The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-06-12

/ sons tine 1A1Gn OF Cnflbb rs Au0 nAth
been, maintained chiefly. But
verify they that should look to the
redress OF these things be the greatest
against them In this realm are
great many Of folks, and, amongst
them. know but one of tender zeal,
at the motion of his poor tenants, hath
let down his lands to the old rents for
their relief. For Gods love let him
not be Phoenix, let him not be alone.
Let him not be an hermit closed in a
wall. Some good man follow him,
and do as he giveth example. Sur
yeyers there be. - but the
commoners be utterly undone by them.
Whose bitter cry ascending up to the
ears of the God of Sabaoth, The greedy
pit of hell burning fire without great
repentance) do tarry and look for them.
A redress God grant. For surely,
surely, but that two things do COM
fort me, would despair Of the re-
dress in these matters. One is that
the King s ma1Jsry, when he cometh
to age, will see redress of these
things so out of frame. Giving ex-
ample by letting down his own lands
first, and then enjoin his subjects to
follow him. The second hope have is
believe that the general accounting
day is at hand-the dreadful day of
Judgment, 1 mean-which shall make
an end of all these calamities and
miseries.
There was in England, during the
period in which the awful transforms
ton l have heretofore sketched took
place, at least one clear, strong, logical
and observant mind that fully grasped
its meaning and clearly perceived its
efficient cause No question of money,
to transportation, or of machinery
could obscure or hide from Latimer's
clear and earnest mind the real cause
of the calamities and miseries that had
fallen upon his country. He knew,
and knowing dared declare, that they
were the work of the landlord, the
rent raiser and the encloser, who had
shut men out from the land which the
Creator had freely given to all his
creatures, and robbed them of the
product of their sweat and labor. To
the thoughtful American mind Of to-
day it ought to be equally apparent
that the calamities and miseries that
have come upon this once prosperous
and happy people, having for their
heritage the most goodly land the sun
ever shone upon, are due to the same
cause that has blighted and pauperized
the once prosperous and happy land
across the sea. For nearly century,
from the first organization of this
government, the American people
enjoyed prosperity such as no other
people had ever enjoyed before,
good land open to American labor on
even easier and better terms than the
English people had for the three
centuries preceding the middle of the
sixteenth century. English land was
open to English labor during these
three centuries at six pence an acre
rent. During the first century of the
existence of this government American
land of the best quality was open to
American labor at an annual rent of q
little over cents an acre (the govern
ment price Of 81 25 an acre divided by
twenty, So long as that condition of
things lasted American labor was
prosperous. But as soon as the supply
of government land became exhausted
the same phenomena that followed the
sale of the church lands in England
began to appear in this country. The
scrambles for government land at
Oklahoma, at the Sisseton Reservation,
at the Cherokee Strip and at the
Kickapoo Reservation have merely
served to make patent to the general
public fact that has been fully known
to thoughtful observers of passing
events-that is, that the supply of
government land fit for occupation and
use had given out. No one who will
give the matter consideration can fail
to observe how close is the parallel
between the social and industrial
conditions that developed in England
about tho middle of the reign of Henry
VIII and the social and industrial
conditions that have developed in this
country during the last twelve or
fifteen years, since the supply of
public land has become practically
exhausted.
A few years after Henry VIII began