Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1907-01-10
PREFERS CROFTER IDEA.
Editor News .

Editor News:
Well, guess had better tell these
Socialists what | am for. l am a
gainst government ownership first,
last and all the time Government
ownership has brought about more pow
erty and misery than any other one
thing we could name. | am not in
fav or of the government owning sin
gle thing. Now, why? Because it
would mean owning the people.
What moral right had the govern
ment of the U. S. to take possession
of our public domain and sell it to any
living man? Did the government Gre
ate the land? No. Who did? God.
Who did He create it for, govern
ments? No, but for every human be-
ing. What did God say about it? He
said the land should not be sold for
ever for it was His. Why did He for
bid the land being sold? Because He
knew such policy would rob men Of
their inheritance. Now, l believe
that God is the father of all human be-
| ings and that the earth is their moth
er and as such no government or indi-
vidual has any moral right to deprive
them of what their father and moth
er have provided for them, but Socia-
lists would increase government owner
ship and surrender their freedom and
liberty into the hands of the government,
laying another foundation to de-
prive men of the last vestige of liberty
they now possess You would take
from him all of his inventive genius
and place him under the power and
control of the Government, thus strip
ping him of what rightly belongs to
him. Government ownership sounds
very well to some but it doesn't to me-
Let the Government restore to men
their inheritance, that is my doctrine
You Socialists talk about large cor.
porations expressing the people. Why
not lay the blame where it belongs
It's the government that first began to
rob men of their birthright, and no
one else l believe in Government and
law as much as man can believe in
such, but that is different from owner
ship. Governments have always been
more or less tyranical and our Govern
ment when she began to sell the inner
itance of men and make titles to sec
tions of land did something God said
should not be done. Now, you Social
lists would go her one better and in
crease her power Of ownership, thus
placing all the people in her power tC
do with them whatsoever she pleased.
Your doctrine only changes from one
master to another. My doctrine is tC
restore to man his inheritance given tC
him by Almighty God and let tht
Government keep her hands off of it.
Give him a chance to tickle his moth
er's breast and she will produce foot
and raiment sufficient for him. / be
lieve in law but not in Government
ownership. Let the law control with
out ownership. Let men exercise theiI
+ inventive genius. Let them builC
railroads and manufacturing plant
and he controlled by law. Men hav
= been robbed of their birthright ant
are being robbed now and charge yol
Socialists with wanting to increas
the power of the robber instead o
wanting to make her restore what sh
has already taken with impunity.
am telling you, gentlemen, tn
truth, and every unprejudiced persol
knows am pointing straight at th
evil that af1licts the human family
S There is enough land for every huma
q being and by everything that is sacre
2 and holy they are entitled to enoug
I to make an honest living on and n
I more The rich are not to blame
2 Capitalists are not 10 blame No liy
s ing man is specially to blame, but tn
a whole PEOPLE are 10 blame, the poor
T the workingmen and all. / think
g cause is very weak when its advocate
J. have 10 single ont some special class I
attack with all the calUmny and abu-
they can command. There j. not muC
in such a cause. bur there is much /
: the restoration 70 men Of their birtl
l. right II is not covered over wit
n fanatical ideas and doctrines but
;. plain matter-of-fact issue, which ou
~ Ggvemment weakly recognizes und,
.e the redemption law. The Rip Saw an
he Appeal to Reason. which rea