the passing of the frontier-第23章

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gally　to　starve　to　death　some　good　woman。　True；　many　of　them　could　not　last　out　in　the　bitter　combined　fight　with　nature　and　the　grasping　conditions　of　commerce　and　transportation　of　that　time。　The　western　Canadian　farmer　of　today　is　a　cherished；　almost　a　petted　being。　But　no　one　ever　showed　any　mercy　to　the　American　farmer　who　moved　out　West。

As　always　has　been　the　case；　a　certain　number　of　wagons　might　be　seen　passing　back　East；　as　well　as　the　somewhat　larger　number　steadily　moving　westward。　There　were　lean　years　and　dry　years；　hot　years；　yellow　years　here　and　there　upon　the　range。　The　phrase　written　on　one　disheartened　farmer's　wagon　top；　〃Going　back　to　my　wife's　folks；〃　became　historic。

The　railways　were　finding　profit　in　carrying　human　beings　out　to　the　cow…range　just　as　once　they　had　in　transporting　cattle。　Indeed；　it　did　not　take　the　wiser　railroad　men　long　to　see　that　they　could　afford　to　set　down　a　farmer；　at　almost　no　cost　for　transportation；　in　any　part　of　the　new　West。　He　would　after　that　be　dependent　upon　the　railroad　in　every　way。　The　railroads　deliberately　devised　the　great　land　boom　of　1886；　which　was　more　especially　virulent　in　the　State　of　Kansas。　Many　of　the　roads　had　lands　of　their　own　for　sale；　but　what　they　wanted　most　was　the　traffic　of　the　settlers。　They　knew　the　profit　to　be　derived　from　the　industry　of　a　dense　population　raising　products　which　must　be　shipped；　and　requiring　imports　which　also　must　be　shipped。　One　railroad　even　offered　choice　breeding…stock　free　on　request。　The　same　road；　and　others　also；　preached　steadily　the　doctrine　of　diversified　farming。　In　short；　the　railroads；　in　their　own　interests；　did　all　they　could　to　make　prosperous　the　farms　or　ranches　of　the　West。　The　usual　Western　homestead　now　was　part　ranch　and　part　farm；　although　the　term　〃ranch〃　continued　for　many　years　to　cover　all　the　meanings　of　the　farm　of　whatever　sort。

There　appeared　now　in　the　new　country　yet　another　figure　of　the　Western　civilization；　the　land…boomer；　with　his　irresponsible　and　unregulated　statements　in　regard　to　the　values　of　these　Western　lands。　These　men　were　not　always　desirable　citizens；　although　of　course　no　industry　was　more　solid　or　more　valuable　than　that　of　legitimate　handling　of　the　desirable　lands。　〃Public　spirit〃　became　a　phrase　now　well　known　in　any　one　of　scores　of　new　towns　springing　up　on　the　old　cow…range；　each　of　which　laid　claims　to　be　the　future　metropolis　of　the　world。　In　any　one　of　these　towns　the　main　industry　was　that　of　selling　lands　or　〃real　estate。〃　During　the　Kansas　boom　of　1886　the　land…boomers　had　their　desks　in　the　lobbies　of　banks；　the　windows　of　hardware　storesany　place　and　every　place　offering　room　for　a　desk　and　chair。

Now　also　flourished　apace　the　industry　of　mortgage　loans。　Eastern　money　began　to　flood　the　western　Plains；　attracted　by　the　high　rates　of　interest。　In　1886　the　customary　banking　interest　in　western　Kansas　was　two　per　cent　a　month。　It　is　easy　to　see　that　very　soon　such　a　state　of　affairs　as　this　must　collapse。　The　industry　of　selling　town　lots　far　out　in　the　cornfields；　and　of　buying　unimproved　subdivision　property　with　borrowed　money　at　usurious　rates　of　interest；　was　one　riding　for　its　own　fall。

None　the　less　the　Little　Fellow　kept　on　going　out　into　the　West。　We　did　not　change　our　land　laws　for　his　sake；　and　for　a　time　he　needed　no　sympathy。　The　homestead　law　in　combination　with　the　preemption　act　and　the　tree　claim　act　would　enable　a　family　to　get　hold　of　a　very　sizable　tract　of　land。　The　foundations　of　many　comfortable　fortunes　were　laid　in　precisely　this　way　by　thrifty　men　who　were　willing　to　work　and　willing　to　wait。

