The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 04 (of 12): Dresden Edition—LecturesIngersoll, Robert Green
Religion
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 04 (of 12): Dresden Edition—Lectures
Ingersoll, Robert Green
Free thought
Now, suppose that every man were to have all the land he is able to buy.
The Vanderbilts could buy to-day all the land that is in farms in the
State of Ohio--every foot of it. Would it be for the best interest of
that State to have a few landlords and four or five millions of serfs?
So, I am in favor of a law finally to be carried out--not by robbery,
but by compensation, under the right, as the lawyers call it, of eminent
domain--so that no person would be allowed to own more land than he
uses. I am not blaming these rich men for being rich. I pity the most of
them. I had rather be poor, with a little sympathy in my heart, than
to be rich as all the mines of earth and not have that little flower of
pity in my breast. I do not see how a man can have hundreds of millions
and pass every day people that have not enough to eat. I do not
understand it. I might be just the same way myself. There is something
in money that dries up the sources of affection, and the probability is,
it is this: the moment a man gets money, so many men are trying to get
it away from him that in a little while he regards the whole human race
as his enemy, and he generally thinks that they could be rich, too,
if they would only attend to business as he has. Understand, I am not
blaming these people. There is a good deal of human nature in us all.
You remember the story of the man who made a speech at a Socialist
meeting, and closed it by saying, "Thank God, I am no monopolist," but
as he sank to his seat said, "But I wish to the Lord I was!" We must
remember that these rich men are naturally produced. Do not blame them.
Blame the system!
Certain privileges have been granted to the few by the Government,
ostensibly for the benefit of the many; and whenever that grant is not
for the good of the many, it should be taken from the few--not by force,
not by robbery, but by estimating fairly the value of that property, and
paying to them its value; because everything should be done according to
law and order.
What remedy, then, is there? First, the great weapon in this country is
the ballot. Each voter is a sovereign. There the poorest is the equal
of the richest. His vote will count just as many as though the hand
that cast it controlled millions. The poor are in the majority in this
country. If there is any law that oppresses them, it is their fault.
They have followed the fife and drum of some party. They have been
misled by others. No man should go an inch with a party--no matter if
that party is half the world and has in it the greatest intellects of
the earth--unless that party is going his way. No honest man should
ever turn round to join anything. If it overtakes him, good. If he has
to hurry up a little to get to it, good. But do not go with anything
that is not going your way; no matter whether they call it Republican,
or Democrat, or Progressive Democracy--do not go with it unless it goes
your way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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