The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-01-10
LAND MONOPOLY.

Mr.. EDITOR: The trade papers such
as the Age Of Steel, american Manu
fdct1ITer and others will, If understand
lngly real, give much light On eco
nonic questions, not in their discus
siOns and opinions, but III their news
items, for there they are off their
guard AS rule they are in sympathy
with the monOpOllst and not with the
farmer, labOrer and mechanic.
The Age of Steel in its Issue of Dec.
81, 1892, tells that H @. Frick owns
80, 90 acres of coke land not that
this land produces coke or that Mr.
Frick cultIvates it for that product, but
that the land covers the larger part Of
the coal that lies under ground III the
coal mines of the COnneilvIlle region
where the most valuable coking coal in
the United States is found Through
our laws and the private ownership of
land without use and carrying with
this ownership all shat Is on, under
and above the land, Frick can drive
ali men off the land, convert it into a
deer park or q desert and prevent 8
bushel OF coal from being mined or
used except upon his own terms.
Carnegie owns and entirely controls
over q thousand acres of land, under
which Is iron ore, and the two form a
combine for their mutual benefit. In
she same paper Is an account Of an
otner company that has mOnopOlized
$4,000 acres of soda land, 1O.O OOO acres
of coal and 600 acres of iron land in
Wyoming. Other still more frequent
and mOnstrOus examples might be
given. II this thing 8 PES on the large
majority of the children Of men will
be compelled to say as did the Christ
who made the earth. The foxes have
holes ard the birds Of the air have
nests" but the children Of men TO
whom God gave the earth and the
fuInees thereof, have no place to lay
their heads or put their feet except by
the permission of a landlord.
If there be any truth, If there be any
virtue In equality a0d human brother
hood, the time has come to think OF
these things, and the results to which
we are tending Land and corporate
monopoly are the twin roots Of all our
social and monetary evils. 1t l5
through them that the farmer and
labOrlng men are being reduced to alb
iect slavery, after being Impoverished
Dy mOnOpOhstiC executions and usury.
The man who owns the land as his
private and exclusive property, owns
the man who lives on that land and
can dictate terms Oy residence, and his
failure to comply ends III eviction, and
bv combination with other landlords
he can drive him from his country.
This is being done to day in Ireland,
Scotland and other European cOun
tries.
Just think of it for a moment,
brethren Frick, Carnegie and their
associate land graObers never made a
| foot of land, an ounce of coal or iron.
They did not make the oil, the gas, the
soda, the nickel nor the gold and silver
nor any part of the riches stored in
the bowels of the earth, nor the riches
that can be gathered by labor and Cul
tivated from the surface of the earth.
Who made it all? God made it? He
only has the right Of property. To
whom did he give it2 To Frick Car
negie or any of the rest of these land
iobbers who either like dogs in the
manger" hold without use or else use
by the practically forced and under
paid labor of others, while they eat
daily and are really in wealth and
luxury.
If you want to fully understand your
rights, your inalIenable God given
rights, open your Bible and read the
nrSU CQapJor OIL OeD0SlS WIN INC eyes
of your understanding open and your
party prejudice and bigOted eyes shut.
You will then see that God gave the
earth, the sea and all that is in, over
and upon the land TO the children of
men," He gave 1t to all of .hem. He
gave it to those now living, not to the
dead. He gave it for their present use
and occupation only. They cannot
bequeath it to others, nor inherit 1T
from ancestors. 1t is for the living,
not the dead. So long as there IS a
foot Of unOccupled and unused land
and a son Of man who needs and wants
to use it for the benefit Of himself and
family, he has the right and title from
the Almighty to possess and use that
land. While he does so use it his pos
sessory right is perfect.
Think 1t out. There a rest Is made.
The editor needs room and the object
Is rather to excite inquiry and invest1-
CATION than to write an elaborate essay
or attempt a public discussion of the
subject J. DENNIS WOLFE.
Pensacola, Fla.
A good way to tell when to use new
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