The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-05-04
SUGGESTIVE LETTERS.
Ours, Indeed, a Goodly Heritage.
Vastness Of Our Domain-Dan-
eerous Tendencies.
To the Editor of the Farming World;

10 the EQlJor OF TIE AIInlnB WOIAOs
1t was a kind Providence that gave
this new world to US, and through us to
the hungry multitudes from the over
crowded nations of the eastern hemis-
phere, whom we welcome, and who are
casting in their lot with US. Long may
we be one people in interest and har-
meny, though increased by such diverse
elements. May we never lose our pres
ent political and moral standing among
the nations, but rather may we ever in
crease in those industrial, moral, and
religious qualities which enrich q ma
ton and give it the highest prosperity.
Let no false pride or self-destructive
habit like incompetence steal away
our strength and manhood. Let uni
YerSal education prepare US to rule
ourselves, and let the love of
country predominant over sectional
interests.
Do we realize the vastness our
domain, the untold treasures of it's
natural wealth and do we understand
the moral conditions of our future
strength and greatness Now, more
than ever, mind power is the ruling
force in the world, and when enlight-
ened, sanctifisd and directed Alright, it
becomes q double power. Intelligence
We owe much OF what we are to the
sterling qualities of the fathers. How
did England grow into an empire upon
which the sun never sets, territory
nearly three times as large as the United
States, except by mental and moral
force, combined with the old Anglo
Saxon grit? And how have we, from
mere handful of the Old Dominion
settlers and the Pilgrim Fathers, be-
come a people of fifty millions, with
high educational, social, civil and re-
ligious privileges, and with the best
government and the best country the
world ever saw, except by carrying out
and improving upon the example OF
the fatherland? But if England or
America should become a nation OF
drunkards or fall into other equally
self-deStructive sins, it would go down
like the old Roman Empire, whose iron
legiOns were dissolved by moral cor
ruptiOn, whose decline and fall Gibbon
calls 1.-The greatest, perhaps the most
awful scene in the history OF mankind ?"
Look at our agricultural resources.
The Mississippi valley, for extent and
fertility has no equal on the globe. 1t
is forty times as large the plains Of
old Babylonia, once 80 rich, but now a
desert; equal To more than hundred
like that of the Nile-the granary OF
the nations. 1t is easily capable OF
feeding the entire population OF the
globe to-day, if thoroughly cultivated
Set the fourteen hundred million in
habitants of the world down on Dakota
and you will have only fourteen per-
sons to the acre, or upon the entire
territory OF the United States, and you
can give them an acre and u half apiece.
Texas alone would twice cover England,
Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Our
country is equal in extent to paral-
telegram 2,4OO miles long and l,SOO
miles wide, intersecCed by numerous
navigable rivers, with chain OF inland
lakes and more than l 900 miles of sea-
coast, Our average crop of wheat is
already about 400, 100000 bushels, with
other crops in proportion, and we are
ahead of the world in useful inventions
and labor-saving machinery for agrl-
cultural pursuits.
Surely "Uncle Sam is rich enough to
give us all farm" He is very liberal
with it-perhaps too liberal; certainly
too much OF the land, instead OF going
to the multitude who need it, gets into
wrong hands, who roll up vast lsndee
estates, which " III some day be WORTH
more than our best gold mines, increas'
| ing their wealth and personal power t.
| the vast damage of the MANY whoJ iol
comfort and independence and for the
| good of the nation, too, need small
| farms. Railroad corporations often re-
ceive slices that seem quite too gener'
Gus but this is not quite so bad, since
it is Tor their interest to cut up theil
lands into small divisions to encourage
thick settlements and farming interests
Monied monopolies and vast landed
estates are among our present dangers
but il is difficult to find remedy 81
long as money helps make the laws
We want legislators who cannot 81
bought. Cannot the general govern
ment discriminate in favor of the MANI
with small means and against this rol
ling up of vast landed estates for per
sonal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or speculativ,
purpose, and do it justly and in sell
defense or self interest? The first /
indeed done to some extent, but agains
the last there is absolutely no safeguard
whatever. We do not wish TO imitat
old England in this respect. But tn
way things are now tending here tn
landed estates of Great Britain Will b
dwarfed in comparison with the futur
American landed estates. The home
stead should be secured by every in
diyidual to whom the land allows one
1t should be sacredly guarded and pro
tected. We want as many small farm
as possible, and these should b
thoroughly cultivated. We run owe
TOO much ground.