It　was　not　until　1917　that　the　old　homestead　law　limiting　the　settler　to　a　hundred　and　sixty　acres　of　land　was　modified　for　the　benefit　of　the　stock…raiser。　The　stockraising　homestead　law；　as　it　is　called；　permits　a　man　to　make　entry　for　not　more　than　six　hundred　and　forty　acres　of　unappropriated　land　which　shall　have　been　designated　by　the　Secretary　of　the　Interior　as　〃stockraising　land。〃　Cultivation　of　the　land　is　not　required；　but　the　holder　is　required　to　make　〃permanent　improvements〃　to　the　value　of　a　dollar　and　twenty…five　cents　an　acre；　and　at　least　one…half　of　these　improvements　must　be　made　within　three　years　after　the　date　of　entry。　In　the　old　times　the　question　of　proof　in　〃proving　up〃　was　very　leniently　considered。　A　man　would　stroll　down　to　the　land　office　and　swear　solemnly　that　he　had　lived　the　legal　length　of　time　on　his　homestead；　whereas　perhaps　he　had　never　seen　it　or　had　no　more　than　ridden　across　it。　Today　matters　perhaps　will　be　administered　somewhat　more　strictly；　for　of　all　those　millions　of　acres　of　open　land　once　in　the　West　there　is　almost　none　left　worth　the　holding　for　farm　purposes。

Such　dishonest　practices　were；　however；　indignantly　denied　by　those　who　fostered　the　irrigation　and　dryfarming　booms　which　made　the　last　phase　of　exploitation　of　the　old　range。　A　vast　amount　of　disaster　was　worked　by　the　failure　of　number　less　irrigation　companies；　each　of　them　offering　lands　to　the　settlers　through　the　medium　of　most　alluring　advertising。　In　almost　every　case　the　engineers　underestimated　the　cost　of　getting　water　on　the　land。　Very　often　the　amount　of　water　available　was　not　sufficient　to　irrigate　the　land　which　had　been　sold　to　settlers。　In　countless　cases　the　district　irrigation　bonds…which　were　offered　broadcast　by　Eastern　banks　to　their　small　investorswere　hardly　worth　the　paper　on　which　they　were　written。　One　after　another　these　wildcat　irrigation　schemes；　purporting　to　assure　sudden　wealth　in　apples；　pears；　celery；　garden　truck；　cherries；　small　fruits；　alfalfa；　pecans；　eucalyptus　or　catalpa　trees…anything　you　likedwent　to　the　wall。　Sometimes　whole　communities　became　straitened　by　the　collapse　of　these　overblown　enterprises。　The　recovery　was　slow；　though　usually　the　result　of　that　recovery　was　a　far　healthier　and　more　stable　condition　of　society。

This　whole　question　of　irrigation　and　dry　farming；　this　or　that　phase　of　the　last　scrambling；　feverish　settling　on　the　last　lands；　was　sorely　wasteful　of　human　enterprise　and　human　happiness。　It　was　much　like　the　spawning　rush　of　the　salmon　from　the　sea。　Many　perish。　A　few　survive。　Certainly　there　never　was　more　cruel　injustice　done　than　that　to　the　sober…minded　Eastern　farmers；　some　of　them　young　men　in　search　of　cheaper　homes；　who　sold　out　all　they　had　in　the　East　and　went　out　to　the　dry　country　to　farm　under　the　ditch；　or　to　take　up　that　still　more　hazardous　occupationsuccessful　sometimes；　though　always　hard　and　always　riskydry　farming　on　the　benches　which　cannot　be　reached　with　irrigating　waters。

Strangely　changed　was　all　the　face　of　the　cattle　range　by　these　successive　and　startling　innovations。　The　smoke　of　many　little　homes　rose　now；　scattered　over　all　that　tremendous　country　from　the　Rockies　to　the　edge　of　the　short　grass　country；　from　Texas　to　the　Canadian　line。　The　cattle　were　not　banished　from　the　range；　for　each　little　farmer　would　probably　have　a　few　cows　of　his　own；　and　in　some　fashion　the　great　cowmen　were　managing　to　get　in　fee　tracts　of　land　sufficient　for　their　purposes。　There　were　land　leases　of　all　sorts　which　enabled　the　thrifty　Westerner　who　knew　the　inside　and　out　of　local　politics　to　pick　up　permanently　considerable　tracts　of　land。　Some　of　these　ranches　held　together　as　late　as　1916；　indeed；　there　are　some　such　oldtime　holdings　still　existent　in　the　West；　although　far　more　rare　than　formerly　was　the　case。

Under　all　these　conditions　the　price　of　land　went　up　steadily。　Land　was　taken　eagerly　which　would　have　been　refused　with　contempt　a　decade　earlier。　The　parings　and　scraps　and　crumbs　of　the　Old　West　now　were　fought　for　avidly。

The　need　of　capital　became　more　and　more　important　in　many　of　the　great　land　operations。　Even　the　government　reclamation　enterprises　could　not　open　lands　to　the　settler　on　anything　like　the　old　homestead　basis。　The　water　right　cost　moneysometimes　twenty…five　or　thirty　dollars　an　acre；　in　some　of　the　private　reclamation　enterprises；　fifty　dollars　an　acre；　or　even　more。　Very　frequently　when　the　Eastern　farmer　came　out　to　settle　on　such　a　tract　and　to　meet　the　hard；　new；　and　expensive　conditions　of　lif