Money Answers All Things [59]
Comfort. Thus will His most Gracious Majesty become a Kind of Deity to his People, whilst he is thus imitating the Beneficence of our heavenly Father, whose Representative on Earth he will thus be, in the most exalted Sense. I must, indeed, own myself a Stranger to the Quantity of Crown Lands, that are at present uncultivated; though I can't doubt that there are enough to set this useful, and, as I believe, absolutely needful to set this useful, and, as I believe, absolutely needful Proposal at Work; which will be found to be an inexpressible Benefit to all Ranks and Degrees of Men amongst us, if fully and sufficiently executed. But perhaps it may be thought, such an Addition of Land every Year may reduce the Rents of Lands too much. In answer to which I shall only say that, when the Necessaries of Life are reduced so low that we can work as cheap as the Nations round about us, and that the Wages of a working Man will purchase enough to support such a Family, as the Estimate is made for, in the Station of a labouring Man's Family; as none of them can then want Work, which I think I have proved by shewing how great the Wants of the People are; so the Rent the Lands will then bear, is really that proper and fit annual Rent, which will be found best for all Ranks and Stations of Men. But if Things must not be put on so good a Foot, I cannot help thinking, that it would be much happier for the People, that they were in a state of Nature, where all Men being born equal, have a natural Right to any Quantity of Land they think fit to use, and to put it to what Use they please, provided it be not occupied by any other: For whoever occupies any Land in this Case, is the rightful Possessor and Proprietor, so long as he continues to occupy and use it. For though I don't think a State of nature to compare with the State of Civil Government, if the Plenty be made great enough to support the People comfortably, yet if the Bulk of Mankind be made miserable by the Oppression of the rest; as they undoubtedly are, when the Wages of the Labourer, and Price of Necessaries for such a Family as he must often sustain, and which indeed he was chiefly sent into this World to raise, are not very near equal: I say, such an unhappy State of Mankind is, in my Opinion, worse than a State of Nature itself. For as Men form themselves into Societies or Governments, to make themselves more happy than they would be in a State of Nature, it is but just, that as they, for that End, give up their natural Right to the Land, which by this Principle, that all Men by Nature are born equal, they have an indefeasable Right to take and possess, wherever it lies unoccupied by any other; I say, it is but just, so much Land be continually added and improv'd amongst them, that every Thing thereby be render'd so plentiful, and consequently so cheap, that the Wages of the labouring Men, and Price of Necessaries become so equal, that they may all comfortably support such a Family, as they were sent into this world to raise, and therefore ought to support, unless through Sickness or Weakness such an one becomes unable to labour for them; and then his and his Family's Support becomes a just Debt on the Publick, so long as they really stand in need of it. And, I further say, if so much Land were continually added, and so well improv'd as to keep these Points (viz. the Wages of the labouring Man, and Price of Necessaries for the Support of a Family) together, Trade could never stand in need of any other Care or Concern of any government, let the Subjects carry it on in whatever Way or Manner they possibly could.(38*) For if the Trade were so gainful, as to increase the Cash amongst the People, in greater Proportion than the People increase, the Prices of Things would only become higher in such Proportion. And if the Cash decreased (which, by the way, I believe would be impossible) as then more of the People must fall into Tillage, etc. from a Want of Business, which is the necessary Consequence of a much greater Importation of Foreign, than Exportation