New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-07
GOLONIZING BY METHOD.

ened invention. There are a hundred million
acres between the Mississippi and the Pa
cfc of fertile land, sufficiently watered by
showers or that can be cheaply irrigated by
bitches from running streams; and all this
vast area can he secured to settlers by paying
a few dollars in cash for 100 acres. In the old
States of our Republic. and on the eastern and
the western margins of the Old World, there
are ten millions of industrious poor to whom
100 acres of this land would be a blessing the
extent of which cannot be measured. The
problem before us is to discover and apply
the best methods for transferring this landless
population to appropriated land. AS worthy
effort in that direction, a young man IN tins
city sends us the following plan for
sEIF-sUsTAISING COLONIZATION.
IT il admitted that cities overcrowdcd with nm
skilled labor and from this largo class OF evils
moral social, and political. arc engendercd. Many
colonies have gone the West and South and others are
organizing but they fail to roach the class most IN need
of the benefits OF emigraton-tho poor artisan and
aborer Their life here a long, grim battle with ad-
verse faes which frown upon them in the form Of high
rents low wages, and an increasing FAMILY meetings
coonzng ends well attended, and scores OF men
are found who would gladly leave the city, with al its
aurements. could they possibly do so. Some say they
could pay their railroad fare for themselves and family
ly selling what little furniture they possess. but they
shrink the prospect OF having 10 recommend life IN
the wilderness with present of feeding their
families building houses TO shelter them, purchasing
seeds agricultural implements necessary % enable
them 60 start the first crop. Now, IL we take it for
granted that the West needs the suprbundant labor OF
the Eastern cites and that the condition OF the ab0er
and his family will be vastly improved by their removal
it follows that any feasible plan which would aid this
large class by assisting 1t To help Itself, would CONFER
lasting benefit on these people ana On the community At
large "a
100000, 10 purchase from the General Government or
with Agricultural College scrip about 10000 acres of land
In bodies then call for and select 800 worthy
Industrious with large families who anxious to
20 and who be well recommended; pay their fare,
advance them tools, lumber, seeds and PROVISIONS
farms started by competent FARMERS ~
example model for the rest give them 80 acres in
alternate sections and the resduc Of She land 30
be sold at the expiration OF I'VE years or IA soon "a u
shall have become sufficiently valuable the proceeds TO
he applied either to the repayment OF the original cop0
raOrs 10 be used IN carrying out other plans on fresh
tracts The chief idea is to carve large areas into squares
like cGeokeT-board give away the red squares-keep
the white advance some money To the settler on the red
square aud that money back and profit with IT, by
the value OF the white one OF the chief
requisites for the OF such plans would De 10 pre-
vent az far "a possiblc the Introduction OF demorazng
influences; white square would not double In value II
WHISKY sim or buy his ueighb6rs barley to convert 1t
into lager The dram-sh0p and Dar-rOOm should be kept
out strictly gaming he'll or the yeo" ieFer be-
side these netOns there should he positive PROVISIONS
for "A eadng-rOo lecture hall, Farmers Club, and
for primary and advanced schools grounds reserved for
these purposes and for park.
In ORDER to save expense agreement might he made
to the same building for purposes Of pdbc worship
by Christians OF the various denominations either meot
ing at different hours II thought better by the major
y they might for the time being ignore all croeds anu
unite on the Bible alone rs textbook when iound eH
pedien to separate TIE house could be sold mt auction
and the proceeds divided, or could be set apart and
used for some purpose common To all
The most important question which a sue
cessful man can study, is what to do with The
surplus of his fortune. Beginning with Ste
phen Girard, we have within fifty years pro-
duced between one and two hundred men who
showed genius for finance by amassing vast
fortunes That number is rapidly increasing.
Each of the great roads that spans the Con-
tinent turns out It's giant brood of money
kings. The rise of real estate in the cities
that do the business of those roads is produc
ing other groups of millonaires. We have
no titles in this country; no law Of primOgeni-
ture; hence there is no such thing ~ founding
a family in the English sense. Will not some
of the great merchants and stockholders who
read this column consider the dignity and
lasting fame to be won by founding colony
on the best princplesR Every great fortune
implies a score Of broken fortunes For every
railroad king there is an army Of landless
railroad workers. many, it IL true, are improv-
ident and have no skill for saving. Others are
not constitutionally poor; they are simply out
of place, and need lift, and but one lift,
over the gravel of Poverty Flat. True wis
dom and genuine public spirit are not shown
in legislation for the poor, nor in piling
millions of brick into great orphan homes and
alms-houses. The wise thing to do is to fore
stall pauperism, TO prevent the unfortunate
from becoming utterly helpless, to aid a man,
yet not rob him of his pride or paralyze his
self-help. What is there to prevent Mr.. Astor
OF Mr.. Stewart saying to a young farmer who
has only two industrious hands" Come here
is railroad ticket 10 station where you
"will find so acres Of good land; go on it, take
"this title and this pillow, these horses, and
"this seed wheat, and go to work Your labor
"on that farm will make the half section adj
'joining worth so much that | can afford to
"make you this advance. You are not accept
sing a charity; you are using my money to
snake me richer.n The leaders in this wise
generosity should be the great roads to which.
the nation has been so lavish of land. The
Republic says to these corporatons-the Union
Pacific, the Central Pacific, the Northern
Pacific, and the road chartered [the other day
to run on the 32d parallel through Texas to
San Diego-"Lay down your capital on this
"unpeopled surface and you can have millions
"of acres on the right and left of your iron
"path.n Cannot these corporations see the
wisdom and the policy Of saying in turn to
the thousands who are willing to give labor
"COme, best0w your toll on part of these
"acres and we will give you a ticket, title,
"a shelter. aud team. aud find. our profit ia