The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-06-04

therefore appears that the mean tsns dor'ng'
which the farm lands of these States nave
Advanced from the Government Pnce %
tt1er average wles, in 1857 rs above
stated, was a. fsllgM; In Illinois . nue.
over thirty years,in Wisconsin about twenty
Eve GEAR. IN Iowa less than twenty years
and n Kansas less than ten years. Ann
vet A. We have already seen, these lands
ARE worth 427 90 in Illinois; $34 80 IN
wisconsin; $50 80 in Iowa and 81 20
in KSnsas.
It will be observed that in the four State
Just named, together with Minnesota, tho
average rate Of increase in the value Of
lands. from he date Of theif ale by the
GOvetnmeut to 1857 was upwards Of one
dollat an acre per amman, the rate In the
two younger States being c'ns.derably in
excess of that amount, while even the an
nual rental value of land in the same States
rangds from 81 80 all the way up to 81 m
So aI acre; the lowest Of these rates being
aCuhls do 0oWsapent Price for attic to
the land in fee simple. And yet Senatmf
Of the United States has the hardihood to
say, n his place in the Senate, that lands
rHitnaled n6M Just as the greater part of
these lands was situated twenty years ago
are not wogth tsn cents nm acre.
I may be met here BY the declaration
that RAILROADS have. given thess mpds their
value. 9haS huwsver, Is very diisreat
thing frOm saying that railroad sabsidSss
have given them their value. But to say
chat railroads Asvs done il. 10 10 state the
case incorrectly. Il d population which
giveA Land ;ts value, through competition bt
its possession and railroads are but one ID
the improvements which civilized PoPaAa-
ton necessarily brings with L. IL 10 prob
able that had the settlers been cOmpslIsd
to depend solely upon private enterprise,
which builds railroads for profit, they
would, m q matter Of couvsaiense and econ
om5, have setaled more cO@pacfiy. In that
casa, we should have had less hand wasted
IN these States by sales or donations to men
who do not use it. fewer large uncultivated
TRACTS in the midst Of States already
pophlOus, fewer large landholders, fewer
tenants and day laborers, and PrOPOrtiOOally
mole small independent farmers, earning
their own living, with their own hands, oA
Their own farms And although population
ight not have pushed quite SO far West,
/ WeishOula stal have bad quite N large q
pOpuiasieu, pNh4bly larger eDe, aHd GER
tai1ly q moro inaepenlans aIA prosperous
ono than we have today in these great
w estern States. Besides this, the Govern
meet would own today millions Of acres
more frst-class land, now being held fos
speculative purposes by individuals, and
woAld be in 50 much the better position to
provide future settlers with homes. l am
unable to see any special cause for fellcita-
tioh in the fact that we have scattered our
selves over almost our entire territory be-
/ FORE our people number fourteen to the
sqasre mile. II 10 not long since that We
used to speak Of the plains as a region very
far west-a region devoted to Indians. buff
faIOes end solitude. Asto the Rocky Noun
tains, they were almost terra tncOSnit6
occasionally heard Of through the thrilling
tales Of the trapper as the haupts Of the ter
riale grizzly bear. Now. as we have seen
TIP whole region is divided up into territe
ries. Montana boasts its cities and towns
Idaho il sc, 900 annpA profit on capita
invested in banking, and Utah, still more
| highly civilized, ITS Sl7, 600 a year paid q
domestic servants So we go, expanding
and appealing to the whole world to come
and help us to expand still more, our grand
est ambition, to judge from the speeches
of some of our members Of Congress. being
topuff ourselves out big enough to gil III
The whole area Of the country. One wcult
think, to Judge from some Of those speeches
optic recently delivered, that honorable gen
tlsmen were fairly grooming in spirit. suf
fSring the acute Pangs Of a species Of men
tai rheumatism, merely from brOOding owe
the awfully desOlAte condition Of thos
leagues Of land between Lake SuPeriO
and Puget Sound, along the line Of th
Northern Pacific railroad, where no "sturd
settIer" has yet taken up his abode Their
il one honorable Senator so anxious upo
this subject that verify believe be woul'
willingly swallow q dose Of nitrO-glycerine
! aid blow himsslf into million fragments
if the pieces (heaven save 'em) would Onl..
initiate tie teeth which Cadmus sOwed, ant
spring up-DOt exactly armed men, bu
%!sturdy settlers," With spades In thei
sands ready to dig That road.
TO BE CONTINUED.