The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-04-23
INDUSTRIAL DRIFTS AND INDIE
PENDENCE.

There are many thousands 10 all who
have fallen into the line Of the Industrial
armies" or who are preparing to join sim
lar movements. None Of this population
has been anchored 10 the soil. IL is no
where represen ted that they are seeking
lands or homesteads La fact. this drift Is
away from the cheap lands OF the country
10 places where lands are not cheap. a3d
where the laborer can have little ezpee!a-
ton Of buying farm from his own ssg-
lngs The whole Northwest has been
settled by men Of small means who took
possession Of cheap lands, converted them
into farms and hOmesteads, aud paid for
them from the aYails OF their own labor.
The Federal Government sold the best
lands for 81 Is al acre. The unskilled
lao0rer could buy az acre Of land with the
wages earned in single day. The Fed
eral Cove nment made the terms easier for
the settler. II provided that he could 90
on t. any unoccupied public land, file
notice that be had taken it up as a home
stead, aud, after living upon it for time
and making reasonable Improvements, lie
could have the land for nominal price.
In 10 part of the world has public land
been turned over 70 the landless on such
liberal terms az In this country. TIE ma
tiOnal policy has been that every landlsss
man and every woman who was the head
Of family should have titled interest in
the soil. That policy is still maintained.
That part of the Industrial population
that seeks out homestesds on Government
land il anchored. 1t is not found IN any Of
the drifts that are setting toward Wash
ingtOn. No man leaves bis farm or his
small homestead to join in any movement
across the country. The times may De
hard for him; low prices may prevail for
bis produce there may be failures Of crops.
debts TO clear of and great deal Of hard
work TO make ends meet. But hs accepts
the situation and will no. allow himself 10
become rolling stone, getting nothing by
the way He makes the fight for indeDend-
eDee and does not ask the country to help
him out. This is the true American spirit
that has made Us great people.
In the North western States there are
millions Of acres thai can SIN be had on
about the same terms as the millions that
have bsen acquired. While the prices
have advanced because Of the advent o.
railroads and the opening Of new markets
the lands are still relatively cheap. 1t is
true enough that when the labor market is
stagnant the means Of buying cheap lands
are greatly abridged. But this is tempo
rary condition. For many years past labor
in this State and 10 all the Northwestern
States has insured good returns. There IL
hardly doubt that this normal condition
will be soon restored.
The pity Of It Is that the men who fall
into the lines Of these drifting Industrial
armies are not seeking Independence, or.
If seeking il, are making hopeless pur-
suit. They begin BY asking help at every
step. The community is expected to feed
them and railways are expected 20 trans
port them as a charity. The keynote Of
dependence 10 struck at the start and kept
up all the way. Where is il to end?
Even il something should be done By the
Government By way Of temporary relief
il would not lead to independence. IL
was long ago found out by local bensvo-
lent associations that the more some peo-
pie were helped the more dependent they
became. Charity was a erutch which per
petuaied limp. When men have drifted
1000 miles away from the new States,
where the average price Of labor has been
the greatest, food the cheapest and land is
almost given away by the Government, in
what way has the condition been changed
for the better? This Is the strange con-
trast. In DO country In the world have
the Industrial forces achieved so large
measure Of independence as here But
here Is a new drift which seems to reverse
ths old order OF prosperity. 1t is appa-
rently working for Industrial dependence.
II is not seeking lands. nor homeseads,
nor any fixed location, but mythical
better country where all the hard condi-
tions are to be mitigated by external aids.
That is the latest social problem that in
yites solution.