I g WOBKMEII'S ADVOCATE, i, itcxu taucn, tfonncctlcnt, .ttuvrtutt, i?cbvu;vy 5. 1887 ,"' i 7 J.V. QUESTION!)? LAND. "THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN." Alienatinir the Soil and Taxintr Labor The Laborer a Serf Till Private Property in I.iiimI is Abolished -Kent Con II seal ion. Apropos of ;m editorial in the last edition of the Woukmks's Anvo catk, in which exceptions are taken to the New York urn in; Tcle;ram for its reference to "Henry (leorgo's theories," it may bo interesting to your readers to know how far these, theories have been presenced to the public before the appearance of Henry George, in the literary arena; and that, too, by American publish ers. I have in my possession a work published in the Cnitod States in 18"1 (about the time that Henry George was ten or twelve years of age, 1 believe) and evidently writ ten several years prior to that date, with especial reference to the social conditions of England. In this vol ume the subject of political economy is discussed from every standpoint, but the "land iiestion'' crops up at regular intervals in a manner which indicates it to be the basis of the author's propositions. The book is easily read; the language is terse, and no unnecessary phrases obscure the well-taken points. How completely this votume antic ipates in detail, the work of Henry George, may bo determined by a careful perusal of the following ver batim extracts: "These countries (England, Scot land and Ireland) have within them selves an almost indefinite power of creating wealth; and so far from be ing in danger of a superabundant population, they could in ten years, with a tenth part of the annual ex penditures of the kingdom on uu 'neeessary armaments, so outrun the increase of the population that it would be unnecessary to import one single grain of corn. The true reason why the population in creases more rapidly than the food is to be found, not in the laws of God, but in the political laws which have made such a disposition of the soil as absolutely prevents it from being turned to account. The laboring population of Hritaiti and Ireland must reap the fruits of a system that tirst allocates all the soil to thirty or forty thousand pro prietors, and then places the heavi est taxation in the world on the mass of the inhabitants. "The difficulties are neither with the soil, nor the climate, nor the price of produce; they all hinge on the political arrangement which the law has made with regard to the soil and its tenure; and until this ar rangement is destroyed, the soil never can produce its maximum. The radical evil, the master-piece of mischief, that requires be corrected, is the alienation of the coil from I lie nation and I he taxation of the lalior of the country (pp. "Jl.tr to 293). "The evil is expressed in a few words and. sooner or later, the na tion will appreciate it and rectify it. It is "the alienation of the ml from the Mate, anil the consequent taxation of the industry of the country. The essential part of this jtoliti cal arrangement is, 'all persons in the nation are forbidden, under pains and penalties to use a certain portion of land (with the exception of the grantor, or by his jHTmission).' If we turn to the effects of this arrangement we find that the grantee is in no respect bound to make the land produce. lie may utterly neglect itat the expense of the nation (p :il .). "Let the political arrangements be what they mav, so long as the ar istocracy have all the land and de rive the rent of it, the laborer is only a serf; and a serf he will re main until he has uprooted the riyhls of private landed proiery. The laud is for the nation, not for the aristoc racy. Those, therefore, who were born into a country where the land had been accorded to indi vidual proprietors, could obtain their livelihood only by laboring for other men; and as those to whom the land had been accorded could not culti vate it themselves, and as the land was required for the support of the population, the laborers were under the necessity of pay in; a rent to those who thus procured a vast reve nue without labor. What is the equitable disposition of the earth? Is it equitable that any ar rangements of past generations should cause one man now to be born heir to a county or half a coun ty, while the other inhabitants of the county are deprived of all right to the soil, and must consequently pay a rent to the one individual, who naturally has not one particle of right to the earth more than they hive themselves? The great problem is to discover such a system as shall secure to every man his exact share of the advantages which nature has provided for the race; while at the same time he has full opportunity, without let or hindrance, to exercise his labor, in dustry and skill, for his own advan tage (p. :r:5). "The solution we propound is the following, although, of course, there is no supposition that any general solution can be immediately ap plied. The question is, what system will secure to every in dividual of these successive genera tions his portion of the natural ad vantages? Of this jirohlem there is but one solution possible. "The earth is the common prop erty of all, no individual being able to exhibit a title to any particular portion