The Portland daily press., 1895-05-15
uTAH's INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM.
Brigham's Young's Mastery Organizing
Power.
William E. smythe in the Century,

(William E. Smythe in the Century,
On July IA, 1S47, President Young and
his fellow pioneers passed through the
picturesque outlet of Emigration can
yon into the valley of the great Salt
Lake. Utah was then Mexican soil, and
ths leader believed he could found what
ever character of institutions should suit
him and his people. In the bitter anti
Mormon crusades Of the past it has been
alleged that brigham Young had
claims on mems souls.f There is no
doubt that religious superstitution, ran-
dered effective by the marvellous machin-
cry of the church, was partly the source
of the leaders, irresistible power with
his own people; but back Of the relig-
ions superstition and the church organ
ization stood the brain of a great and
masterful man. He knew that his power,
to be enduring, must rest upon some
thing material and tangible, and this
something be discerned to be the pros
perity OF the people themselves.
Brigham Young was an organizer OF
prosperity. This was the real source OF
his strength. He did not aim at mere
temporary prosperity. On the contrary,
! he fought everything that tended to
that end, going to the length of actually
forbidding the opening OF the rich mines
| in the mountains near at hand, because
he abhorred the spirit OF speculation.
He chose for the cornerstone sof his
State the principle of industrialism; and
that ciple lies there yet, Mt the base
Of noble edifice of economic fact,
reared by human toll, and held firmly in
place by the average prosperity of all
| who had part in its building. If the
great architect and the superintendents
and foremen who surrounded him, en-
| joyed larger share of the profits than
| the workmen, 1T is also true that the
humblest bearer of stone and carrier of
mortar was paid in proprtion to the i'm
portance OF his labors. And what fair
mind can object to an industrial system
| that yields these results?
| So far as can be learned Brigham
| Young had no previous knowledge of
| irrigation when he entered Salt Lake
valley. He quickly realized that he had
come to an arid country, which would
he hopeless for agriculture unless arti-
fcially watered. With marvellous per-
ception he saw that irrigation was not n
drawb back, but an advantage of the most
| important sort. He realized that it
meant freedom alike from the dangers of
| the dro1th and of the flood. He dis.
covered that having rich soil and ample
sunshine, and adding moisture by the
construction of bitches, it was actually
an improvement upon nature to be able
to turn the "rain' either on or off with
equal facility. And therefore he rightly
concluded that he had found in these
conditions the basis of the most certain
worldly prosperity and the most scien-
| tific agriculture.
1t remained for a later genius to re-
mark: Irrigation is not a
substitute for rain. Rain is
substitute for irrigation-an
leader did not say SO, he evidently felt
it. He perceived. furthermore, that ir-
rigation was much more than an insnr-
ance policy upon the crops. 1t brought
| all the processes of agriculture within the
realm of known facts, and that is
science. 1t even rendered possible the
control of the size of vegeta bles and this
became important many years afterward,
when the Mormon people added a great
sugar factory to their industrial sys-
tenn; for it is important to grow sugar
| heets of about standard size to get the
hest results. Moisture is required to
| givs the beet vigorous growth at the
| beginning: but when it is we'll started
weeks of uninterrupted sunshine are
desirable in order to develop the sac
charine qualities. Much sunshine at
the wrong time dries up the crop while
much moisture at the wrong time pro-
dnces beet pleasing to look upon, but
unprofita BILE at the factory.
Brigham Young also realized almost
at the first that the necessity of careful
irrigation largely increased the labor
upon an acre of land; but found that
this labor was generously rewarded by
the increased yield both in quantity and
quality. And from this fact he drew
the most important principle of his COM
monwealth, which was the division of
land into small holdings. Closely relat-
| ed to this is the other twin factor in
Mormon prosperity-the diversihcation
of farm products to tho last degree.
Natural conditions, even where there
| is the most abundant and well distribut-
I'd rainfall, are often favorable to the
production Of only a few crops. But the
/ Mormons realized that the skillful appli-
cation of water just where and when
needed, and in just the right quantity
and by the very best method rendered
possible the widest variety of fruits.
vegeta bles and cereals suited to the tenn
perate zone. Thus Brigham Young
taught the people that no man should
| own more land than he could cultivate
to it's highest point by his own and his
| family's labor. and that no man should
| go to store for any article of food or
| clothing that could be profitably pro-