The representative., 1899-07-20
ROCkEFELLER'S ADIRONDACK prR.
CHASE.

RoCkEFELLER'S ADIRONDACK PUR-
| CHASE.
Ihe Baltimore American calls attention tn
the fact that john D. Rockefeller has bought
up large section Of the Adirondacks. and
II report is true. he means to buy more. In
Ills purchases ne has acquired small town
numerous summer hotels, woods and forests
galore, and all tne deer and other wild ami
mails they contain.
Mr.. Rockefeller's .urpose in buying up so
much scenery has not yet been disclosed
1t may be with the idea of creating a great
private landed estate and deer park. similar
TO those possessed by some of the European
noDli1ty; or 1T may be with a view to i'm
proving the natural features and preserving
the region as park with the intention
OF ultimately donating it to the public If
the latter is his intention, it will be a
work OF great benevolence. If the former.
ne Will be denounced, ad libitum, as bud
ding aristocrat
However, it will be no worse for the coun-
try to have the wild Adirondack region in
the hands of one great capitalist, like John
u. Rockefeller, than in the hands of hun
dreds OF small owners. Rockefeller will
undoubtedly improve and beautify it more
than the small owners would do He can
hardly expect to make profit out of it,
unless ne goes into the summer resort and
boarding house business on an extensive
scale. and even then the public would be
the gamers for he would undoubtedly run
better boarding houses and furnish more
attractions than the snail landlords
The fact is, that the national government,
or the states In which the wild and roman
tic Adirondack country is situated, should
have acquired it long ago and dedicated it
as public park. AS wealth accumulsAes
In this country and multi -millionaires like
Rockefeller become more numerous. they
cannot be prevented from buying up the
attractive spots and converting them into
privates estates, save by the government an
ticipating them and acquiring such regions
for public parks. This may be said of the
Minnesota region which it is now proposed
to convert into national park. Most of
the region is valueless for agricultural pur-
poses. 1t is only valuable as forest re-
serve and game preserves, and for it's seen
cry. In time, if the creation of great
landed estates become the fad, some of the
multi -millionaires will get hold of the
romantic Minnesota region, provided the
government does not anticipate them, and
shut out the general public.-Minneapoli
Tribune.
Here we have an editor of a Republi-
can plute organ indorsing socialism.
The last paragraph of the foregoing
editorial can be interpreted as meaning
nothing more or less than the advocacy
of public ownership of public utili-
ties"
This is we'll settled doctrine of Pop
ulism. This is exactly what the dread
full socialists demand
Populists and Socialists argue that
since the land was a gift from God to
the whole human race, it is a preversiOn
OF the Divine plan for any one man or
class of men to appropriate and mo-
nopolize more than their share of the
same.
They urge that land monopoly is an
Q1tgrowth of the feudal system and
relic of barbarous age, when feudal !
lords, barons or kings owned all the
land and the masses were all serfs, all
tenants
They urge that to the masses it is i'm
material whether the land is monopo- |
lized by feudal baron of the Dark |
Ages, king of later age, or Rookie
teller monopOlist of more modern times,
The remedy for the hardships and
wrongs of such monopoly is the same
today as 400 years ago.
The Tribune points out the only rem
sdy that has ever been effective, to-wit:
public ownership in the interest and
'Or the benefit of all alike in place of
Individual ownership in the interests
and for the benefit of a few like J. D.
This is the only possible solution Of
he great problem of land monopoly.
When one man wants a whole state
must be plain that the balance of the
citizens of that state must move out or
'ecome his tenants.
The principle is the same when he
WINS county, or even a section as tha
ountry becomes more densely nonu-
ated.
IL Is probable that most of our read
rs would at present prefer a limited
rlvate ownership of, say, 160 acres to a
am1iy. This seems reasonable, be-
ause such apportionment would give q
arm 10 every man who wants one and
'ould divide up the big plute estates.
his would be the idea of most POM.
sts on the land question.
Inc Socialists go step further and
SIX what we would do with our 1So
ere limit with our farm population
oubled or quadrupled
: Inc Issue is plain one. No Populist /,