The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-28
California as It is Viewed by an Iowan.

California has for long time past,
been the Arcadia to which all are
urged to come. Thousands have come,
still they keep coming. and yet that
piece of strong language, ''fooled," is
only too often the verdict of those who
come to this ::Golden State seeking
their fortunes.
Land owners and agents, and all
Californians who have their own good
or that Of their own country at heart,
are, rightly enough, DESTROYS Of in
cIeasing the population of this vast
State, whose resources are 50 bound.
less. With this end in view, and be-
ing justly proud of their noble State,
they constantly urge the tide of emf
grafton on toward the Pacific shores.
Surely there is ''a screw lOOse' sOme-
where. The fact is this: The country
is 50 overstocked with workers in con-
sequence of the numerous emigrants
that the supply for all positions is far
greater than the demand. Clerks and
book-keepers are drugs in the market.
Cities are crowded with them. They
go into the country, perhaps to fill I'M
important places, with salaries which,
like the places they pay for, are too
unimportant to be of much use,
Salaries in the cities are quite high,
but the positions which command high
salaries are filed, with no room for
new corners. Nor will friends and in.
f1uence avail to secure a position for a
man. Employers will not discharge
men already in employ simply in order
to accommodate, nor can they hire
men FOR the sake Of obliging friends
when they have no work to be done,
or places to be filled. A young man
asking for a position of an influential
man met the question, ''What is your
business - "A mechanic ':Oh -
was the reply, with a sigh of relief,
II was afraid you was going to say
clerk OF book-keeper. You may thank
your stars, young man, that you have
a trade -, = -.
But those who have trades-while
they havesa sight advantage are not
much better OFF,. Take machinists. for
instance, The lecturers, and newspa-
per writer's, when telling of the So, 81
or SIS day, forget to add that which
alters the; case;, viz: that very few
machine-shops have ssstock-worl' - on
hand, as in the East. All depend up-
On the orders for mining or other ma.
chinery which may come in. In con- IL
sequence, while shop may be for one
or many months SO pressed with work
that it hires every man it can use, and
works night and day, when the engage
ment is fulfilled there is no more work
to do, and all hands are discharged
until another order is received. Sup
pose man is so extremely fortunate
as to find employment Immediately
upon his arrival here. Suppose he re-
celves a4 or even SIS day. He works
two or three weeks or months, is dis
charged and out of work for as MANY
more weeks or months is hired, and
works again for another few days or
weeks, etc. The high wages (which
are growing constantly smaller as the
supply OF workers increases) scarcely
answer in the place Of the less.paid
but steady work ne left. This is not
the case with one or two, or a dozen
men. but with hundreds. Men beg
for work at any price; they offer to
work for board, or even for a few
meals any recompense is better than
the desperate need to which they are
driven.