The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-06-08
THE LAW OF GROWTH.

Rapidly of growth is condition which
attends young communities only. It is
due entirely to the fact that the emigrant
casts his lot in sparsely settled region,
possessed of sufficient resources to attract
eventually large population, and reaches
the newly discovered country at a period
when values are undeveloped. The en-
hancement of values by incoming popu-
lation inures to the benefit of the new
which has attracted population in all
time. Men do not leave their homes
for new scenes through mere caprice or
fancy. They must have a reasonable
guarantee that they are leaving worse for
better conditions. When gold was dis
covered in California 100000 people at
tempted to reach this State In one year.
No immigration literature was used.
There was no Half Million Club, no State
Board of Trade or other fundamentally
of attracting population. The existence
of actual prosperity, or the hope OF it,
operates of itself, without the aid OF the
accessories herein referred to. California
is too old to witness an Oklahoma boom.
When that country was about to be
opened enough people assembled on its
borders to take every available quarter
section of land in the Territory, and this
because they could obtain the land at
Government price. and subsequent en-
hancement would thereby inure to them.
1t is perfectly pitiful to watch the mo-
tons of such organizations as the Half
Million Club. The Midwinter Fair was
one of the vain devices of increasing pop
ulation. It did absolutely nothing for
the State of California. It was like the
Battle of the Flowers at Santa Barbara.
A few rich and fashionable people deco
rated vehicles with the blooms of their
gardens; but sewing roses TO the spokes
of q wheel does not become an organic
force in the augmentation of community
life. It affords pleasant recreation for a
time. A man does not get rich giving
dinners to his friends, or entertaining
royalty or Hospitality. His wealth does
not proceed from costly equipages used
by his family. nor from sumptuous furni-
ture in his house. These things are
merely the expression of wealth, not the
source of its creation. Fiestas at Los
Angeles, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara and
Santa Cruz are expressions of exuberance
highly gratifying, because they indicate
degree of prosperity. They manifest
theexistence of some social activity. They
have some slight value in the training of
the community in the direction of unity
of action; bur they afford no permanent
enployments; they do not establish in
the community capacity for adding value
to raw material by the skill of the
hands or the inventions of the mind.
Again we say California is too old to
expect anything but that slow develop
merit which attends organic life. The
school census of San Francisco shows the
presence of 10000 children. It ia to be
the posterity OF these 10000 children who
are to be the occupants of the State of
California, and the posterity of FIVE or
six hundred thousand other children
throughout the State.
Immigration will come to US, but it will
come slowly. There are not the primitive.
undeveloped conditions which give the in
coming immigrant the advantage of low
values out OF which to acquire value with
reasonable certainty that the increment
will make him rich. That condition has
absolutely passed away in California.
and the sooner it is recognized by our
people, the sooner they will adopt effect
i've means. OF all deception. the most
fatal is self-deception. What we should
seek to know in these matters is the truth,
and the underlying truth is that Califor-
mia is no longer young. We are not a
manufacturing people. Manufacturers
Associations may do something to en-
courage each other; but the actual manu-
featuring of any country is done by indi-
viduals, or the association of individuals