Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-05-23
THE REAL ANlMUS
OF THE CONTENTION


Mr., Social Reform Advocate" ad
mits the glaring inequalities that ex
ist today between children of the ex
treme rich and those of the extreme
poor, but seems to question that the
system of private ownership of thE
natural gifts (by the few is responsi
BILE.
He asks, "Where is the wrong in
one owning farm and disposing OF
it's products as we wish, so long az we
do not overreach our fellowmen" I'm
der the present system private owner
ship excludes from the use of the earth
by private deeds, vast majority of
the human family only on terms and
conditions of the private owner. This
then, puts the lives of the many in the
hands of the few who hold private
ownership to the earth, which cannot
be justified.
Man is the best and highest product
of nature which is known to us. The
earth and man are both the children
of nature. He cannot live without
land. The materials for our food, the
fibre for our clothing, the means for
our shelter and the fuel for our com
fort co me from the earth, and we So
cialists claim that God in his infinite
wisdom provided the earth and its ma
tural products and thus guaranteed
mans existence possible. 1t follows
then that the earth is adapted to the
needs of man and man is adapted to
the earth. They are both God Great
ures. They are both the children of
the mother of worlds or of nature, or
of natures God. The earth is bar
rem waste without man. Mans exis-
tence is unthinkable without the
earth. The earth then, is his because
he cannot live without its use.
The earth is being monOpOlized by
few. This denies the inherent nee
essary relationship of man to the earth
and robs most men of its benefits
which no man can harmonize with the
will of God of love.
Monopolists can find no defense in
nature for their wrongs against the
majority of our race
You, "Social Reform Advocate,
may claim no monopoly of land and so
l append some figures, which prove to
the contrary, Henry Miller owns
and coutrols fourteen million, four
hundred thousand acres of rich and
fertile land, equal in area to Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut. New Hamp-
shire and Rhode Island. One hundred
men hold title to seventeen million
acres in the Sacramento Valley alone.
The Standard Oil Company holds title
to more than a million acres of oil
lands The steel trust in one tract
holds lands valued at sixty million
dollars. The United Leather Company
boasts of title to 500, 900 acres of hem
lock timber lands. The lumber com
panies dominated by Frederick Wey-
brhauser of st. Paul, own and control
timber areas covering more than thir-
ty million acres or about the territory
included in Wisconsin.
To prove conclusively that the lands
are being monopolized without oppOsi
tion from the supporters Of the system,
l append the following:
In 1870 there we're 3400 farms in the
United States tnat embraced more
than I 900 acres each. In 1880 this
had been multiplied by nine. In 1900
the increase bad grown to so, OOO |
Monopoly is not only seizing the lands
but the tools, shops, storehouses and
transportation lines, and thus by priv
ate possession and control appropriate |
the full product of labor and give back
in the form of wages what they are
pleased to give, which now is barely |
enough to keep soul and body togeth
er. Monopolists refuse to give or
guarantee regular work even at starva-
tion wages. Then | want to put it
square up to them or their advocates,
that monopolists can find no defense
in nature for these wrongs against the
race.
The socialists claim that what God
=. IL 4 Il: Al.
ed property. What labor creates, aid
ed by the use Of these natural gifts
shall belong to the producer as his
own private property. If this is not
right, prove it.
You say cooperation has never been
tried and if tried in localities has
proven failure. 1t is cooperation of
a few that have saddied the system on
us under which the working class are
Systematically robbed of the lions
share of what they produce.
Yes, it's the private ownership of
the things man must use and which is
denied him under the present system
of robbery to live, It's the same kind
of christian civilization that caused
Greece and Rome to fall and will
cause ours to go the same way, unless
pCOplO iVoih NouoO
change the system to a cooperative one
for all to enjoy. Why, "Social Reform
do you want more land
than you can use if not to Cypress your
brother If you are expressing your
brother and keeping the ten command
ments, tell me how you ale christian
in the true sense. You would have me
believe that human natu1e must be
changed before we can change for the
better. | have heard this old chestnut
until it is very stale with me. You
know our present system is forcing our
people into two great classes, workers !
and shin kers. and is driving its citi
ems to do things they don't want to do
10 obtain a living. For example, in
my town lives a man with a large
family. He is mining. His labor is
not sufficient to supply his family the
of life So he applies to
the company who owns the natural
gifts he must use to live, for a place
with him in the mines for his Oldest
BOY who is eleven years'old. He learns n
hat the law forbids any one under IA
years of age working in the mines and
ie says, my son is fourteen" The
present system makes liars, thieves,
robbers and murderers of its people,
49,, .x aba mead ba Nf