of it. "No rational basis has ever been exhibited to the world on which pri vate right to any particular portion of the earth could possibly be found ed. The question then is, 'upon what terms must the earth be possessed by the successive genera tions, the earth being the perpetual common-property of the race; each succeeding generation to have a full title to afire earth. J' "The actual division of the soil need never be anticipated. Nor would such a division be just, if the divided portions were made; the property of individuals. If, then, successive generations of men cannot have their fractional share of the ac tual soil (including mines, i:c.), how can the division of the advan tages of the natural earth be ef fected ? "My the division of its annual value or rent; that is, by makiny the rent of the soil the comman-roierly of the nation. That is (as the taxa tion is the common--property of the State) by takiuy the whole of the tar es out of the rents of the soil, and TIIKHKHY AliOUSIIINi; A 1,1. OTHKK KINDS OF TAXATION W II ATKV I'M I. "And thus all industry would be absolutely emancipated from every burden, and every man would reap such natural reward as his skill and industry, or enterprise, rendered le gitimately his "This, we maintain, to hi; the only theory that will satisfy the re quirements of the problem of natu ral property" (p. :!T" et ''.). The author continues, through five hundred pages, to demonstrate the validity of his propositions, Init lack of space will prevent my going into the details. Sufficient has been quoted, how ever, to substantiate the adage that "there is nothing new under the sun" "Henry George's theories" not excepted. Herhkkt Eaton. New Yokk, Feb. i. UUR BUYCOTT CASE. ' j The Journal ami Courier" vs. The T.viorailiical I'liion. Last year the Journal and ( 'ourier, a local "rat" bapitalist sheet, whose principal proprietor, John M. Har rington, commenced negotiations with the Typographical Union with a view to making his office a union office. This was immediately after the victory of the printers over the Morniny Xews after a vigorous boy cott. Carrington did not hold to his agreement with the union repre sentatives, and the result was that a boycott was declared by the Typo graphical Union, the Trades Council and the Knights of Labor. Carring ton succeeded in enlisting the "State" on his side, through a pros ecuting attorney, and had four of the members of the union arrested on a charge of criminal conspiracy. He gained his point in the City Court, the Superior Court (against all law and evidence), and the 'typos appealed to the Supreme Court. One of the accused, however, was acquitted in the Superior Court. Last week, Friday, the arguments were made before the Supreme Court, Prof. Johnson T. Piatt, Talcott II. Russell, and James T. Moran, being counsel for the Union, and John W. Ailing, counsel for the "State"- that is, ( "arringtoii. The ground for the complaint was that working people were asked to "Boycott the ' Courier.' " The venerable gentlemen forming the Supreme Court heard the argu ments, and beamed -"specially 'inter ested in the speeches of l'rof. I'latt and Mr. Russell; but there was a marked lack of interest in Alling's noisy harrangue, notwithstanding the ridiculous propositions in his "argument." Ailing shouted at the five old gentlemen as if he imagined they were deaf. Notwithstanding the ravings of the lawyer, which were perhaps really intended to sat isfy his employer more than to con vince the judges, the majority of them apparently enjoyed a quiet nap during his remarks. Mut when counsel for the defense made their arguments in a quiet, dignified manner, the Court was wide awake and much interested in the remarks of the learned gentlemen. As the Supreme Court is not noted for startling speed in arriving at decisions, it will be time enough to print the main argument of Prof. Piatt, as embodied in "De fendants' reply to the Mrief for the State," in our next issue. It is a most interesting and important argument. FACTORY INSPECTION. To Protect the Toilers in r'iiHnrics auo1 Workshops. I iast year a bill was brought before the legislature to establish a State inspection of factories, and was favorably reported on by the chair man of the Labor Committee on the part of the House, Mut it was de feated. Xow, again, this bill has been introduced by Representative King, of Naugatuck, and the temper of our legislators will once more be tried on the subject. The bill pro vides for the appointment of an in spector of factories witli power to appoint assistants, whose dutv it shall be to see that the owners of factories provide proper safeguards against accident, and have their shops properly ventilated, etc. There is but one reason why this bill will not pass, if defeat is again in store for it, and that is that the employers don't want to go to tin expense of complying with its pro visions. They no doubt recognize the fact that wage-slaves are cheajter than appliances for their protection. It will be interesting to know just what legislators vote for and against this and similar bills. THE GREAT STRIKE. No .Material Chanire Since bad l!e ort. The great strike of the coal and freight handlers in the vicinity of New York continues unabated