The Texas Miner, Volume 1, Number 39, October 13, 1894 Page: 3
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THE TEXAS MINER.
THE' HOME
AND
—^—
THE FLAG.
studies in social economics bv j. ellen foster.
xii.
CERTAIN forms of social development are impossible, except
through the means which great aggregations of capital can
alone command. Railroads, telegraphs, waterworks are con-
picuous illustrations; others less generally noticed are the improve-
ment of water ways and irrigation.
Of this latter sort—irrigation—a beautiful valley in Colorado,
seventy-five miles long and fifty-odd wide, speaks.
The valleypis surrounded by mountains, down whose sides
waters flow from melting snows, and fill the river at their base.
The valley nine vears ago was barren of vegetation, exceot
that sage brush and cactus indicated the quality of the soil.
A miner often riding through the valley to the gold fields be-
yond, coveted the land for settlement; for homes and farms and
growing crops and ripening harvests. Experience had taught
that the soil where sage brush flourishes grows good wheat if
work and water can be applied.
The rainfall was light, frequent borings showed no promise of
under current ready for service could vent be made for its flow.
Irrigation was the only means of reclaiming the land. The
river was miles away beyond the "divide." To bring its fertiliz-
ing touch to the thirsty earth was an Herculean task. The
wealth of the soil only needed development; in it was held the
food properties of wheat and flour and bread; to change soil
properties into food properties, and food properties into blood
and bone and sineu and fibre, into life of man and beast. This
was the work to be done, the magic change to be wrought.
VYrith the fact of life, comes the possibility of its noble devel-
opment; that initial establishment, the family, first appears. The
family is the beginning, and its perfection the object and the end
of the social structure. To family life, a habitation is a neces-
sity; furnishings must be supplied, comforts provided, and
refinements secured. The last is the only source of supply,
water is the only key which can unlock the treasure.
Where should the money be found to begin the work of trans-
formation?
To the far East our miner went, among the "goldbugs," the
"bloated bondholders" and "money kings'' he made his way.
He told of the valley as it then was. of the valley that might
be, and as he would cause it to be, if only capital could be fur-
nished. He assured to them a reasonable remuneration for the
use of their money. Not as charity or philanthropy, but follow-
ing keen business instinct, which is the friend, not the foe, of
progress, they authorized him to undertake the work.
Swift as steam could bring him back over the iron road, a
capitalistic creation, he returned to the valley and commenced
operations.
The valley was surveyed and the divide was tunneled, the
waters of the river were carried one full mile, hundreds of feet
below the surface; miles of flume were built; big ditches, little
ditches and all kinds of ditches were dug and soon the waters
began to flow.
Following the waters came the ploughing, the sowing, the cul-
tivating, the mowing, the reaping. Lands were fenced and houses
were built. Year by year more land is cultivated, more families
settle on them; now the lately barren valley is a very garden of
the Lord.
Nice homes, good barns and graneries, herds of cattle, flocks
of sheep, fields of ripened grain, all material benefits are pos-
sessed by the dwellers in the valley. With material possessions
come the social blessings, which accompany or quickly follow
substantial progress.
A school house for the children and a church for all the people
develop and refine the intellectual and moral life of the people.
A court house is built and the common defenses of life and of
property are set up, the people's will through law and the great
principles of government are secured. The sacred rights of life,
liberty and the persuit of happiness, may be pleaded by the hum-
blest citizen before a jury of his peers.
All these conditions, which in their aggregate, their sum total,
we call civilization, were secured and are now enjoyed by the
dwellers in that valley through the agency of aggregated capital.
Is this aggregation—greater in America than anywhere else—a
mark of degeneration and decay ? Is it a thing to be deplored
and mourned over ? and legislation be evoked to stop these ac-
cretions? Not unless organized society shall set itself against the
manifold operations cf natural law.
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
New Yo^k, October 8, 1894.
