Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-03-23

many sales. Inc CAllTOrnlan Is now /
generally ready and glad TO sell to the
eastern sucker" and generally gets II
liberal premium for the chunk Of the
GLORIOUS climate" which he sells win
the land.
Bat while "b0om' methods and the
speculative hUlding-back of much land
for still higher prices account in some
measure for the enormous prices paid |
for the farm land here, this is vet ex-
plainable also by the fact that owing to
the uniformity of the climate through
out the year the land can be almost con-
tnuOusly worked. Such land is of
course really worth double or three
times what the same quality of land
would be elsewhere, which could be
used but once year.
Another question which has a special
phase here, differing from the same in
other places, is that of labor. The high
wages due to the speculative character
of all enter prise in the early days were
accompanied by an equally high degree of
uncertainty as to obtaining employment.
The importation of Chinese aggravated
rather than relieved the situation and
now the Chinese question is probably
the most serious one the coast has to
deal with. The laws prohibiting further
immigration and demanding registration
of those already here are not enforced
| by the federal officials as strictly as the
California white laborer thinks they
should be. Hence there is considerable
friction.
On account chiefly of her location
California fell easily into the hands and
under the power of the one great rail
road corporation which connects her
with the outer world. Popular distrust
and even hatred of the Southern Pacific
railroad and of Wells Fargo Express
company find frequent expression.
How much of this is justtiable | haye
no space to discuss. The question of
transportation, so serious in this isolated
country, has been partly solved for the
southern part of the State by the en-
trance of rival railroad, and for the
port of San Francisco by popular sub
sides to steamship companies. But the
two great fertile valleys inside the coast
range are still dependant on the one
railroad.
The possibilities of the State are as
yet scarcely, realized. Mining is even
more prosperous than ever before, and
as it is being gradually freed from the
excessive speculative elements it begins
to assume the character of legitimate
and very promising business. The pos
sibilities of farming, stock raising and
fruit raising are as yet scarcely even
opened up. And foreign trade over the
splendid waterways of the Pacific is
yet in its infancy. But as each of these
grows stronger the economic and COM
mercial ties which bind California to the
rest of the union will weaken, and it
: will require the wisest and most liberal
policy on the part of national statesmen
to keep the States which may be formt
within this territory content with their
position in the union. For in wealth
surely, and probably also in energy and
intelligence, the people of this section
will some day equal if not excel those
of any other portion of these United
States. The possibility of uninterrupted
labor throughout the whole year, I'M
burdened by frost or severe heat. gives
California a positive advantage in the
race.
The great international mid-winter
fair now open here will, if it serve no
: other purpose, call attention to the pres
ent high degree of prosperity and to
, some of the economic advantages limited
at above.
The educational advantages which the
t State offers its youth are significant in
an Interpretation of some of the above
| facts. The whole system of schools is
: subordnated to the State university.
: BY receiving students from accredited
? schools, by frequent inspection of the
f work done in the lower schools and
, frequent conferences with teachers the
= university manages to direct to large
. extent the quality of Instruction through
t out tn State. The results already at
: tanned by this far-sighted policy are ex-
. tremely satisfactory. The interest In
higher education is also significant
With a population of 100000 the State
= sends 400 students to the State univer-
/ sity, while some 800 or 900 more. largely
} from this State, are pursuing special
, courses of study of a high grade at the
| Leland Stanford, Jr. university at Palo
? Alto. This guarantees for the future a
sound basis of intelligence and justifies
the expectation that the material wealth
, so abundantly promised for the future
! will not be so literally abused as by
some in the past.
All these facts must be carefully borne
: in mind and properly interpreted by
every student of American politics. For
in America more than anywhere else