as we go to press. Scabs are scarce, and there is an almost complete em bargo on freight. The men are de termined ami hopeful of success. HOLYOKE WORKERS. ietoi) for the Clcrks-Tho Paper-Makers-Scab ( iuars -Textillsts. Hoi. yokk, Mass., Feb. :!. The adjourned Paper-Makers' meeting as held on Sunday afternoon; the hall in which they met proved to be too small to accommodate more than half of those who desired to attend. After a livelv and intelligent dis vussion a committee of five was ap pointed to obtain the co-operation of all t he tour workers in the coun try for the purpose of inducing the manufacturers to shut down the mills at (i . m. Saturday and to start at T p.m. on Monday. An other meeting in a larger hall will be held on February l.". The clerks have succeeded; they can now enjoy themselves three nights in the week. It is a curious fact, but it is a fact nevertheless, that scab cigars are being sold in the place where the Cigarmakers' Union holds its meet ings. Now 1 will not be a bit sur prised to hear that workingmcn have stopped trading at that place. The woolen mills have an exten sive and elaborate system of fleecing their operatives by fines and peculiar .vu'-thod of - measuring tho webs and putting the proceeds into their own pockets. Facts and figures art! be ing secured and will be exhibited ill the columns of the Wohkmkn's Ai vocatk in due time. The Wduumkn's Advocatk has been of material benefit to the work men of this place. It has advanced the cause of the palter makers. Its influence was felt in the interests of the clerks. The textile workers and the cigarmakers will ere long find the advantage of having the privi lege of a newspaper that will take special notice of all that concerns their welfare and keep every griev ance they have before the pulie un til it is abated. Mut to make it thoroughly effec tive the co-operation of those who are to derive the benefit is necessary; to th is end a large subscription list is indispensable. There is now quite a respectable list of subscribers from this place, and some additions are being made to it every week, and I trust that workingineii will see how much more desirable it is to have a paper of their own than to depend upon the capitalistic penny trump ets that have nothing better than gibes and jeers for workingineii, and are always prompt to publish every scurrilous and discreditable items that in any way reflects on the work man or his cause. Names and subscriptions sent to the undersigned will be promptly attended to. Adam Ramauk, Lib" Oak street. P. S. The dude, on the hill who is, for the time being, running the capitalistic penny trumpet wants to know who will pay the assessments and expenses of the Knights of La bor strikers when all have struck and none are earning wages? Ah! but how will capitalists pay their bills without "Unpaid Lalior?" Let us all stop work for a couple of weeks and see. Why not? a. it. A BOYCOTT. A remarkable lioycott is in progress in (Jalveston. A female coioNsitr of tliat city, a inemU-r of the Printers' Union, married a non-union compositor, and t lien tried to net him to join the order. He refused, and the l'nion voted a Ixiy colt in which the wife participated, hav ing left her husband and Ihiui proceed ings for a divorce. ( 'rajtxiunit. The wife is no doubt sufficiently pun ished, and if she sui-i-eeds in gettine a divorce, she will no doulit heed the les son: "Don't marry a Kat TKXTIliU WOltKHHS AN APPEAL FROM THE PRO GRESSIVE UNION. The Weavers Weaving a New I'ahrie, Hill Not for I he Mosses - A Na tional l'nion Proposed - A I. a rue l'nion Organi zation Possihle. Fi'U.ow 'oi;kin(imi:s : According to a mutual understand ing, the seat of the National Execu tive Moard of the Textile Workers I'royressive l'nion of America has been moved from llolvoke, Mass., to (he city of Philadelphia. Our city being the great centre of textile industry of the country, we expect to be able to enlarge from this central point our young organi zation, and to extend it all over the country. Exhorted by the brilliant proceed ings of the Trades' Unions Conven tion at Columbus, Ohio, which led to forming a strong organization un der the name "American Federation of Trades," we arc sorry to say lhat we wor not represented at said Con vention. We hereby appeal to all textile workers, and especially to every in dependent union, to join our Cen tral body. Wherever there is no such union we would advise to or ganize one, and this Fxecutive Moard is at any time willing to lend a help ing hand to the organization of such open unions. We hold, that only by a uniform and central organization of our trade, the condition of tin textile industry and of those who work at this trade can be bettered. The attempts made last year by the workingmcn of this country to raise wages, have proved that the greatest results are to be expected from the national organization of trades. Therefore we are quite pleased to see that the different trades belong ing to the Knights of Labor, one af ter the other, asks' the (leneral Fx ecutive Moard of said order to grant them a district, or a national trade charter, in order to be enabled to settle their own affairs in their own way, respectively, by experts of their own choice, and' we