El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-12-13
Americans Have ReckLessLy
SoLdLandHoLdings ForSong


TXTASHNGTON. d. c. Dec. IA
w Americans, as a people. have been
recklessly giving away or selling for
a song their share Of the surface Of
the earth ever since the nation was
founded.
This is the gist Of a historical study
Of our public land policy which has
been made by Leifur Magnusson for
the labor department
The department has held all laong
that the land question is at the bot
ton Of the present Industrial unrest
in this country. and that the failure
properly to utilize agricultural lands
has much 70 do with the high cost
Of living
It is wen known that as long as
we had a great body Of fertile pubiie
land in this country there was little
unrest FIFTY years ago the immi-
grant came 70 This country because
ot the opportunity 10 Offered him to
become a land owner Foreigners did
not accumulate in cities TO form cen
ters OF agitation They went west
and speedily became American farm
ers- The panics Of those early days
Of 1873 and before-were ameliorated
by the fact that we still had rich
public lands.
No Public Lands
Now there are no good public lands
lerL There are sill millions Of acres
Of vacant lands. but nearly all OF the
area is either grazing land OF down
right desert Expensive reclamation
is necessary before any considerable
proportion OF 10 can be used for az
riculture- In word, there is no
longer any opportunity for the man
with little capital or no capital 20
engage In agriculture.
This In brief Is the argument Of the
LABOR department, and Of all those
who think that the land problem IS
at the bottom Of our troubles To re-
open the safety valve Of easy access
70 the soil was the real motive back
OF all the land tOr-s0ldlers" measures
which were introduced into this con-
gress. and were for a while so widely
discussed p These measures had a cur
lous history. They were generously
endorsed in theory, but nothing ade-
quate has been done. Some of the
western states have passed progress
siye land laws, but that is all
NJ Magnussou tells the story Of
our public lands from the first In
the beginning the national govern
ment did not own any lands. but these
were ceded 10 10 BY the various states.
II began by selling these lands in
large parcels 20 various individuals
and companies in order TO raise money
to pay off the Revolutionary war
DEBT Lands now worth hundreds Of
dollars an acre were sold for less
tnan a dollar an acre. Then about
1881 it began making the great grants
OF land 20 railroads which have caused
So much trouble and litigauuu since. I
Same Situation In 1870.
Along ABOUT 1880 a situation began
TO arise much like the present one.
In that there was great deal Of un-
many students believed that the land
ottered the solution Of the difficulty. I
and the agitation began which finally Z
leo 70 the passage Of our present :
homestead law George Henry Evans. I
an EnEllsnm1n by birth was a leader 4
in this movement and was Derhaos I
our tlrst land reformer. He was
packed up by Horace Greeley with b
MS poWertul New York Tribune. and &
Dy the labor Organizations which were j
Us! u.s. Deslnnlng 20 grow up with the T.
Use OF Lle factory system in New
england He was opposed By the Ne, d
England manufacturers who were B
AFRAID that 20 make access 70 the
Lanu easier would result in raising /
the wages OF labor. In other words
the lineup in that distant dav was ]
" prlsingly like the lineup on the
land question now, except thar now.
perhaps some Of the capitalists are in /
favor Of q progressive land policy as &
q cure Tor unrest
stood for Principles
Evans stood for the same basic
principles as the more radical Of the
land re1ormers today. He believed
nat land should be given free 10 ao- 3
lual settlers in homesteads OF equal
size, and that the settlers should moi
nave the right TO sell these home 3
5teads- but only 20 exchange them for
other homesteads. He contended that B
some such provision was necessary TO
prevent speculation IN lands. and 10
prevent large bodies Of land from get
ing into the hands OF single owners.
.no might rent them or let them lie
Idle This idea Of prohibiting a man
% sell MS homestead was opposed By
me conservatives OF that day on the
ground that Il was an INFRINGEMENT
lf the right OF private property.