CITATIONS FROM THE WRITINGS 



JURISTS AND ECONOMISTS 



ILLUSTRATING AND SUPPORTING (INTEL' ALIA) 



THE FOLLOWING PROPOSITIONS 



MAINTAINED IN THE ARGUMENT OF THE UNITED STATES 



UPON THE SUBJECT OF PROPERTY. 



First. That the earth and all its bounties were originally bestowed 

 upon mankind in common. 



Second. That the institution of property, and especially of private 

 property exists only for the satisfaction of the great social necessities 

 of mankind. 



That such necessities may be generally described as two-fold. 



1. The preservation of peace and order. 



2. The pre serration of the gifts of nature, and the making of them 

 more productive, in order to support the increasing population of the 

 earth which the advance of civilization necessarily involves. 



Third. That the institution of property is governed by the social 

 necessities which it is designed to satisfy; and will be extended to 

 every subject to which those necessities require its extension. 



Fofrth. That the extent of the dominion which is allowed by the 

 institution of property, either to nations or to individuals, is always 

 limited by the social duties which invariably accompany it. 



1. It is the use only which is given. 



2. They must be so used as to carry out the purpose of the original 

 gift for the benefit of all mankind. What is not needed for the use of 

 the nation or individual owning the gift must be offered on reasonable 

 terms to the rest of mankind. 



3. Nothing must be wantonly or needlessly destroyed. 



Fifth. Wherever a useful thing is not furnished by nature in quan- 

 tities sufficient to satisfy the desires of all, and will be exhausted 

 unless it may be preserved by making it the subject of property, it 

 must be made the subject of property. 



Vattel, 7th Amer. ed. 1849, ch. xvni, sec. 203, p. 98. 



Sec. 203. Hitherto we have considered the nation merely with respect 

 to itself, without any regard to the country it possesses. Let us 

 now see it established in a country which becomes its own property 

 and habitation. The earth belongs to mankind in general; destined 

 by the Creator to be their common habitation, and to supply them with 



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