The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-06-01

speak. The amount to be thus held
VIII depend upon many local circum-
stances, to be decided by each state
for itself. Let me suppose that the
amount of land that may be helf for
farmer for cultivation has been
liked at one hundred and sixty acres
and suppose that A has several
thousand acres. B wishes to buy one
hundred and sixty acres of this land,
Tor the purpose of making himself
home. A refuses to sell. Now, I
believe that the law should be so that
b can invoke this right of eminent
domain and file his petition, have
the case brought before a jury or
before commissioners, who shall
hear the evidence and determine the
value, and on the payment of the
amount the land shall belong to B.
l would extend the same law to
lots and houses in cities and villages
the object being to fill our country
with the owners of homes, so that
fevery child shall have a fireside,
tevery father and mother a roof, pro-
iVided they have the intelligence, the
energy and industry to acquire the
necessary means.
Tenements and flats and rented
lands are, in my Judgment, the
enemies of civilization. They make
the rich richer and the poor poorer,
They put few in palaces, but they
put many in prisons.
| would go a step further than this,
would exempt homes of certain
value not only from levy and sale,
but from every kind of taxation, state
-. and Nationalist that these poor peo-
lple would feel that they were in par
tnership with nature-that some of
the land was absolutely theirs, and
!, that no one could drive them from
their home-so that mothers could
feel secure. If the home increased in
|
, taxes could be paid on the excess, and
, if tn home were sold, | would have
the money realized exempt for a GER
, tain time in order that the family
; should have the privilege of buying
f another home
The home, after all, is the unit OF
civilization, of good government, and
to secure homes for great major
; ity of our citizens would be to lay
the foundation of our government
deeper and broader and stronger than
that of any nation that has existed
iamong men.
! No one places a higher value the
! free school than | do; and no one
, takes greater pride in the prosperity
, of our colleges and universities. But
: at the same time, much that is called
education simply units men success
: fully to fight the battle of life. Thou
= sands are today studying things thai
will be of exceedingly little import
ance to them or to others. Much
valuable time is wasted in studying
languages that long ago were dead
, and histories in which there is nc
truth.
I There was an idea in the older
, time-and it is not yet dead->.->
, whoever was educated ought not tt
work. that he should use his hea(
v and not his hands. Graduates were
| ashamed to be found engaged il
manual labor, in ploughing fields, il
$ sowing or in gathering grain. To this
= manly kind of independence the,
, preferred the garnet and the pre-
Q ed poet, borrowing their money from
Q their friends and their ideas from the
Y dead. The educated regarded the use
full as degrading-they were willing
: to stain their souls to keep theil
: hands white
: The object of all education should
t be to increase the usefulness of mar
, usefulness to himself and others
Every human being should be taught
that his first duty is to take care OF
5 himself, and that to be self-respecting
4 he must be self-supporting. To live
5 on the labor of others, either by force
: (which enslaves, or by cunning which
} robs, or by borrowing OF begging, is
: wholly dishonorable. Evcery man
Y should be taught some useful art. His
/ hands should be educated as well as
: his head. He should be taught tC
: deal with things as they are-witf
2 life as it is This would give feel
i ing of independence, which is the
J firmest foundation of honor, of char