Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-09-03
A MORMON LESSON.
AN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM THAT WAS
FOUNDED BY a GENIUS.

brigham Young Chose For the Corner
stone of State the sound Principle OF
Industrialism-what He Did with the
Problem Of Irrigation.
On July IL, 1S47, President Young
and his follow pioneers passed through
tho picturesque outlet Of Emigration
canyon into tho vallcs Of tho Great Salt
lake. Utah was then .nexican soil, and
the leader believed he could found what
ever character OF institution should suit
him and his people In tho bitter anti
Mormon crusades Of the past It has boon
alleged that Brigham Young had chains
ON mems souls. There is no doubt that
religious superstition, rendered effective
by the marvellous machinery Of the
church, was partly tho source of tho
leaders, irresistible power with his own
people, but back Of the religious super
stition and the church organization
stood tho brain Of great and masterful
man. Ho know that his power, to be
enduring, must rest upon something
material and tangible, and this some
thing he discerned to DO the prosperity
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,
no fought everything that tended to that
end, going to the length of actually for
bidding the opening Of the rich mines in
the mountains near at hand, because he
abhorred the spirit OF speculation. He
chose for the cornerstone Of his state the
principle Of industrialism, and that prin-
ciplo lies there yet, at the base Of no
bic 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. II tho great Prchi-
tect and the superintendcnts and Fore
man who surrounded him enjoyed "a
larger share of the profits than the work
men, it is also true that the humblest
newer Of stone and carrier of mortar was
paid in proportion to the importance of
his labors. And what fair mind can OBJ
ject to an industrial system that yields
these results?
So fur as can be learned, Brigham
Young had no previous knowledge Of ir-
rigatiOn when he entered Salt Lake val
ley. He quickly realized that ho had
come to an arid country, which would
be hopeless for agriculture unless arti-
fioially watered With marvellous pcrcep-
tion, he saw that irrigation was not a
drawback, but an advantage Of tho most
important sort. He realized that il
meant freedom alike from tho dangers of
the drought and Of tho flood. He discov-
cred that, having a 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 tho "rain" either ON or of with
equal facility. And therefore he rightly
concluded that ho had found in these
conditions the basis Of tho most certain
worldly prosperity and tho most scien-
tiic agriculture.
It remained for later genius to re-
mark Irrigation is not a substitute for
rain. Rain is substitute for irrigation,
and a mighty poor one" But il the
Mormon leader did not say so he ovi-
IDENTIFY felt it. Ho perceived, further
moro, that irrigation was much more
than nm insurance policy upon the crops.
Il brought all the processes Of agricul-
turo within tho realm Of known facts,
and that is science.
1t even rendered possible the control
Of the sizo of vegetables, and this be-
came important many years aftcrward.
when the Mormon people added n great
sugar factory to their industrial system,
for il is important to grow sugar beets
Of about a standard size to get the bost
results. Moisture is required to give tho
beet a vigorous growth at the beginning,
but when it is we'll start I'd weeks Of uu-
interrupted sunshine are desirable In
order to develop the saccharine qualities
Much sunshine at tho wrong time dries
ap the crop, while much moisture at the
wrong time produces o boot pleasing to
look upon, but Improbable at tho fac
tory.
Brigham Young also realized. almost
ut the first, that the necessity Of careful
irrigation largely increased tho labor
upon an acre Of land, but he found that
this labor was generously rewarded by
the increased yield both IN quantity aud
quality. And from this fact he drew
tho most important principle Of his
commonwealth, which was tho division
Of land into small holdings. Closely re-
lated TO this is the other twin factor IN
Mormon prosperity-the diversifcation
Of farm products 10 The last degree
Natural conditions, even whore there
Is tho most abundant and wen distribut-
ed rainfall, arc often favorable 90 tho
production Of only a few crops But the
Mormons realized that the skillful mp
plication Of water just where and when
needed and III just the right quantity,
and by the very best method, rendered
possible tho widest variety of fruits,
vegetables and cereals suited to the tenn
perato zone Thrs Brigham Young
taught tho people that no man should
own more land than he could cultivate
to its highest point by his own and his
family's labor, and that no man should
go to a store for any article of food or
clothing that could be profitably pro-
duced on his own small farm. m.-"Tho
Conquest Of Arid America. by William
u. Smythe, in Century.
Toughened.