The record-union., 1891-10-13
GREAT LAND HOLDINGS.
Editor Green Comments on Very I'M
portant subject.

pOfIanC SUBJECT.
TColusa sun, October 10th.l
There met in San Francisco a month
ago an immigration convention, and it
electrified the State by passing resolu-
ton in favor of another railroad! Get
that and immigration would pour right
into the State. The resolvers, feeling that
they had solved a mighty problem, So
ijourned to their homes to await the COM
ing Of the railroad! 1t must come be-
cause they resolved it, and resolved it
with q full understanding that when the
railroad came, in response to that resolu-
ton, 1t should not pool issues with the
present monopoly. What could be nicer
than dig down mountains and put band
across the continent with Il simple resolu
ton? It was such short cut to the OBJ
ject desired.
Let one take trip from the Missouri
River to the Pacific Ocean, and see the
hundreds of miles of country which can
contribute nothing to the support of
railroad, and the wonder one experiences
is that we have railroad st all. California
is more isolated from the rest of the United
States than though there were body of
water thousand miles wide between. In
fact we are looking 10 the opening Of the
Nicaragua Canal as means connecting
US more closely to the Eastern States.
More roads come into Oregon and Wash
ington because there is not so long a trip
of desert, and more come in on the
south because the Santa Fe lineis shorter
across the desert; but the desert there is
too wide. If all the available water can
be put on, the desert it would not require
the mighty power Of resolution of d con-
Vention, which, if not tinged with dema-
gogry, felt highly flattered when the
papers patted it on the back and said good
boys, to build railroad, for then it would
be business. The mighty brain that
pondered on that resolution and brought
it forth with the satisfaction of little Jack
Horner as he pulled the historic plum
from the pie, might rest.
Now, you who are interested in immi-
grafton, stick a pin just here and take
time to read an article reproduced to-day
from the Sacramento RECORD-UNIoN on
the progress Of large land holdings in
Tehama County.
When you have read it and remember
that it is just the same all over the great
valleys of the Sacramento and San Joa-
quin, except a few spots where irriga-
tion is practlced, put on your thinking
cap and tell US what inducemeut we, in
this section, can offer to the ordinary
immigrant. even after the railroad follows
the resolution? Suppose we had the road
that would bring immigrants over the
dreaTy wastes at their own terms, what
inducement can the people of this part of
the State offer them? If there is a small
tract of land for sale the greater rancher
adjoining it can afford to pay more for it
than any immigrant can The figures pro-
duced show that the small farmers we
have are fast disappearing. If we can't
keep those we have how can we invite
more? The railroads we have succeed in
taking out the small farmers; if we had
others would they not be employed in the
same way? 1t strikes us that we must
strive to cover the space between here
and the United States, and we must turn
our ranches" into farms. If the ranch"
is good thing; if it is right for great
bodies of land TO stand in the way, not
only by being ranches, but by interpos-
ing obstacles to the development of other
lands, then we don't want to humbug
ourselves with immigration conventions
and railroad building by resolution.
There is nothing in it. We tell our read
erS that something radical has got to be
done or else we will have all the lands in
the hands of non-residents; i'll other
words, a landed aristocracy.
The Sun has discussed several remedies.
among them irrigation, and it will join
heartily any practical move in the direc-
ton of having the farmer take the place
of the rancher, of having the land titled
by resident farmers owning their homes,
instead of by hired help with Chinese
cook house.