The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-05-17

know not how. Man 10 NOT cre2EOrS anu
never first sgent. But without enter
ing upon the question Of first causes, it
is clear to all that NJ man made the
land-snd by land / mean all natural
opportunities. The earth was created
for mans use, and If all are equal in re-
spect Of their natural rights, all have to
this common heritage a common title.
No man shows q title deed to land from
God, and If the doctrine Of the brother
hood Of man and it's attendant corollary,
the fatherhood Of God, be true, then it
necessarily follows that all the children
Of common father possess to his unas-
signed bounty an equal right. Purchase
creates no rights. It merely transfers
them, where they previously exist. Ii
they do not exist, they cannot be trans
ferred. Age can never change wrong to
right. Trace back any paper title to
land, and you soon come upon sef-evi-
dent and self-confessed fraud. No title
existing, none was conferred.
The world belongs to the World Crea-
tor, to God, to nature, and humanity at
large is the only visible representative OF
the original owner. The natural right
to use and occupy is lnaliensble and i'm
prescriptible. All natures children
share in her undivided estate. But to
none is it given in perpetum. "The
earth belongs in usufruct to the living"
Concede this right, and "the social ques-
tion" has vanished.
"In the beginning Of the world, we are
told by Holy Writ, the all-bOuntiful Creator
gave to man dominion over all the earth,
and over the fish Of the sea, and over the
fowls of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth This is the
only true and solid foundation for mans
dominion over external things, whatever
any metaphysical notions may have been
started by fanciful writer's upon the subject.
The earth, therefore, and all things therein
are the general property of all mankind, e1-
elusive of other beings, from the immediate
gift of the Creator. And while the earth con-
tinued bare Of inhabitants, it is reasonable
to suppose that all was in common among
them, and chat every one took from the pub
lio stock to his own use such things as his
immediate necessities required. These gen.
eral notions of property were then sufficient
to answer all the purposes Of human life
and might perhaps still have answered them
had it been possible for man to have re-
mained in a state of primeval simplicity. -
Blackstone's Commentaries, II, 2-3.
Although Blackstone elsewhere OK
plicitely declares occupation and use tC
constitute the only morally valid title tc
land, and though he here states that "th'
earth and all things therein are the gen
eral property Of mankind" he yet wai
constrained to join in legalizing the vas'
robbery by which men have been made
to appear as disinherited paupers il
their Fathers house.
at became fundamental and necessary
principle (though in reality mere fiction
Of our English tenures that the king is tn
universal lord and original proprietor OF al
the lands in his kingdom; and that no MAJ
doth or can possess any part Of il but wha
has mediately or Immediately been derives
as gift from him TO be held on feudal ten
ure. -Blaokstone's Commentaries, II, 81.
Our laws are mainly derived from En-
glish sources, and the makers Of thes
original laws were forced to uphold tn
roJobor;aa ~ thair rnaatara-tha kings