Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-02-05

came TO a conclusion and most Of the
soldiers In these armies, having come
from lands which have been aericul-
tural regions for hundreds of years,
found their lands impoverished and
they suddenly turned towards the
Great North American Continent, and
we then Witnessed the remarkable sight
Of practically whole peoples from the
Noeth of Europe, rising and migrating
TO new land These people were
composed of English, Irish. Scotch.
Welsh, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes,
Dutch and Germans with the decend-
ants Of the old Norman stock from
Belgium and Northern France. All
these are the people who built up
the North American Empire. This
was the greattice which rolled on
ward across 20 the foot hills
of the Rocky Mountains, so that We
come TO witness another remarkable
spectacle. These men, who were 20
become the agricultural population of
the United States, had no training
whatsoever In agriculture since the
science of agriculture was wholly un-
known at this time. They were largely
OF the peasant class, except, perhaps,
In England where many migrated who
were OF the land-holding class. These
latter located largely in the southern
states. All that was required in the
way of agriculture was the removal of
the forests, the planting OF seed and
the reaping of the harvest. Being
virgin lands the yield was abundant,
but as 1t progressed the unscientific
methods brought with them impover-
ished the lands and these lands also
became large in the aggregate and
yielded decreased return. When
ever the decrease reached a degree
that was unsatisfactory to the owner,
all that was necessary to do was to
remove himself and his family further
west.
The United States always offered
new lands for demonstrating carved
out of the public domain. Substan-
tally all of these lands passed away
by the year 1900. The records show
some hundreds of thousands of acres
still belonging to the public domain
OF the United States, but to those who
are familiar with the situation, IL is a
notorious fact that these remaining
lands are chiefly valuable for their
scenery.
We have today reached in this
country a condition which Is serious
IL not dangerous. Our industrial side
has been developed at the expense of
our agricultural side. ! assert that
no nation is safe that does not con-
tain a large proportion of its popula-
ton engaged in agricultural pursuits,
contented, prosperous and happy.
Some of our economist point to the
fact that the total value of agriculture
products from year to year outstrips
that of the preceding year. This Is
accounted for by the fact that increased
demand renders more available the
crops produced. We have a highly
developed industrialism the stress is
becoming greater in the cities, vice
fiourishes, and the city problem is one
of the greatest that confronts us today,
and in addition To all this we import
every year one million people, about
whom there is grave doubt whethN or
not we can, at the rate nc which they
are coming in, together with our IaaniG
other problems, properly assim
them into the nations life.
A word regarding the charactef.
immigrant. In my department, l am
concerned most vitality with two classes
OF lands in your community. The
lands now occupied and being Guilt
waited by the owner who intends to re-
main do not concern me. They con-
Germ the Agricultural Department. AS
to those lands which are occupied and
owner has irrevocably concluded to
abandon them, think il behooves US,
and you of the community, to see that
the departed one is replaced by one
equally as efficient, II not more so.
But ammost vitality concerned for oil
these thousands of acres of land about
you that are not now occupied nor
titled. The hour is arriving when
these lands must add their share to
the substance of the Nation. They are
to be put under cultivation and pro-
duction, and there are thousands who
would gladly assume the task, IL the
two can be brought together. That is
the function of my department. Next
comes the question of what class or
character of settler you desire. The
people of the South sprang from the
Irish, English and Scotch stock of
Northern Europe. The settlers To be
brought to you should be of substanti-
ally the same common origin so that
they may readily assimulate and can
enter into the life Of the South and can
merge with her people and carry on
her traditions, aspirations and her
happiness, and so far as in my power
lies, the definite promise is made that
whatever may result from our activi-
ties, they will be of this class. This
Is made as q definite promise. You
may very naturally ask where shall
these be obtained. I shall regard the
entire North American Continent,
north of the Mexican boundary out
side Of the section in which we operate
and including the Dominion Of Canada
and the countries in Northern Europe,
Is Legitimate territory in which 70
seek those who desire to better them
selves and will be welcomed by the
South as those who come with advant-
age to themselves and q distinct
economic and social gain TO the South.