The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-07-15
A LITTLE SERMON ON LAND.

In nation whose territory stretches 1000 miles from
the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada the gulf
seems singular that thousands should strive for chance
to draw of few alloments of earth offered
In the opening of the Spokane Indian reservation
With less than 1O0000,000 people crawling about this
vast expanse of earth there should be here available
farm for every man with ambition and strength to cult
waite it.
Yet this kind of ostled by the many whose nten
ton is only to seize the chance and make less foru
nate but better ntentoned pay increase of hun
dreds per cent over what the charges to
cure It, pouring into Spokane and the Idaho and Mon
tana towns designated in Uncle Sans lottery scheme
The of greed is more strikngly demonstrated
perhaps in the matter of land than in anything else In
billions OF freely given to humanity by the Creator
there not farms enough for the few millions of and
who love till the soil It is kept from them bv
the iron clutch OF those able to hold in ideness for spec
lative purpose.
The theory to make the who wants to cultivate it
pay the price another who will not cultivate it fixes
and hungry mankind must be deprived of just that
much food until the born farmer able by industry in
some other line that he is untitled for procure the toll
other with less honest purpose but greater
wealth or influence rules he must pay
This is cruel distortion of the plan of the Creator and
the government And the responsibility for the wrong
does not lie alone landhong corporations and of
private financial power with limited patriotic
scrVples In spite of the precautions taken by the govern
ment there will be numberless applications for land
chances from and women who have no intention of
abandoning town life Preachers who would shudder at
mention OF penny ante game will not hesitate to seek
chance in the land lottery Followers of trades and pro
in line By living merely IA months on a claim should
they obtain they figure selling for thousands what
they got for few hundreds
Yet their very existence in town. to nothing of mate
rial prosperity depends getting the farm land under
cultivation The only to get it under cultivation is
to put it in the hands of men and women whose highest
aspiration is to cultivate it. The only way to get it into
such hands is to leave the entirely clear to them I'm
der the most encouraging circumstances there will not be
enough farms for the actual farmers who need them
and whom the country needs.
civil service rule for farmers ought to accompany
the reservation openings The ought to per-
init only those able and anxious to cultivate land and
create homesteads to take part in the drawings The fever
of land speculation is to blame for most of the poverty
OF the world and the popularity of this the fact that
the people who suffer most by it just eager
to it if opportunity offers anyone else.
In whom do land titles vestthe people of the earth
that portion of them addicted to graft and grab?
1t all back to the lamentabe but andeniabe fact
that all trying to live off another instead of
and with each other. Naturally making poor sue
of this. All the legal enactment sms and propa
gandas that be piled up will not remedy it. It's
hes too deep in the human heart and its only rem
edy universal appreciation and acceptance of the prn
cpe of human brotherhood and absolute dependence
on each other.
There was teacher once by Calilee who spoke much
OF this but the churches founded the glory of His
appear too busy nowadays in search of topics that will
please and fill pews and the collection plate again
trace the flinty paths of Palestine.