To those who are now at the mercy of landlords and are compelled
to pay in rent all the increase over and above living, there is little
hope except through a change in our land policy and in reduction of
charges for the use of money. Land monopoly, in its evil influences
and destructive effects, is second only to the monopoly of money. One-
third the farmers and two-thirds the townspeople occupy lands and
houses belonging to other people. One-half of the freemen of the
Eepublic are renters, and the fact that the number is increasing from
year to year is evidence that the recuperative power of the common
people is weaker now than ever before, and that the self-sustaining forces
of the workers are less efi'ective. The renters of the country own but 5
per cent of the wealth of the country, 91 per cent of the families of the
United States own but 29 per cent of the total wealth, while 9 per cent
of the families own 71 per cent of the wealth, and 4,047 families own
one-fifth.
The homestead laws took effect on the 1st day of January, 1863,
thirty years ago— and since that time 200,664,348 acres of the public
lands have been disposed of to individual persons in different ways,
by entries under the homestead laws, by preemption, by private entry,
and for cash. The homestead entries amounted to 144,964,811 acres.
