Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1914-11-13
Nevada's Fifty Years


spirit of Nevada's eXistance, yet 1t is
pleasant to find in tie Christian
Science Monitor one of the first eX-
pressions OF editorial sympathy with
this state.
The Journal referred to recently
had an interesting commentary on
Neyada's fifty years of statehood.
finding in the increase of agricultural
development the hope of populating
the state and making it more stable
The viewpoint is n good II e Agri.
culture offers bright hopes. but the
time will never come when a noun.
tain will be ploughted and sown 10
seed. \ certain considerable part of
this state will always wait the tread
of the prospcctor but this will not
prcfeut that other certain part from
feeling the heel of the husbandman.
The article from the Monitor fol.
lows:
Almost from the day of its admis.
sion TO the Union, Nevada has been n
subject of unfavorable comparison.
the position taken by critics being.
in he main. that statehood cOnfers
on Nevada political consequence out
OF all proportion to its Intrinsic worth
According 10 the census OF 1860 ii
had but GS57 inhabitants: ten years
later it had i2.i9l; almost midway
between these dcCennial years, or in
October, 1861, when the territory out
of which it was carved was removed
from Mexican possession. under that
treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1t was
given a position in the counsels of
the nation in some respects equal to
that held by the oldest. most popul-
GUS and wealthy of its sisters. II
could for instance, elect two United
States senators, with no more claim
TO that right, on the ground of popu-
lation, than might have been put.
forward by one of the smaller Coun.
ties Cf any of the states east OF the
Allegheny mountains.
But Nevada was needed in the
Union for political reasons in 1861.
II was also needed at that time, as il
was more highly valued later, be
of It's possibilities in silver pro.
duction. The Comstock lode, the bo.
nanza mines. the operations of the
Floods. O'Bricns, Mackays, Fairs, Vir.
Sinia city. the Sutro tunnel, the Tono-
pah and GOldncld finds, covered many
deficiencies of Nevada as a sovereign
commonwealth. Recognized as a kind
of an American Montenegro, with al
ways greater probabilities of surprise
In reserve than could be expected
Of the other Montenegro, it has come
by degrees into an atmosphere of
good.raturCd tolerance. and at length
into II respect that is almost invar-
lably paid to a country, as to an in.
dividual. that is doing the very best
that can be done in all the circum.
stances
Thousands anu ems of thousands
have gone to Nevada, and thousands
Il t. II of thousands have moved
away from it. during the last fifty
years. The influx in the past has
been induced almost invariably by
strikes Of silver; the cHlux has been
caused by the loss of the vein or ex-
haustion of the mine. There is rca-
son to believe that the state would be
more ]pOpulOus and richer today had
1t never known a mining camp. The
greater part of Nevada is a vast table.
land 1000 feet above sea level. above
which peaks of the Sierra Nevada
and WasatCh ranges rise from 1000
to 5000 feet, yet outside OF this table
land, n part of the great American
basin. Is 1000 square miles of ter
ritory that presents all name Of
possibilities.
Ten years of agricultural develop.
mcnt has done more for Nevada. SO
far as its permanent interests are
concerned, than forty years of min.
ing. The increase of its population
In the decade 19OO-19I0 was g3.4 per
cent. II mas arabic land in sufficient
area TO provide for many times its
present population. Aside from IT'S
splendid pasturaEc IL raises success.
iui crops of wheat, oats. barley and
nay. ana all tho common vegetables
ihc least that can be said is that Nc.
yada starts out upon its second fifty
years of statehood under much bet.
ter au5picc That attended It when IL
entered upon it's first Reno Journal.
Sir Savage Landor will be inter.
ostcd 10 learn that q Brooklyn man
who publicly declared he believed
Roosevelt discovered the River Of
Doubt was promptly committed TO nm
Insane asylum.
%
Mr.. William Truran will give an cy.
hibition Of water color paintings ON