Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1910-05-12

Once upon time wealthy old gen
tleman had grown very rich by study
ing and practicing political economy
About this time he obtained a new
book on economy, written in parable
columns, the new and the old. One
for the people and one for the individ'
ual. He became 80 enraged at it that
he tore it to pieces and threw it out OF
the window. A strong wind picked
up leaf and blew it over into large
chicken yard in which lived many
chickens. Keep in mind that the
yard is the world and the chickens are
the workers They were happy and
contented, everyone scratching his own
living and thought it right, conse-
quently there were no classes in the
yard. By and by an old rooster spied
this leaf and thinking he might find a
new food advertised began to read.
He was tired of living on bugs and
worms just as laboring people often
under the system desire a change
which they are unable to get.
Instead of finding the new food ad-
vertised he learned, to his surprise,
how he would live without scratching
(work. "'What fool | have been, said
he to himself, to have been scratching
so long when I could have had others
scratch for me"
So he goes out in the yard and he
scratches and finds very fine, large,
fat, juicy worm. He abstains from
eating this worm and calls up all the
scratchers and says, Now, here, l
have had all the worms want, and If
you will give me only one square yard
of this large chicken yard as my own,
you may have this worm. They
agreed with him and the trade was
made, the scratchers wondering why
he wanted only one square yard of the
yard.
Down at the east corner a spring
bubbled up and flowed directly out of
the yard. The old rooster took his
square yard embracing this spring,
stuck up stakes and signs forbidding
others to use or even get on it, as it
was now private property.
After scratching through the heat of
the day they began to be thirsty and
one by one went down to the spring
for drink. There stood the old roos-
ter with his political economy leaf
showing and teaching them how they
must respect the rights of private
property. The longer they quarreled
the thirstier they all grew until some
were talking of seizing the old rooster
and drinking by force. ''But, 'saidhe,
81 know you to be good chickens, that
you don't want to do anything wrong,
and without you this old yard would
be wilderness, for you have made it
what it is, etc. cannot see you die
of thirst and will not, SO If you will
give me Just one more yard l will give
you all drink" They all agree, and
all drink, as it is impossible to live
without water. it being one of the
necessities of life, and another yard of
the public yard is gone. So from day
to day he expounds to them the rights
of private property and what grand
thing it is till he owns the whole yard.
So it is with our system. Slowly,
but surely, we are drifting to land
lordism. The public lands are nearly
gone. We used to go west, but now
when we start we meet the west going
east until there is no more west.
The old rooster now calls up all in
the yard and begins giving advice,
telling them what great thing it is
to learn the lesson of abstinance; that
by abstinance and economy he has
been enabled to buy and pay for this
large yard. They begin wondering
and they finally decide the old rooster
to be an extra smart old fellow. Some
Of them begin calling him Captain.
He sees his chance is favorable to
spring the subject of rent which goes
with the rights of private property
Now, then, "said he, where are you
going to scratchf' "We will scratch
where we have been scratching. "If
you do you must pay me every third
worm as rent. /" "RentH' they all ex-
what is rents The old Cap
ain takes out his political economy
Ind reads to them about the rights of
private property, and the share for
.apital invested, until evening. They
ire growing hungrier until they are
orced by hunger to accept the new
and they go to scratching,
aging the third as rent. They found
hey had to scratch longer than form.
rly, but they kept at it. The old
yaptain's pile of worms kept increas-
ng till finally he decided he never
ould use them. Then it was that the
hought of marriage came to him. He
elected the finest, fattest, plumpest,
martest and most beautiful pullet in
he yard and to her said: tIf you will
marry me, you may live off of my pile
4 worms, and you will never have to
cratch again At that time and for
long time she had been loving fine,
ealthy, honest, industrious, truthful
oung rooster. They had scratched :
ogether for many days and had even