have seen that the members of the order of the K. of L, themselves adopted this union principle; therefore, one might say, it is but a question of time that all the different trades represented in the Knights o! Labor will form sep arate organizations. After having given tin above views, the Fxecutive Moard of the Textile Workers Progressive Union of America begs leave to submit the following propositions, hoping that all textile workers' unions, including the various textile workers' assemb lies of the Knights of Labor, will aid us in our efforts. We would suggest: first: To call a (leneral Textile Workers' Convention for the pur post; of forming a national organiza tion, the meeting place and the date of said convention to be fixed here after. Second: the secretaries of the dif ferent unions and those who take an interest in this movement, to enter into correspondence with us in or der to attend to the further necessa ry steps. At the same time we, the Execu tive Hoard, declare again our readi ness to give whatever information is asked for regarding the organization of the trade; and we would respect fully ask the following named unions to correspond with us, either in English or in (lernian, viz: Rock ville, Conn.; Adams, .Mass.; New ark, N. .1.: Meacou Falls, Conn.: New York city; town of Union, N. ,L; Mroad Hrook, Conn.; l'ittslield, Mass.; Paovidence, 1L I.; Chicago. Fellow workingineii! Do not hesi tate to listen to this appal! You know that the wages in our trade I are as low as they can be and really average an ordinary, laborer's wages; you know that our colleagues in the New England States are yet worse oil', because they suffer under the truck and 1101180 rent system intro duced and kept up by the mill-owners. You should follow the exam ple of other well organized trades, who, by their firm and solidaric co working have raised their wages to a higher standard, reducing at tho same time the daily and weekly hours of labor. We call, in this respect, your atten tion to the cigar makers, composi tors, furniture workers, carpenters, and many others. The Textile Workers are really behind time, but by tho general movement of all organized working men, wo are drawn into tho struggle for bettering the general condition of life, and it is our duty to use all our energy in order to prevent the further reduction of our wages. It is in our and our families' in terest to put a stop to tho robberies of the mill-owners and those factory lords who grow rich by not paying the full value of our work. First, we have to demand higher wages, and to be treated in a decent way; and in the future we have to aim at the abolition of wage slavery by in troducing the universal co-operative system of production, which alone secures to the workingman the full i amount of pay for his work and abolishes bossisni. Respectfully, Rohkut Hoi' 1 MAX, Sec'y Executive Hoard of the Textile Workers' Progressive Union of America, :.'7-14 Fillmore street, Philadelphia, Pa. A COMMON THEFT. The Fines System Not Loyal In Itlnxle Island. The case of Timothy J. Ryan vs. Riverside and Oswego Mills, came before Supreme Court on Tuesday on petition of the defendants for a new trial. Ryan was employed at the Riverside mill as a dresser-tend er, ami for alleged imperfect work, he was lined and discharged. Ryan- objected to the fine and refused to , take his wages with the amount of the fine deducted from them. The matter was placed in the hands of (L'orge .1. West by tho Rhode Island Central Labor Union, and when the case came before Judge Blackwood, it was decided in favor of Rvan. The company appealed and took the cast! iielore a jury, hut were asrain Uoieateu, and finally, on Tuesday last, as stated above, the com. nan v was heard before the Supremo Court on their petition for a new trial on the '-round of the aliened dismialili- ciition of a juror. The petition was dismissed with costs. The I'eople. THE P. P. P. The following resolutions ary 'ic ing circulated for signers by our Dinbury friends: Wlori'as. A private and irresponsible Itody of armed men known as the Pink erton Preventive Patrpl have for several years assumed to exercise throughout the United States functions w Inch essen tially lielong to the poli; of cities, the liinuiaot hutes, anu tur regular army, 1 . . I 1 1 -I rr.i . f . . - .urn, itittiTOH, i ne practice oi swear ins: in as special officers for the preserva tion of jit-ace and proerty, men of un known residence ana notorious charac ter, in tiie pay and under the command of private individuals and rorjtorations, is a glaring imposture in violation of American li I icrty and fundamental law, lli sttlivil. That we demand of thefVin- necticut Legislature the immediate en actment of a law forbidding the employ -ment us eciiU otlieersof men who are not citizens of the State and have not resided three years at least in the county where they are to be so employed; all such special officers to lie in the exclu sive service and pay of the proper au thorities, under pain of fine and impris onment for receiving any salary or re ward from individuals or corporations. (lood. Rut it is hard on the cor porations, and tho legislature has always been soft on corporations. So we can t expect mucu in tms im. - 7