The Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson
By Subject
BRITAIN / CONDITIONS IN
This is a village of about 15,000 inhabitants when the court is not
here, and 20,000 when they are, occupying a valley through which runs
a brook and on each side of it a ridge of small mountains, most of
which are naked rock. The King comes here, in the fall always, to
hunt. His court attend him, as do also the foreign diplomatic corps;
but as this is not indispensably required and my finances do not admit
the expense of a continued residence here, I propose to come
occasionally to attend the King's levees, returning again to Paris,
distant forty miles. This being the first trip, I set out yesterday
morning to take a view of the place. For this purpose I shaped my
course towards the highest of the mountains in sight, to the top of
which was about a league. As soon as I had got clear of the town I
fell in with a poor woman walking at the same rate with myself and
going the same course. Wishing to know the condition of the laboring
poor I entered into conversation with her, which I began by enquiries
for the path which would lead me into the mountain: and thence
proceeded to enquiries into her vocation, condition and circumstances.
She told me she was a day laborer at 8 sous or 4d. sterling the day:
that she had two children to maintain, and to pay a rent of 30 livres
for her house (which would consume the hire of 75 days), that often
she could get no employment and of course was without bread. As we had
walked together near a mile and she had so far served me as a guide, I
gave her, on parting, 24 sous. She burst into tears of a gratitude
which I could perceive was unfeigned because she was unable to utter a
word. She had probably never before received so great an aid. This
little attendrissement, with the solitude of my w4k, led me into a
train of reflections on that unequal division of property which
occasions the numberless instances of wretchedness which I had
observed in this country and is to be observed all over Europe. The
property of this country is absolutely concentrated in a very few
hands, having revenues of from half a million of guineas a year
downwards. These employ the flower of the country as servants, some of
them having as many as 200 domestics, not laboring. They employ also a
great number of manufacturers and tradesmen, and lastly the class of
laboring husbandmen. But after all there comes the most numerous of
all classes, that is, the poor who cannot find work. I asked myself
what could be the reason so many should he permitted to beg who arc
willing to work, in a country where there is a very considerable
proportion of uncultivated lands? These lands are undisturbed only for
the sake of game. It should seem then that it must be because of the
enormous wealth of the proprietors which places them above attention
to the increase of their revenues by permitting these lands to be
labored. I am conscious that an equal division of property is
impracticable, but the consequences of this enormous inequality
producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind, legislators cannot
invent too many devices for subdividing property, only taking care to
let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the natural affections of
the human mind. The descent of property of every kind therefore to all
the children, or to all the brothers and sisters, or other relations
in equal degree, is a politic measure and a practicable one. Another
means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt
all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher
portions or property in geometrical progression as they rise. Whenever
there are in any country uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is
clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to
violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to
labor and live on. If for the encouragement of industry we allow it to
be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be provided
to those excluded from the appropriation. If we do not, the
fundamental right to labor the earth returns to the unemployed. It is
too soon yet in our country to say that every man who cannot find
employment, but who can find uncultivated land, shall be at liberty to
cultivate it, paying a moderate rent. But it is not too soon to
provide by every possible means that as few as possible shall be
without a little portion of land. The small landholders are the most
precious part of a state.
to James Madison, 28 October 1785
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