38 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



It is claimed that never before 

 Rich Uncle i n its history has this govern- 

 ment had so much gold 

 bullion and coin at its disposal as at 

 present lies in the treasury. In this con- 

 nection an exchange gives the following 

 figures: 



"The gold bullion and coin to the credit 

 of Uncle Sam amounts to $451,477,404, and 

 added to this are gold certificates, which 

 will be redeemed in gold, to the amount 

 of $35,658,180, making a total of $487,135,- 

 584. This fund is divided into reserve, 

 trust and general funds. The reserve 

 fund amounts to $150,000.000; the trust 

 fund, $248.409,679; and the general fund, 

 $53,067,725 in coin and $35,658,180 n cer- 

 tificates, making a total of $88,725,905 in 

 the latter fund. There in enough gold in 

 the treasury to give $6 in the yellow 

 hietal to every man, woman and child in 

 the United States, on the basis of 75.000,- 

 000 population. Even then there would 

 still remain in the treasury the $35,658,- 

 180 in notes, which can be redeemed only 

 in gold. To give an idea of how great an 

 amount of gold is stored in the treasury, 

 it is only necessary to point out that the 

 entire stock of gold in Great Britain is 

 but $462,300,000, or $24,835,584 less thtra is 

 actually in the United States at this 

 moment when the gold notes are included 

 in the total. 



The silver figures are still more aston- 

 ishing, There is in the trust fund $425,- 

 120,000 in silver dollars: $3,73,053 in 

 silver dollars of 1890: $62,258,947 in silver 

 bullion in the reserve fund. Adding the 

 figures representing the gold and silver 

 coin and bullion in the several funds we 

 find that the total amounts to $890,310,679. 



There is enough scattering wealth in 

 the treasury, including silver certificates, 

 silver bullion, treasury notes and national 

 bank notes to bring the grand total up to 

 '$1,003,685,779. 



John Habberton, in the Satur- 

 tG 1 Ci?y. Sh *' y Evening Post, says that 



the new census statistics will 

 be disappointing to the people who had 

 hoped that the rush of villagers and 

 country people to the city was checked. 



The old explanation of this continuous 

 rush to the cities was that "farmers' sons 

 and daughters wearied of work that was 

 never finished: they had heard of city 

 demands for labor and of city wages, 

 payable always in cash and at stated 

 dates. They had also heard of city pleas- 

 ures, some of which were said to cost 

 nothing, while others were very cheap. 

 But young people do not constitute the 

 whole body of people who are crowding 

 into the cities, for mechanics and artisans 

 of all kinds are in the throng, for in the 

 villages and country districts employment 

 is irregular and pay uncertain. The more 

 aspiring of the hope for the larger oppor- 

 tunities and recognition that the country 

 dares not promise; they know, too, that 

 such of their children as incline to study 

 may become fairly, even highly, educated 

 in the city without special. cost to their 

 parents. Of the 'seamy' side of city life 

 they know nothing, but their acquaint- 

 ances 'went to town' have not returned to 

 tell of it; few of them could return if they 

 would. The few who go back to the old 

 homesteads are the men who have suc- 

 ceeded, and in any village such a man in 

 effect resembles a gold-laden miner from 

 Cape Nome or the Klondike; his example 

 threatens to depopulate the town." 



Mr habberton takes an optimistic view 

 of the subject and in conclusions says: 

 "Nevertheless, the rural districts are not 

 going to be depopulated, except when 

 their soil is very poor and their malaria 

 over- rich. A country ward movement 

 started in some cities a few years ago, 

 and it has been increasing in volume; it 

 may be almost invisible in some localities, 

 for three million square miles is an area 

 so great that any city's overflow might be 

 lost in it. The men who are trying scien- 

 tific farming are all from the cities and 

 they have carried their city ideas with 

 them. As a rule, city brain and city 

 money are suggesting and backing the 

 rural attempts to have good roads, pure 

 water, perfect drainage, high farming, 

 high grade schools, free libraries and 

 many other ameliorations of old-time 

 conditions. Yet in one respect the city 



