Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-09-19

| 1.725,OO0 acres. The physical features oil
| the San Joaquin valley present simply a
monotonous recurrence of level and ex-
ceediDgly fertile lands. To say that this
vast area of fertile land, lying under eli
mate favoring the greatest possible divers
| ity of product, is in the infancy of its devel-
| opment, would not be so NEARLY an accurate
presentation of fact as to- say that the region
is wholly undeveloped.
Generalizing these facts, we have popu-
lation of 100000 inhabitants, occupying
a territorial area of 157 900 square miles, in
which is embraced SO, ,444, 900 acres of ara
| BILE land. Upon less area, in the Empire
of Japan, 35, 100000 of people find subsist-
ence, and are living in a state of plenty,
which admits of the development of all the
| higher attributes of civilization. In the
valley of the Pc, in an area $4,000 less
than the arabic extent of the Sacramento
valley, 100000 of people find profitable
employment for their industries. With
| these boundless resources before US. we may
extend a welcome to our fellow country
men from the more densely- settled portions
of our country, with every assurance that
| ton awaits only the creative influence of
intelligence and enterprise.
THE VALUE OF LAND.
| 1t has been contended, with more or less
plausibility, that the high price at which
| lands are held in California is arresting its
growth and development. After an ex-
| haustiye inquiry into this subject, am
disposed to think that this charge must be
plainly met, and the real facts must be pre-
sented to the world
| Since the year 1869 the extension of rail-
road lines into sparsely settled or wholly
| uninhablted territories of the United States
has opened to settlement an area so vast
as to distribute thinly the great tide of
| immigration which annually ovarhows
from the more densely populated portions
J of this country and Europe. The railroad
extension referred to opened vast areas of
sparsely settled and uninhabited territory
and brought these into competition with
each other in the field of invitation to set
| Element Since that period the State of
Kansas received a million of inhabitants,
Texas 100000, Minnesota 10000, Dakota
1000, Nebraska 100000, Wyoming 300,-
900, Washington 100000 Montana 100, 600,
Arizona $4,000, Colorado 100000, and Cali
| fornia, according to the census report, about
| 100000 OF all these, the growth of Kan
sas has been the most phenomenal. The
reason for this is not far to seek. Kansas
was more accessible than any.of the Pacific
Territories, and lands there were cheap,
| In estimating the obstacles to settlement of
| distant region the cost of reaching that
region must occupy prominent place. 1t
has cost more money in the past to remove
body of population aggregating 100000
men from the more densely populated and
overhowing sections of our country to Cal
| iforia than to remove l 200 900 from the
same sections to Kansas and Nebraska.
The value of land specifically in Califor-
MIA received high development in advance
of the density of population. In common
observation, good agricultural land is
deemed to have reached its highest point
of value at from $50 to $50 an acre. A
greater density of population, of which we
have had no experience in California, will
urge these prices up from 500 10
S75 an acre, and if the lands are
fertile as in Belgium, and the population
equally dense with that country they will
reach the value of 81 900 to 81 800 an acre.
Under these circumstances they become
garden lands with immediate home mar
I ket; but land in California were sold for
| from $50 to $50 an acre when lands in
Kansas and Nebraska could be obtained at
the single minimum of 81 25 an acre, or
within railroad limits at 81 90 acre. When,
therefore, the immigrants had their choice
between Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Min
nesota and Dakota, where lands could be
| obtained at 81 % an acre at first hand from
Efhe Government, or at from s. to $40 an
acre at second hand, as against land in
California, which was held at from SIS to
$50 an acre, the immigrant chose the
| former location. under the somewhat ju-ti
fable but mistaken belief that lands in
California had reached their full develop
ment. / beg to introduce the statement of
fact that the average value OF agricultural
lands in the Sacramento valley have not
yet reached S25 an acre. The more fertile
alluvial lands, suitable for growing fruits,
and in the localities where the fruit is early,
and where the environment is peculiarly
favorable to fruit. growing, lands are held
at valuation of from $50 to $75 an acre.
In the pamphlet literature which is distrib-
uted at the East the statement is made that
good fruit land can be obtained in Califor-
| MIA for from SIS to $3.50 an acre.
am painfully conscious, from personal
observation, of the effect this produces on
the mind of the Eastern agriculturist.
Let US illustrate this: The intending en-
migrant is not content with second class
land. He, therefore, contemplates the pur
chase of the best quality, or the highest
figure used in this illustration, $3.50. Sup
pose he has at home 200 acres which he
| Cdu Sell gov dE aCIct ne Will UDldlu
| $4,000 for his farm. He realizes that at
$3.50 an acre he can purchase in return for
this, after paying his expenses to Califor-
mia, say 60 acres. He, therefore, feels to be
losing lao acres by his change of residence,
and there is a spirit of greed in the owner
| ship of the earth's surface which makes
this proposition instinctively distaseful
But the figures have given here are not
| the maximum figures by any means. In
recent pamphlet publications relating to
Southern California. it is plainly stated
that good orange land can be purchased for
! $3.50 an acre. | read these statements in
|, the light of personal observation among
the people of the East, and, therefore, have
a better realization of their de,erative force.
| The farmer in Iowa with 200 acres, sal
able at from $40 to $50 an acre. realizes
| that the proceeds Of the sale of his farm
will purchase only one-fifth of its area in
| Southern California. He must, therefore,
content himself with giving up 200 acres
and becoming the proprietor of only forty
acres. This is analogous to the condition
! which existed during the period of the
! great premium on gold. While California
/ maintained gold standard, the fortunes of
Eastern people were convertible into green
backs, but if they chose to emigrate to
California, they must convert their green
backs into gold. The farmer who cou
sell his farm for 800 600 in greenbacks,
after removal to California, must submit
to q reduction of from $4,000 tn S12 900
on the face value of his money
before he would have the only cur
rency recognized by the commerce of
this State. However clear a case might
have been made for the equivalent value of
the specie into which the currency had
been converted, the sentimental cousidera-
tons were against the change, and senti-
ment is not without influence even in
matters of commerce. The reverse of this
operated to send our population eastward.
The man who could raise $4,000 in gold
coin in California could convert it into
$4,000 of the currency in use in the East
ern States. Subsequent events proved that
there was something more than sentiment
in this, because the purchasing power OF
| currency eventually arose to mar with