upon farms, upon village and upon
city property, would be controlled
by the enlightened judgment of the
people of the state represented.
But it may be said: this would
give the legislature power to prevent
| rich man from controlling his prop
erty after death, and making his
children landed aristocracy. That
is true. He would not be able to
devise to any one, land in excess of
the limitation. But that does not
take away his property. 1t is death
which takes him and sewers him from
the control of his property. A dead
man has no right to control his prop
erty beyond what the law especially
gives him. There is nothing in the
Bill of Rights or Declaration of In
dependence which asserts dead
mans right to control his property
in this world after he leaves it. The
earth belongs to the living, not the
dead; and the law is to provide for
the living, not for the dead; and our
ancestors declared against the law of
primogeniture which exists in Eng
land, in order that great estates
might be subdivided by death. The
proposed law of land limitation upon
gifts and inheritances is in the same
direction, It looks to the same end,
the prevention of Land Monopoly
and Land Aristocracy; and this
should apply to citizens as well as
aliens Some men now a-days think
themselves very brave and very pat
riotic in denouncing Foreign land
ed aristocracy, while Home landed
aristocracy is equally dangerous to
the Republic; perhaps even more SO.
SUCH, in brief, is my opinion of a
true, wise, and practical mode of Sc
curing ourselves against the dangers
of land monopoly.
But as intimately connected with
this subject, after thus fixing sys-
tenn of land limitation which would
prevent the monopoly of lands by a
few, and would thereby give to every
honest, frugal and industrious man,
who has capacity to govern himself,
an opportunity to become landhold-
er, and to purchase and pay for a
homestead for his family, | would go
step further. In order to favor
and induce, and to some extent to
aid him to do so, l would favor also
further amendment to the consti-
tons of the several states, which be-
sides exempting homesteads from
forced sale for debt, should also,
within certain limits, exempt that
homestead and necessary furniture
from all taxation whatever, and,
further, that in the assessment of all
farms all homesteads, only their
value over and above the amount
fixed for homesteads, and exemption
| from taxation, should be assessed at
all.
And, what is equally important
the constitution of each state should
provide that every householder, and
head of family, who should live with
and support his family in such separ-
ate homestead for such time as the
Legislature shall prescribe, in addi-
ton to the one vote, to which he is
sow entitled at any election, should
have additional vote to represent his
family; so that every such permanent
householder occupying homestead,
shall have two votes,-one to repre-
sent his manhood, and one to repre-
sent his family and household
This is a most important matter
which I have discussed elsewhere,
but cannot now enlarge upon. Moth
ing, however, can be more certain
than that the man who takes upon
himself the responsibility of found.
ing and rearing family, has dou
Bile responsibility, compared with the
single and unmarried man, and
should have double vote
) Should either of the political par.
ties, or, better still, if both of then
should take hold of these questions
of Land Limitations, Homestead
Exemption from Taxation, as we'll a:
from forced sale for debt. and Home
i stead Suffrage. there is no doubt