Show THE LAND QUESTION THE statesman for september contains a capital article from the pen of fontaine T fox under the caption of henry george and the gracchi 11 in view of the present social and political situation and tendencies of the times in this country we commend it to the perusal of those who are desirous that the land and water should be held by the people and not in vast tracts and quantities by individuals and corporations the causes and effects that presaged the disruption of the roman empire exist largely in our own republic these danger sig signals n als ought to be heeded lest the final result should be uniform with the premonitory symptoms we here present an extract from mr foxs coxs article 11 history repeats itself mr george in undertaking to correct the social and political evils of the present time and to reform the science of political economy by his theory of land taxation is attempting what the gracchi tried in rome borne that the social and political condition of the american people today is quite similar to that of rome durl period of the gracchi is a fact established and well know students of hib history tory froude in his sketch of says it was an age of material gress gresa and material civilization n age of civil liberty and into intel tew culture an age of bl epigrams of salons and ur parties of senatorial majorities ma orides electoral corruption the est offices of state were 0 theory to the meanest ci they were confined in 10 to those who had bad the purses or the most real ready dv use us of tongue on popular platforms chanat of birth had been hag ed for distinctions of wealth weal talt t struggles between blebel plebe plebeians ians ano ana p trici ians aDS for equality of pr ajon division were over and a new been formed between the ta party and who cidred ua property a party change in the structure of S the free cultivators were abal ig awak ing from the soil italy was WK absorbed into vast estates held fl by a cullim cul tim few favored families and by slaves while the old a ft 01 off we 1 population was driven J and was crowded crowd ed into town for we bid rich were extravagant ceased to have practical clotere S ex capt for its material pie Ples 88 stires sa t occupation of the higher class V labor am to obtain money without laoo to spend it in idle enjoy meoW j I 1 speaks of the arma 1 l in the e state W between these classes 1 13 or mw caloor conflict between a great agrest capital which grew out of the aeao S c L social and political lis of rome borne without oin into at minute and detailed the landed system of romet Bor ing it so fully that its entire edere S will be here laid bare it is 0 gumme for the purpose of this lie say that there was unda und 1 of lands or government two kinds titles to lands lands begov g si to private citizens and lands a g to the state or government which lands of public were originally many f acres the state bad 1 11 times lesal 22 to under authority of law tenants in small holdings in in various ways been acquired aa baw great lords and rich commoner Com sod bribed sometimes by purchase and nass bvm at others by illegal process by forcible seizure and aniess aniS bif is ed n SS by an eviction of the dren while the hs us 0 r w W S work in his fields his midday mid day meal 1 he a foul found d h y less famil family housel houseless an ode ans go de deni 9 from the gr grasping ping rich man for more ian d 0 alrh enog V L ng to resist he was strong to submit whatever was D to get pos possession sessi on of this themi the public M S 46 k main by or for the rich lid aben i S of the city was done a ot 1 tet 1 acquired the former where on earth to go but bot t in and to rome borne they W stion a n numbers until the chepo poev 0 city was only e equaled by tion there was no the he of title under the law to held by these great lords they had no 1 I d themselves hem a selves which had been or in some way appropriated tty them in defiance or violation Q rf law and of the right and title or of 60 otate tiberius gracchus held ft matthe the public lands belonged to 20 bwl state or r to the people that every citizen was OUM atoa i to toa 4 certain portion if he WM S to use it paying a 6 rent assis for it and that the race of or or yeomen who had bleoo wen the of bythe by ca capitalists ae cuy city and ami driven into tee the city to lewa re carious livelihood for their 11 through borrup tim or other dishonorable honorable die means should be reestablished established re on these eluine the question was how to attain t object the successful operation of this nae asure being considered deft for all the th social and VO M S troubles bles of rome borne and which would also at once and for SL solve the great conflict between T d capital Ga pital which has and will y always vex mon abild d their affairs as conff f so SS one SInan man is more industrious and thriftier thrU tier than another or pos more natural ability or has a 4 better education or bel sim life der more aare favorable sur ayhan gY than han another he ap hed the body politic suffering aam bial and political M the gangrene ath scalpel of a political sury re le determined to pass pam an awn law under the practical KS n of which three atee commis affa annually elected by the peo were ware to confiscate and distribute blebby lands s as with powers also to de d eato what was VMS private property and wh abw was public lands the distri T buim i was n 80 to go 80 on co continually and 40 the fhe whole class that stood of at it ay were permitted abr lu law to 0 allow the le former ormer for or improve |