The herald., 1894-08-21
HOI POLLOI vs.. LAND MONOPOLY
A Case Tried Before the Single
Tax Club.
An Interesting Argument Made for
the New Doctrine.
Councillor Creighton Makes = Forcibie
Plea for His CLIENTS and Cites
the Highest Au-
thorities.

The Single Tax club was greeted by
a large audience at Unity church last
night. The feature of the evening was
the presentation by William s. Creigh-
ton of his brief for plaintiffs in the case
OF Hoi Polloi ct al, claimants contestant
under the will OF the Almighty, vs. Land
Monopoly, in the Court of Public Opin-
on. Space will not permit of full
Fermentation of his admirable paper, but
the salient features are 40 follows:
Counsel for dispossessed claimants and con-
testants for participation under, he nuncupative
will OF me Author and Architect of the Uni
verse, respectfully represent:
That their clients derive just title 10 an equal
and undivided per capha interest in the ma
terisl substance of this terrestrial sphere as
offspring of the creative edlct of the Deity. and
us lineal and coequal descendants OF Adam the
First,
That the said Adam the First had actual in
. vesLiture of dominion over every beast of the
field, fowl of the air, fish of the sea and of the
immediate products OF the earth, the only linn
itaton or condition precedent to his appropria-
tion and joy nent being the dictum of the
Lord, "In the sweat OF thy face shalt thou eat
bread,' But exclusive OF the foregoing lnves-
titure the Almighty made an express reserya-
tion unto Himself of all that lot, piece and par
Gel OF laud described as planet OF the fourth
OF heaven, and more particularly bounded and
described as the earth; the aforesaid rsserya-
tion being in the words and figures following,
to wit: "rhe earth is the Lords and the fullnehs
thereof"
That in view of the reservation aforesaid we
hold the proposition indisputable that no s.n-
gle individual, or limited number OF indlvid-
uals, ever became actually vested with title in
fee simple to any lot, piece or parcel OF land OF
this Mundane sphere. :.
Now IL the world was made for man, 1t
should be adapted to his uses and accommoda-
ton. and that, too, in such mode and manner
as to be mos. highly conducive to the preserva
tion and wholesome evolution OF the
race.
In order to the pre- ervation and wholesome
evolution of the race we deem 1t easily demon.
strable that man, in organized society. should
trammel the individual as little as possible in
his development, recognizing that in him is
inherent, and with him abide certain t'i inslien,
and the pursuit of happiness"
And here, If the court please, we think the
onus is upon the sponsors for land monopoly TO
show that the sequestration and monopoliza-
ton of the earth to the exclusive use ana be-
hoot of some men, is inconsistent not alone
| with preservation of the race and its whole
some evolution, but that such sequestraiion
| and monopo ization does not trench upon and
| curtatl the before mentioned 1nalienable rights
| OF every individual VINO is non-part1clpant
We take it upon us to establish afirmatively
that land MONOPOLY is utterly lnimical TO ana
| dividual of his inalienabie rights. l ven ture
| to cite the court to the reasoning OF learned
judge, not now upon the wool sack; but DIS
| tinguished member of the national congress OF
| the United States.
"yepa fated from the land" said judge Ma.
guire, ''man must perish, just as fish would
I which is his element. Therefore, II man has
| natural and inalienable right to life and to lib
| erty and to the pursuit of HAPPINESS, he must
| have a natural and equally inalienabls right to
| the means which the Creator, who gave him
| life, has freel- aud abundantly provided for
| his support There can be no wight to life more
sacred than the right to the means of sustain
ing life. 'You take my life when you do take
the means by which liSe.' Liberty IL tmpos-
| sible TO one man so long as anOtner conIois hls
Now, if the court please we address our
selves briefly the important question wheth'
| er lauu monopoization Is consistent with tne
wholesome evolution of the race.
| The h story of eyolution from nomad to man
is not within our province. But we are war.
world then came mind. My Lord Bacon has
said: "Ths first creature of God in the works
of the day was the light of the sense; the last
| was the light OF reason. and Sabbath work ever
| since is the illumination of His spirit
| And hence 1t has come to pass that great hu-
manitsrian conceptions never fa1l to conquer
What is deducible from the foregoing facts
| conc rning the human rac-? SImp this.
| that justice, equity, Ia practicable OF humanity.
What, then, does equity dictate as to the pro.
priety of land monopoly? On this point de.
| sire to cite the dic.um of one of the greatest
living phi osophers and students OF mankind,
| Herbert Spenser. "Equity,o he says. does not
| permit property in land. For II one portion oi
! the esrths surfaces may justly bacome the pos
| session OF an individual, and may be held by
hi for his sole use and benefit as thing To
which he has an exclusive right, then other
| portions oil the eaIth's surface may be SO held
and our planet may thus lapse altogether I'M Q
| private hands. Observe, now, the dilemma to
| which this leads. Supposing the entire habi-
table globe to be so enclosed, 1t follows that II
the land owners have valid right to Its sur
| iace, all who are not land owners nave nc
| right al all to its surface. Hence such can eI-
list on the earth by sufsrance only. They are
If. then. the assumption that land can be
| held as property involves that the whole globe
may become the private domain of part of its
! inhabitants and If, by consequence, the resi-
| of its nhabitants can exercise their faculties
can then exist even-only by consent OF the
land owners, it is manifest that an exclusive
possession OF the soil necessitates an infringe
| ment of theslaW OF equal freedom. For men
| VINO cannutiHve and move and have their be
ing without the leave Of Others. cannot be
eunally Tree with these others.
THAT eminent French sayant and student Of
! the science of government, De Tcqueville, sayt
| in his Democracy of AmericB: "Men are no
corrupted by the exercise OF power nor are
The exercise OF power which is known to be
illegal. and obedience to rule which Is De
lieved to be usurped and oppressive. =.
And here, il the court please. we propose to
rest this case for the plaintiffs. Archim les,
the Greek, asked for only place to stand ano
a lever long enough, and be would move ths
world Henry George the koadlng counsel fol
plaintiffs in this case, the Atchimedes Of th' M
Ilinetean th CENTURY, begs no place to stand, de
snite 6O0O wears of land mono opolization. Ht
stands the sure .oundatIon of me rTeira
might he written the old Latin legend, Conan
tia frangere frangit-the seat Of Goa himself
reach 1t grows with the growing recognition
of the democracy OF men, with the constant
emancipation OF the human race from igno
rance and error, with the catholic emancI pa
tion OF the human soul. which STILL as herber
Spenser saws Makes for righteousness
The reading Of the paper was followed
by an interesting discussion, partici-
patsd in by Messrs. LIE Froy, Wood
Bennett. Craig and Hoyt.
The president announced that next
Monday night he would deliver a
charge to the jury" and other exercises
would follow.