The record-union., 1892-03-09
THE HUNTINGTON PLAN.
Views of a Practical Man on an In
portant Question.
James A. NIorrlssey Believes Mr.. Hunt
ington Has Solved the
Land Problem.

Under date of Stockton, March 9th,
James A. Morrissey, a leading citizen OF
Stockton and real estate dealer OF ex-
tended experience, writes the following
concerning the Huntington plan of sub
division of large land holdings:
Permit me 10 congratulate you upon
the final consummation of practical
scheme for meeting the immigrant to this
distant West and extending a hand OF
substantial welcome TO him. As we all
know, the greatest obstruction to Eastern
immigration TO California and the
permanet settlement Of the imnli-
grant under conditions that would
make his coming and his stay among us
profitable to him and desirable to rs has
been the difficulty OF obtaining a small
holding of productive agricultural land
at reasonable cost.
/ have many times turned this matter
over in my mind and wondered how we
could increase our population under pre-
vailing conditions. There was the large
land-holder-ther rancher with many hum
dredS and, in some instances, many
thousands of acres-sitting in the midst
of his possessions, literally monarch Of
ali he surveyed. who would say to the
newcomer, Nay, you shall not enter
here" He owned his land, his title be
ing a fee simple. We could not diSpOS-
sess him-couid not compel him To turn
his acres over to those eager to give them
a better tillage. lie would not sell, and
we could not force him to sell, although l
believe that State law limiting the NUM-
ber of acres that an individual may hold
wonld be good thing.
/ remember well the effort Of a few
persons in the State Board OF Trade to
meet this emergency They advocated
the formation of an association of capi-
taliStS in San Francisco to buy land in
the interior and cut il up into small
tracts for actual settlers, to be given to
them for no cash down, providing they
should improve the land and keep up the
interest on the investment; how capital
lists were found willing to advance the
necessary money at per cent. per an
mum ana how the board voted the propO
sition down on the ground, as the ma
.Iority of the members thought, that it
would be an interference with the right
OF private parties to dispose oi such lands
as they might have for sale in their own
way. After that failure / did not see how
this State could ever dO anything in the
way of reducing the large holdings of
land. Those who had possession OF the
vast tracts could not be forced to let go of
them. 1t was their right as owners to
hold on as long as they chose. our papers
might preach and we might talk, but
nothing would move these Inonopolists Of
the soil.
Hence. when | read Of Mr. Hunting
toms instructions to purchase one OF these
large tracts; to buy outright for the pur-
pose of subdivision what these owners
would not themselves subdivide, | said
to myself, well, here is a solution at last.
So indeed, it is a solution, and when |
learn, as | have done by the published.
statements, that this is merely the begin
ming of plan which shall ultimately go
towards settling, if it does not entirely
settle, the great question oflarge holdings
in California. / feel like doubling my
congratulation to the man whose large
sighted policy has given this scheme form
and substance.
Another thing, intending settlers hith-
erto coming from the East have been
compelled to travel about the State, at
considerable expense to themselves, in
search of the kind Of land they desired to
purchase. In many cases they have been
compelled thus to consume a considerable
portion Of the money they brought with
them before finding what they wanted,
and in some instances, to the discredit of
our people be it said, they have had
seemingly good but really worthless
land for Embarrassing palmed off on them
because it happened to be contiguous to
good land under successful fruit cultiya-
ton. An orchard thus set out where an
orchard cannot grow to profitable bearing
is an injury to the State, which it would
take a half dozen similar enterprises To-
Gated in the right place to repair. The in
jured parties write home to their friends,
conveying to them doleiul tales of what a
great swindle California is.
SO when Mr.. Huntington buys a large
acreage whose quality of soil has been
exported and proved, and offers this to
the newcomers, not only at low price
and easy terms OF payment, but with
moral guarantee that the property is
suited to the purposes for which the pur-
chaser intends it, a substantial service is
performed alike to immigrants and to the
State. JAMES A. MoRRIsSEY.