The Monte Vista journal., 1913-05-17

sSi Sioie IL is apparent
to anyone that the farmer should he
a leader for the movement for an in
creased poulation, for it is he, who
profits most by it.
The Mississippi valley increased in
population by encouraging mining
and manufacturing, principally the
latter. The toilers in the city fac
tories and their families are the prin-
clple market for the farmers of that
district. AS the population of the
Mississippi valley increased, the rail-
roads reduced their rates and the
markets grew wider.
Colorado needs an increased pom
ulation. This state is one of the
largest in the nation, yet it scarcely
has one-fourth the population of
Chicago. There is too much elbow
room in Colorado, and we are
anxious that more people come here
to enjoy our climate and resources.
The Colorado pioneer farmer did
not fare as badly as the Mississippi
valley. True, Colorado farmers had
their problems but they were not
serious. The farmer did not come
to Colorado until the miner had
paved the way. He found market
awaiting him in the mining camps
and high-priced market it was.
Mining advanced more than farming
for twenty or thirty years so that the
farmer always had big market for
his surplus products. The miner
brought the railroads long before the
farmer could have dreamed of trans
portation through these mountains.
Until few years ago, we had to
ship farm products into Colorado.
Farming continued to progress until
it had reached the limit of it's mar
ket.
Last year we had a bountiful har-
vest but the farmer could not dis
Grain, fruits and produce sold at
sacrifice. Thousands of tons rotted
in the fields and orchards. 1t does
not behoove us therefore to waste
all our energies in trying to bring
more farmers into the state, since
we already produce more than
enough to supply our population at
living prices for the farmer. We
must seek other classes of people,
the consumers, not the producers of
farm products, who will afford a
market for our farm products, in
duce other farmers to locate here
and send the price of our lands up
wards.
We must therefore endeavor to
increase either our manufacturing
or our mining population or both. If
we increase our mining population.
the manufacturing will follow as
consequence.
There are upwards of 10000
miners in Colorado today. The Unit
ed States census averages family
of seven to every farmer and the
same will hold good for the miner.
This means a population of 2SO,-
600 people directly engaged in min
ing, or more than one-third of the
whole population of the state.
could show you that more than half
OF the people OF the state depend on
mining for their livelihood, but do
not wish to take up too much or
your time. 1t is enough to remind
you that most OF the teamsters In
Colorado depend upon the coal or
metalliferous mining industry Tor
their daily wage, that there are nun
dreds of large Industries in Denver
which have been built up by the
mining Industry and that ninety per-
cent OF the railroad employees de-
pend upon the mining tonnage Tor
their employment.
There is no good reason why the
40 600 miners in Colorado cannot be
increased to 100000. We had up
wards to 10000 miners until twenty
years ago and those were the happy
days In Colorado. Those were the
days when the farmers flocked to
the country because they found a
ready market. a market where they