Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-10
GOVERNMENT WORRIED OVER
HARpsHlPs TO BE FACED
IN FUTURE.
SETTLERS IN NEW COUNTRY
WILL LATER FACE DRoUTH
Hardships and Starvation Will Be Lot
Of Many Unless They Prepare for
Future Lean Years-Pfesent Rainfall
and Abundant Crops Will Not Con-
tinue-DepopuIation to Follow?
Especial Correspondence.l

lSpecldI correspondence
Washington, Nov. 1o.-Are the peo-
pie really leaving the farms in alarm
ing numbers, in order to crowd into the
cities?
James ]. Fill says they are The de-
partments of agriculture and of the in
terror don't agree with him On the
other hand. these two departments find
that there is in progress today such a
movement of people to the undeveloped
west as has never taken place before
since the great migration which occu-
pied the Ohio and Mississippi valleys
Not only this, but the new migration
TO the semi-arid plains and to the in
ter-mountain west is of such tremend-
Gus proportions that it is giving grave
concern to far-seeing men who fear
that it is going to be followed by the
imposition of some new and difficult
obligations on the government
Thousands and tens of thousands of
people are crowding into the lands west
OF the Tooth meridian, buying or home
stealing; they are building homes on
they are starting to farm that coun-
try, and thus far, since the present
movement began, they have had graft
flying success. But it is region of
sharply limited rainfall; in the last few
years. from all accounts, the precipita-
ton has been above the normal aver
age. Long experience has led to the
| conclusion that an excess of moisture
covering period of years is certain to
be followed by a deficiency distributed
over a like period What will become
of these new settlers, when the dry and
lean years come?
Depopulation To Follow.
1t Is, in short, the serious question
| whether the whole region of the Rocky
mountain slope must go thru another
period of settlement and depopuation
as much of ii has done before. The
/ present migration has filled up the
/ western Nebraska and western Kansas
plains. which years ago, in like move
ment. We're occupied. only to be largely
abandoned by the settlers when the
/ dry years came.
The present movement. however, is q
vastly bigger one than any former one
| The western parts of the two Dakotas
/ once known as the bad Lands" are
fast being developed. and put into cul-
tivation; fifteen years ago they Were
frankly regarded as worthless, and thu
4 most enthusiastic boomer did no
dream of trying to people them. Wyom
} ing Montana. Colorado, New Mexico
Idaho. Washington and Oregon. al
; come into this category. The belief /
that Nebraska and Kansas, even t.
their westernmost extremes are nov
comparatively safe; new c. and nev
, methods of cultivation. eM ~-rience il
the effort to make the most of tn
: country, irrigation. and. finally, tn
: fact that the present settlers are pos
sessed of more means than their prede
J, cessors have been. and are able to es
tablish themselves comfortably an
: even to live thru period of leannes
5 while they are learning what the coun
try is good for.
Outcome Worries Government.
But all this does not relieve the agri
' cultural and the public land authori
S ties from their anxiety over the out
come. Secretary Wilson is centering a
possible energies in the effort to de
velop means and methods TO assis
these people. He will try to get MOI
n means from congress for carrying o
the work At the interior department
It the demand for more means will Ger
# ter largely in reclamation work;
It but as much water as possible on tf
# lands of these new settlers, at the eal
: Hest possible day, will be the struggl
But there is twenty times. as mut
s land as there is water. Vast areas CO
L. never be irrigated They must be mac
j. the mcst of without irrigation; al
l. that means that farming or sto'
raising methods must be devised Fl
Of them.
ot Judge James w. Witten. of the gel
\ eral land office, just returned fro
conducting huge land lottery for
Standing Rock Indian lands in weste
is South Dakota, has been immense
l. impressed with the great movement
is the farms, in the last few years. He
IS assured that it will be greater the cor
ing season taan ever before.
Middle West Bears Brunt.
1--WE had 10000 quarter secti
homesteads in our lottery on t
Ia Standing Rock lands" he said, "a