Can poverty be abolished in America?
Subject(s): Canals, Federal government, Hill, James J. (James Jerome), 1838-1916, Initiative, Right of, Irrigation, Land use, Liquor laws, Nation, Carry Amelia, 1846-1911, Poverty, Recall, Recall of judicial decisions, Referendum, Revolutions and socialism, Socialism, Trusts and trustees
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Lee C. Spooner believes Americans share the sentiment that poverty can and must be abolished and proposes how this can be accomplished, primarily by turning competition into cooperation. He argues that the laborers are the enemy of the republic, as they either turn to crime or revolution. To feel the responsibility of citizenship, the laborer must first own property. Spooner proposes they be granted a one-acre, suburban tract of land with a house through a federal initiative. Next, the prohibition of liquor will prevent laborers from wasting their earnings. Instead, they can then invest their earnings in federally regulated trusts. This redistribution of wealth will bring “socialism by purchase” and the end of poverty.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1911-04-19
Creator(s)
Spooner, Lee C. (Lee Cordova), 1863-1955
Language
English
Period
Progressive Party Candidate (1911-1912)
Page Count
26
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Can poverty be abolished in America?. [April 19, 1911]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o304649. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Spooner, Lee C. (Lee Cordova), 1863-1955. Can poverty be abolished in America?. [19 Apr. 1911]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o304649.
APA:
Spooner, Lee C. (Lee Cordova), 1863-1955., [1911, April 19]. Can poverty be abolished in America?.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o304649.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
