The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-01-22
Che Uiew ofTt
In This Space Any Subject or
EVeAt May ReceiOe Comment.

that the TODD supply was not equal to
the demand of the population. In Janu-
| airy Golfers Agnes c. Laut shows that
the supply of farmable free land is not
sufficient for the population. There is
The End of Free Land and somestcad-
ers today are at a premium. Statistics
show that in most every State the gov
eminent land left is not fit for farming,
or ranching, or stock farming. There
must be some method in this article
some lesson to be learned, some result
to be gained, The first question pre-
scented it: If the United States and Can
ada are reaching the limit of area,
should immigration continue?
When it was first discovered that the
end of free land in the United States
was being reached, Canada's immigra-
ton agents made the most OF it, and the
tide set towards Canada But even soon
er than the coIonists reached Canada,
the American timber cruisers, American
lumber capitalists had gone in on the
field and bought up the best timber
leases from East Koutenay to Charlotte
Island, before the government awakened
and would sell no more timber leases.
Now, such stupidity on the part of the
Canadian statesmen seems surprising,
but perhaps not more surprising than the
way the United States government dealt
with Alaska and the land office swim
dies. But these object lessons should
teach us and point out the two dangers
which may assume form under these
conditions. The price in far1nable land
may be raised so high as to allow only
the rich to purchase. To quote: 1--WE are
at the very end of free land in America.
That does not mean that you can not
buy western land. You can always buy
if you have the price to pay, but it does
mean that the price is going to in
crease" In plain words, the spectators
ard capitalists may gather it all in.
Some method should be devised to
prevent farm lands from being raised
and speculated upon by capitalists.
Second, if immigration is not stopped
there will not be enough food to feed
the people. A year ago the home grown
wheat was insufficient and wheat had to
be imported and the high cost of living
was a serious consideration to all house
holders. The immigration ports should
be closed until the food supply in the
United States hmbers up.
Agnes C.. Laut closes with the query:
''Wfll the end of free land send prices
still higher? :" 1t depends on whether
we mend our methods. Nature has a
certain way of forcing reforms. Why
wait for nature to force reforms? Is not
man intelligent enough to make his own
reforms and for his. own generations
benefit? Man should not wait until the
slow method of nature forces his de-
seendants into some other path.
Now just suppose immigration con-
tinues at the same rate it did in 1910,
what will the Nation do with them ?
William Williams, commissioner of i'm
migration at Ellis Island, goes so far
as to say Immigration should be re-
stricted and there should be a strict en-
forcement of the present law" 1t is only
too well known that the law is eluded |
Now, as it is put, the United States and |
Canada are reaching the limit of area
for the supply of world food If coun-
try ceases to grow what it consumes, it |
will be dependent Of all the questions |
of national interest none is more i'm
portant than immigration, for that turns
in on the soil a mass of uneducated for
eign people to be taken care of by |
Americans. It increases the population,
when there is not enough grown to sup
port them.
When immigration was first started il |
was with the idea of developing the
country. It may be said the country has
been developed with a vengeance, as
Americans are now at a discount
To quote Agnes c. Laut From time
free land has been as much
a feature of America as free air. No
matter from what quarter of the globe
the land-hungry might come,
earth's dispossessed could flock to
America with full assurance that they
could enter into their inheritance of 100
acres of free land And she might add
any American thought he could fence
IN 100 acres of free land any time he
.ook notion. But now that day is gone.
what free land is left is such that
no one wants it." Such an assertion
should arouse statesmen and should
arouse Americans to a consideration of
low we could best harbor our re-
sources, and that will not mean taking
n more people to support.
immigration is established. Will the
government have the bravery to close
he ports? Will the transportation COM
,anies, the trusts, the organizations take
advantage of il to raise the power of