THE NEW AGEICULTUBE. 175 



regions of rainfall. What is more marvelous is the fact, that what 

 has been accomplished in this direction has been done by individ- 

 ual and corporate enterprise. That companies constructing these 

 works have made money is true in a majority of instances, and 

 happy should everybody be on account of it. The corporations 

 and individuals who have had the fortitude to act as pioneers, have 

 been the greatest of benefactors. Even Brigham Young and his 

 polygamous church of Latter Day Saints, have not proven an un- 

 mitigated scourge. Great good has come out of a Nazareth, 

 which, in certain of its aspects, presents the features of the Sodom 

 and Gomorrah of the present age. Merest beginning has however 

 been made. 



Our " New Agriculture " dates not only a new era in irrigation,. 

 but is sure to date one equally new in government policies. The 

 old saw " Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm," is in all 

 probability soon to be verified in a way, which scarcely one in a 

 million of the American people have yet dreamed. While kings 

 and nobles of the Old World are quite generally looking to war as 

 a means of employment for their pauper classes, and the lazaroni 

 seem equally inclined to prefer the chances of death on battle 

 fields and in camps, to lives of toil without sufficient remuneration 

 to make life worth the living, an opportunity presents itself to our 

 government and people to do that which will give employment and 

 bring to the present and future generations more of real wealth 

 than all the mines of the earth contain. 



The unthinking citizen and the conscienceless demagogue alike, 

 have been clamoring of late for acts of practical confiscation of 

 the lands granted to companies to aid in construction of lines of 

 railway across the continent. We do not hesitate to say that for- 

 feiture of some of the grants should be made. This is never- 

 theless the exception to that rule of law and logic which for- 



