Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-25

be an element of justice in the single
tax.
But not only is there an element Of
justice in it, rather it is justice itself.
He refers to Blackstone, but let us see
what his own legal authority, Sir Will |
liam Blackstone has to say ON the sub
ject Of private property in land. Here |
it is: (Blackstone's commentaries)
There is nothing which so generally |
strikes the imaginatiOns and engages |
the affectations of mankind, as the |
right of property: or that sole and deS- /
potic dominion which one man claims |
and exercises over the external things |
of the world, in total exclusion of the |
right of any other individual in the
universe. And yet there are very few
that will give themselves the trouble
to consider the original and foundation
of this right. Pleased as we are with
the possession, we seem to be afraid
to look back to the means by which it
was acquired, as if fearful of some de.
feet in our title; or at best we rest sat
lsfied with the decision of the laws in
our favor, without examining the rea-
son or authority upon which those
laws have been built. We. think it is
enough that our title is derived by the
grant of the former proprietor, by de-
scent from our ancestor, or by the last
/ will and testament of the dying owner;
not caring to reflect that accurately
and strictly speaking) there is no
foundation in nature or in natural law,
why a set of words upon parchment
should convey the dominion of land,
why the son should have the right to
exclude his fellow creatures from a de
terminate spot of ground because his
father has done so before him; or why
the occupier of a particular field, when
lying on his death bed and no longer
able to maintain possession, should be
entitled to tell the rest of the world
which of them shall enjoy it after
him."
Perhaps Mr.. Osborne will now agree
that his legal authority does not seem
to have very good opinion of the jus
tice of private property in land. IN
his first work on the land question,
Social StatiCs," Herbert Spencer dis
covered this first principle i. e. That
every man may claim the fullest lib
erty to exercise his faculties, compat-
ible with the possession of like liberty
by every other man. Again: every
man has freedom to do all that he
! wills, provided that he infringes not
the equal freedom of any other man.
) From this first principal he deduces
the % equal right to life and PEI
sonal liberty; CD the equal right 10
the use of the earth. Will Mr.. Osborn
undertake the task which Herbert
Spencer himself undertook forty-two
: years after ne had written Social Stat
| ics," and try to deny that these deduc-
! tons are self evident corollaries? Her
= bert Spencer himself failed in his
> attempted denial, and it would be IN.
f tereSting to see Mr.. Osborn, beat M
. Spencer at his own game. (Chapter 2
t Social Statics' by Herbert Spencer
: Given a race of beings having like
? claims TO pursue the objects of then
| desires-given world adapted to tbs
= qualification of those desires-a worlJ
r into which such beings are similarly
s born, and it unavoidably follows tha
: they have equal rights to the use G
e this world. For IF each of them 'ha;
i freedom to do all that he wills pro
a ided he infringes not the equal free
e dom of any other then each of thea
q is free to use the earth for the salts
4 faction of his wants, provided h.
V allows all others the same liberty Ant
Y conversely, it is manifest that no one
Il or part of them, may use the earth i.
o such way as to prevent the rest fror
similarity using it; seeing that to d
Il this is to assume greater liberty thai
e the rest, and consequently to break tn
u law. Equity, therefore, does not pei
. nit property in land. For the assumT
,e ton that land can be held as privat
s. property, involves the assumption tina
IL the whole globe may become the pr
vate domain. of a part of its inhab
tants; and if, by consequence, the res
q of its inhabitants can then exercis
to their faculties-can then exist even
only by consent of the landowners
a. it is manifest, that an exclusive posse
X sion of the soil necessitates an il
To fringement of the law of equal fire
p. dom.
is For men who cannot live and NOV
~ and have their being without tn
leave of others, cannot be equally fire
with those Others"
All, it would be laughable were
not so sad; to think that nation {
SO,000,000 people, clothed with polite;
Z freedom, are today industrial slave
by laws of their own making. 'Tis IL
:. irony of fate.
in The foregoing, especially the quot
n ton from Blackstone, is l think, suf
III cient to show that private property
~ land cannot stand on the pedestal
n divine, Tor if Mr. Osborn prefers,) ma
Z, ural justice.
ed
s: Mr.. Osborn is short sighted when
tie traces his titles back to the cover
~ Iment Look back little further, al