The morning call., 1892-03-13

least 6io0 families. They displace civilza-
ton. they force the population into the cities
or nffer the choice of emigration"
Inc informant made comparison be-
tween the untenanted lands of California
and those of Siberia, as spoken of in
george keDnan's book. OF course, as far
as the climates and fertility of the lands are
concerned there can be no comparison that
does not greatly favor the semi-tropical
Golden State, but as for the absence of
fences end farmhouses on the broad Sacra-
mento and San Joaquin plains. and the lack
oil a resident population with an actual in
tereSt in the soil, there is striking similar
lty. Travelling through the upper Sacra-
mento Valley one is struck by the great
disparity between its attractiveness as
fertile region and the infreQuency of human
habltation. The influence of all this on the
agricultural labOrer is most degrading. He
does not become landed proprietor. That
hope is denied to him forever His useful
ness In grain-growng. even, is being super
seeded by improved harvesting machinery.
The wholesale manner of cutting and thrash
Ing the grain employed on all the large Cal
lfornia ranches-that of using the com bined
neaaer anG thrasher. which runs along the
field, moving off the wheat heads in broad
swaths and taking the grain from them and
sacking Ii in what may be called a single
operation-naturally results in the employ
ment OF comparatively few wOrkmen.
What do the barons do for California?
Can they III any sense be clasSed as useful
citizens?
If they resided upon their holdings there
might be some little compensation for the
loss otherwise felt. Ii they erected beauti-
ful dwellings and surrounded them with
parks there would be some relief from the
monotony OF present desOlation.
Are any OF these great possessions being
divided up?
There is but single instance in the Sac.
ramento Valley where the amount of land
H.
decreases when the holding passes to the
ownership OF an estate. That instance re-
lates to the holding of Hugh !. Glenn. In
1850 Mr.. Glenn, being then alive, appeared
on the assessment-roll as the owner of IS, 900
acres of land. La 1890 the estate of Hugh j.
as being in possession of 1900
acres. This decrease is due wholly
to the fact that Mr.. Glenn. on
dying, left his estate heavily lncumbered
by debt and portion had to be sold. There
have been no sales OF any land since the
debts of the estate have been adjusted In
all other instances where the individual ap-
peared first on the assessment-rol, and
afterward the same land is assessed to his
estate, the holdings increase in the same
ratio as with private holdings. 1t is the
same In the San Joaquin Valley as else
where. In Fresno County, where in 1875
the firm of Miller 81 Lux appeared on the
assesSment-roll for 169. 464 acres, the hold
ing iHcTeaStu rdpiuIy uosplte Inc death or
one of the partners. until upon the assess
ment-roll of last year the firm of Miller 81
Lux appears for 239 1856 acres.
In the broad and fertile San Joaquin Val
ley worse condition exists with respect to
immense holdings and absentee landlordism
than is found in the Sacramento Valley.
Henry Miller is the largest individual
landholder there. as he is in the whole
State. Miller is known as ''the cattle king"
and il is not to his landed possessions that
one naturally adyertS when one thinks of
this wonderfully wealthy man. And yet he
has in his possession and under his control
at least 100000 acres of land, and good
land, tOo-land that will grow immense crops
of grain and fruit were it to be all Guilt
waited, but which is now chiefly used for
sheep-rauges and cattle pas turage. Think
of it-Iand that would, il planted to fruit
trees be worth $50 an acre, turned over
for sheep to range Onl In 1850 Miller was
butcher-boy, and possessed only the
clothes that he stood in and a very good ap-
petite. Now he is worth $50 100000 or
$40, OOO coo, and while his appetite for
meals is somewhat diminished his appetite
for real estate is something awful to con-
template. He has acquired range after
range and herd after herd, unit at this DAY
it would require columns to give the brief
est detail of the mans colossal properties.
The simple statement that the great San
Joaquin and King River canal, largely
built and owned by himself and partner,
3;ol =. g.,