Eminent Domain Quotes
This is an interesting historical quotation because it shows how easily the United States commandeered private property during World War II. All it took was a letter from the Secretary of War. This particular quotation and letter had further historical significance. The school was acquired as the first facility for the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos. This was where the atomic bomb was built.
In developed nations land tends to be fungible—there is a fair market value to land and there is little emotional attachment to a particular piece of land. However for aborigines and citizens of many lesser developed countries, land is not fungible. Ancestor burial, tradition, family identity, dignity requires a particular plot of land—not just acreage. So taking of land—even with monetary compensation—is often liable to induce violent protest.
The highway was planned to go through a poor neighborhood which had a high percentage of Black residents—all of whom would have to find other housing and move to make room for the highway. If the government plans a highway through a wealthy area, the cost to condemn and pay for the land will be much greater than if a poor neighborhood is acquired. For urban highways, the poor almost always bear a disproportionate share of the inconvenience while the major benefit inures to the wealthy and middle class. Abbot had been a labor organizer and a professional artist before he entered politics. The graphic is of his famous poster which by itself stopped the plans to build the highway very quickly.
As long as there have been attorneys and organized government, there have been attorney abuses of whatever systems exist. This was a major problem throughout America and continues to this day. For many interactions with government, attorneys and their skills are absolutely necessary. But for others, they are not. It is very difficult for many people to tell the difference, and the more bureaucratic and non-transparent the processes are, the easier it is for unscrupulous attorneys to take advantage.
Debs said he would seize them. The two views represent the classic left wing debate over whether nationalized property should just be seized or should far compensation be given. In countries like Cuba of the 1970s, factor owners who stayed and ran their factories under national control received compensation after time but those who left never did which is a type of middle ground.
