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

prletOr OF all the lan0S IN MS king
dom, and that no man doth or can
possess any part of it but what has
mediately or Immediately been de-
rived as a gift from him, to be held
upon feudal services. The grantor
was called proprietor or lord; the
grantee tenant or vassal. Besides
an oath of fealty or profession of
faith to the lord, the vassal was re-
quired to do homage to his lord by
openly and humbly kneeling-being
ungirt and uncovered-and holding
up his hands both together between
those of the lord who sat before him,
and then protesting that he did be-
come "his man from that day forth,
Of life and limb and earthly honor"
and then he received a kiss from his
lord. After this homage he was
bound to follow and do suit to the
lord in his courts in time of peace,
and in his armies and warlike retin-
ne, when necessity called him to the
field.
These feuds or tenures. being
merely gratuitous, were held at the
will of the lord, who was the sole
judge whether his vassal performed
his services faithfully. At a later
day they were extended for life; and
at length, made hereditary in the
eldest male heir. But the vassal
could not sell, mortgage, exchange
or devise, without the consent of his
lord. Blackstone, Book II. p. 81
But centuries have passed and
many modification of land tenures
have been made in Great Britain,
and many more are yet to come.
The land question in England and
the land question in Ireland is to-day
the question of all others most vital
and paramount
That question is also beginning to
press upon US in this country. A
deep sense of the dangers of land
monopoly to our republican institu-
tons and to the welfare of our coun-
try, led, doubt not, to the request
that should speak on that subject
on this occasion, and give my opin-
ion as to the wisest, simplest, and
most practical solution of the land
question for the people of the United
States. In few words, my opinion is;
I. In the first place no revolu-
should be proposed. Whatever is
done should be confined to the the
DRY of our system, which is, progress
under law;-peaceful revolution, by
framing wiser laws and better con-
stitutions in order to conform to a
more enlightened public judgment.
2. In the second place no confs-
cation of any property, real Or per-
sonal, of any person, is necessary at
all, or should be proposed. What
ever law is enacted bearing upon the
land question should recognize that
the foundations of human
liberty, none are more important
than that portion of the Bill of
Rights, which denies the right of the
to take away any mans
property, even for public use, with
out just compensation; and this ap-
plies to property in land as well as
to all other property.
3. The idea of some, that a law
or constitution may declare private
property in land void, or confscate
its value, by taxing that alone, can
never find support in reason; nor,
can it ever receive the practical sup
port of civilized people; because,
the strongest natural instinct, and
most earnest desire of every man, is
to assume all the duties of manhood;
to found a family, to have home
for his wife and children; and, to
crown all, to have homestead of his
own, in which to live and rear up
that family. 1t is as natural to man
to seek and to have his own home
as that bird should seek and have
its nest. 1t is only in free, separate,
and independent home, that he be-
comes full man. There alone, is
he prophet, priest and king. There
alone, is every wife queen. And,
there alone, are the children reared
up to manhood, and to womanhood,
who are themselves to be the future
republic. Among the greatest of
the blessings of that promised happy
state, when the reign of universal
peace on earth and goodwill to men
shall come, is, that every man shall
have his own homestead; shall "sit
down under his own vine and fig
tree," with none to modest or make
afraid.
a. The idea that all taxes should
be abolished, except direct taxes
upon land to support the federal,
state and municipal governments,
would result in great injustice and
Besides, it would re-
auire fundamental or radical chan
pes in the federal constitution, and
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