The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-10-06
The Land.

He who owns the land owns the
people on the land. Grand Master
Workman Powderly in an address to
the General Assembly of the K. of L.
once said:
"The eight hour law and prohibition
of child labor and the currency ques.
ton are all of weighty moment to the
toiler. But high up above them all
stands the land question. Give me the
land and you may frme as many eight
hour laws as you please yet l can battle
them and render them null and void
Prohibit child labor if you will but give
me the land and your children will be
my slaves. Make your currency Of
whatever material you choose, but if l
own the land you cannot base your
currency upon the wealth of the nation
for the wealth is the land.
"You make the laws and own the
currency but give me the land and I
will absorb your wealth and render
your legislation null and void.''
Earth, water and air are the three
essentials to life. Cut off one of these
life giving elements and you have
deprived the people ofon of the means
by which life must be maintained. 1t
is said that seven noblemen living in
England and Ireland own eight mil.
lion nine hundred and fifteen thousand
acres of American soil. These men
are all landlords and through their
influence are enabled to get laws passed
10 their country for the purpose Of
driving their victims from their own
land to this country, here to be.
come their more dependent serfs
The Republican party in its first plat
form said
'.All men have right to portion of
the soil and that as a portion of the
soil is indispensable to lite, the right OF
all men to the soil is as sacred as his
right to life itself.''
Humanity has right to fight for its
living, hence as the land is one of the
necessary elements to life and s sacred
as life itself, then every man and woman
has right to fight for the occupancy
and use of the land. The Peoples
Party in 1890 had equally as good land
plank in its platform as the one I have
just quoted. How has the land been
stolen from this people? 1t has been
stolen through the process of law,
Through the contraction of the cur
rency, if you please. Our currency
was contracted, the price of land fell,
business houses closed their doors, men
were thrown out of employment and
people were compelled to put mortgages
on their lands; opportunities to pay
these mortgages were not only cut off
but debts were made to increase until
they covered the peoples personal
property then the machinery of laws
were set in motion and millions of acres
of best lands and millions of dollars o:
our personal property became the prop,
erty of robbing and murderous class,
class created by law. Yes, our lands
have been taken from us by law. How
shall we restore these lands to the
people answer through law Let
US tax the land out of the hand of land
spectators and alines, into the hands
of the people.
Tighten the burden of tax now rest.
ing upon home owners who belong to
the industrial army. Put this burden
upon the shoulders of the vampires
who are wasting the lives of millions
Make that burden so heavy that they
will be compelled to unload. Supply
the people with money SO they can dis
charge their forced obligations and
purchase new homes and make improve
ments and develop themselves. What
is infinitely better adopt the K. of l.
plan and make occupation and use sole
title to the land. Declare by the
sovereign voice of the people that the
home is sacred, that across its thresh.
old, the tax collector, or sheriff, shal
never cross to levy tribute or .distress
The home is permanent declare il
so by law. Every human being has {
right to portion of the soil. *
Our land laws are inhumau they are
murdcrous, let them be revised. They
are such that our titles as naturally
graVitate into the hands of the landlord
class as water runs down hill.
Debt means mortgages mortgages
means foreclosures foreclosures mean;
forced sales on a ruined market at
sacrifice amounting to wholesale anG
highway robbery. This means an army
Of tenants, homeless serfs, wandering