Editor of The Texas Miner :
The business situation is not materially changed. Distribu-
tion of products continues on a liberal scale, and all the indus-
tries, while not booming, are fairly busy, and present a gratify-
ing contrast to the stagnation which existed while Congress was
in session. This empeasizes the old saying, "give the country
a chance and it will go ahead." When Congress is in session
every party and every faction is pressing measures which affects
some other interest, which waits to see what the outcome is to
be, and so the whole country stands still until things settle down.
The great diversity of interests in our great country was
never better illustrated than by Gen. Hancock's remark when
he was a candidate for the Presidency that "the tariff is largely
a local issue." This remark was ridiculed at the time, because
its significance was not understood; but has since been appreci-
ated as meaning that different sections have different needs.
Col.Tom Ochiltree of Texas perhaps illustrated it more plainly
by his story told when he was in Congress from Texas, relating
his experience as a judge of live stock at a county fair in Texas.
His associate judge was one of Jay Gould's railroad presidents
from the East, and they got along very well in judging the stock
until they came to the hogs. There were a lot of fat little Berk-
shires and a lot of Texas razor-backs. "Well," said the rail-
road man, "we need not waste any time on these. This is my
hog," pointing to a Berkshire with legs about five inches long,
and so fat you could scarcely see his eyes. "I don't know
about that," said Ochiltree, "this is my hog," pointing to a
razor-back. "Why," said the railroad president in amazement.
"Won't you please tell me why you think that the best hog?"
"Certainly," said Ochiltree, "a hog is no good in Texas that
can't outrun a nigger." And this illustrates the diversity inter-
ests in Congress, and why "the tariff is largely a local issue."
The silver question further emphasizes the same idea. The East
is a creditor section. The conditions here are very similar to
those existing in England. They want their pound' sterling or
dollar to buy as many pounds of cotton or bushels of wheat as
possible, and if it can be confined to a gold standard they will
get more pounds of cotton or bushels of wheat for their unit of
value than if silver was a co-ordinate measure. They ignore the
contention of the producers of silver that silver has always been
a money metal, and as much entitled toa sovereignty over values
as gold, and that silver was robbed of its birthright when it was
demonetized in 1873. They say that even if this is so any griev-
ance which debtors then had has passed, and that it would be a
far greater injustice to creditors now, who loaned gold values, to
accept a silver measure of value in repayment.
How the devil it is to be settled, except on the basis of the
greatest good to the greatest number, the Lord only knows. It
is evident, however, that this question is destined to come to the
front in politics, and nobody can foresee the end.
Speaking of politics, our New York situation is very much
mixed for the time being. Senator Hill has not .yet accepted the
Democratic nomination for Governor of New York, and the third
nominee on the ticket (Judge Gaynor, for the court of appeals)
has withdrawn. The local ticket for mayor of the city of New
York may have three candidates, in which case it is probable
Tammany Hall will win. There are pleir.y of citizens on the
fence, like the citizen of Texas in the Hayes and Wheeler and
Tilden and Hendricks campaign. The Republican national con-
vention had just been held and had nominated Hayes and
Wheeler. The Democratic convention was to be held in a few
days, when a thirsty citizen, very ragged and very dirty, stepped
into a Dallas saloon early one morning and said, "Good mornin',
barkeep, hurra for Hayes and Wheeler! Set out your Republi-
can whisky." "My friend," said the barkeeper, "you've made
a mistake; this 'ere's a Democratic saloon." "Thunder!" said
the tramp; "the Dimmercrats hain't made no nominations to
holler for, an' I'm as dry as a new ash heap." "Well, my
friend," said the barkeeper, "while I don't sympathize with your
politics, I do with your thirsty condition; try some of this," and
he set out a special bottle of "Sheepherders' Delight," kept for
such special occasions. The tramp poured out a glassful, emp-
tied it into his gullet, and after he had got through coughing and
sneezing remarked: "Well, I ain't no prophet, nor the son uv a
prophet; but if I wuz the Comstock lodge I'd bet myself agin a
lander hill razor blade that them derned Republicans don't git
away with the ensuin' election." Yours for truth, F. B. T.
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McAdams, Walter B. The Texas Miner, Volume 1, Number 39, October 13, 1894, newspaper, October 13, 1894; Thurber, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth200486/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.