La Junta tribune., 1909-03-20
WHAT SPRINGER DID.
Tale Of "osrn Fool" VINE 0slissss
in Land Values in celorade.

Tale Of "osrn Fool" VINE a0slissss
in Land Values in cslerate.
The following article by John w.
Springer, In Field and Farm, II rec
commended to the prayerful considera-
tion Of all La Junta knockers. Land
Is the foundation OF all values. and
the principal asset in the accumula-
ton of wealth. When the numerous
0rrigation projects now under way In
Colorado are fully developed, every
acre of land will be worth big money
the thousands Of acres around La
Junta not excepted. The story OF Mr..
Springer's experience is as follows:
II came to Colorado twelve years
ago. went out fifteen miles from
Denver and began to buy land. and
those old fellows who had lived in
the neighborhood for twenty-five
years got together and said: There
is some darn fool here buying land:
let US appoint a committee to give
him the whole country and they
gave me good end OF 1t and l
have got it yet. Now they all want
il back, but they cannot have 1t.
why they said. that blamed Spring
er is from Illinois, and while he
isn't looking let's put 10000 acres In
his pocket SO that he will have a
plenty Of what he thinks is q good
thing. Not man had been able to
make living out there. They did
not even have well. They did not
even have a fence that would turn
a coyote or anything else. They did
not have any trees. they did not
have any houses.
"Well. what happened in ten short
years? Houses, stables and orchards
are to be seen on every hand. Why.
10 up and down those canons and
you will find wild cherries and plums.
wrote down to Kansas and told
them to send me the best young
s,herry trees they had, and now | can
hot gather my cherry crop. and have
not for three or four years. there
are so many Of them. They sent
me plums and I planted them. They
have grown and they have never had
q drop Of irrigation. bought
sack Of bronze grass and have =
meadow out there that never was tr.
rigated drop and that Is as good
as any In Illinois worth $500 an acre
to-day. Now. do not think this is
all boom y talk, for boomer is al
vays trying to sell something to
somebody. prefer to deal with the
fellows who are buying.
81 believe with old Vanderbilt. Sr..
and those men In New York who
said to their sons. Boys. always be
buyers OF New York real estate and
never sellers What is the result!
The gigantic fortunes OF this coun-
try have been built up by men who
bought land. and wise is the old
head that laid up these broad acres
and paid taxes and kept them. Now.
this is not poor mans proposition
at present. The poor man often
blaxes the way. He fights the In
dians, kills off the buffalo and de-
stroys the predatory animals. but
when 1t comes down to the arid and
semi-arid regions, and when It COMES
to handling these broad acres 1t re-
quires cash to do II and on top OF
hash 1t takes brains.
And will tell you that whenever
you hitch these up together you Will
find our Americans. out-crowded In
Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and the states
back there. by hish-priced land. will
come out here and take $40 acres. or
even Iess. fence 1t and put . house
there. get few fine cattle and
horses and sheep and hogs and the
best poultry they can buy. They Will
put in gasoline engines and wind
mills. because underneath this great
soil is all the water God Almighty
ever intended . country needed where
It had men who were willing to work
When these homes are Luilt we will
have added a stretch Of beautiful
cultivated land from Denver clear In
to Kansas country that will be .he
delight of future generations"
Not RESPONSIBLE for Bills.