1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
625 
THE PROSPECT. 
A law recently added to the statute book of Florida, 
might well be adopted in other States also with appro¬ 
priate modifications. The ‘‘nigger with a Winchester” 
has been as dangerous a pest in that State as the 
tramp with a pistol in most of the others. For years 
these outlaws tramped day and night through the 
rural districts armed to the teeth and terrorizing the 
people. Petty pilfering and even bold-faced robbery 
were among the least reprehensible of their misdeeds. 
The new law provides that in every county it shall be 
un’awful to carry or own a Winchester or other repeat¬ 
ing rifle without first taking out a license from the 
county commissioners, and that the person doing so 
shall give a bond in the sum of $100, conditioned on 
the proper and legitimate use of the gun, with two 
sureties to be approved by the county commissioners, 
and that a record of the transaction shall be kept by 
the latter. All persons violating the law shall, on 
conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and be liable 
to a fine of not over $i00 or imprisonment not exceed¬ 
ing 60 days. Thus while a reputable citizen meets 
with no difficulty in securing a supply of arms to pro¬ 
tect his home and family, no man, black or white, who 
cannot satisfy the county commissioners that he is a 
proper person to get a license can secure one. In the 
Northern States such a law if enforced against the 
ownership of pistols by irresponsible parties, espec¬ 
ially in country places, would deprive the tramp of 
half his terrors. . . . 
On September 16, by the President’s proclamation, 
the Cherokee Strip, containing 6,600.000 acres and ex¬ 
tending 57 miles from north to south and 175 miles 
from east to west, will be thrown open to settlement. 
The eastern part is a fine agricultural section, while 
the western portion is well adapted to grazing. The 
eastern section is held at $2.50 per acre ; the central at 
$1.50, and the western at $1. The rush will certainly 
be greater than that into Oklahoma or any other part 
of the public domain in the past. Probably many 
thousands will be unable to secure a foot of ground, 
as there is only enough land for 50,000 farms. The dis¬ 
appointed will be mainly among the poorer classes, as 
the others have bought or hired fast horses at extrava¬ 
gant figures to get first to the town sites and other de¬ 
sirable locations. This will be the last considerable 
area cf public land suitable for settlement to be dis¬ 
posed of. It is difficult, to realize the enormous tracts 
of the public domain that have already been brought 
under cultivation. The following table, from the New 
York Sun, gives the number of acres under cultivation 
in the United States at the different periods since 1865: 
1865 . 81.100,000 1884. 195,200.000 
18 9. 97.85 000 18b9 . 204,(00 000 
1874. 1 13 OOO.OoO 1893 . 20G,UUO,000 
1879. I 66 . 1 OO,000 
X * X 
Since 1879 the cultivated area in the North Atlantic 
States has decreased nearly 1,000,000 acres, while the 
Lake States have lost 1,000,000 acres since 1889. The 
Southern States have added only 1,500,000 acres to the 
tilled area s ; nce 1884. From the improvement of the 
whole of the Indian country, and of the uncultivated 
parts of the present farms, and railroad lands and 
those of non residents, and also from the drainage of 
swamps, the irrigation of arid lands and the opening 
of new farms in the West, the area devoted to staple 
crops may be increased 15 per cent, or enough to sup¬ 
ply the requirements of the regular addition of 1,500,000 
to our population for the next seven years. Then no 
more public land can be taken up for farms ; the value 
of that under tillage will increase; all agricultural 
products will be consumed at home at higher prices, 
and farming will be quite remunerative. New methods 
of cultivation will then be introduced to stimulate pro¬ 
duction, and the farmers’ millennium will be happily 
within sight! . . , 
Labor Day originated only 12 years ago, but the 
idea embodied in it met with such general favor that 
its acceptance throughout the country was rapid, and 
at present the day is observed in nearly every State 
in the Union, and in 26 of them it has been made a 
holiday by legal enactment. Financial and commer¬ 
cial interests which at first opposed the establishment 
of the holiday on account of its interference with 
business matters, have withdrawn their opposition, 
and last Monday the Boards of Trade of New York, 
Boston, Philadelphia, Cnicago and most other mercan¬ 
tile centers were closed in honor of the day, and busi¬ 
ness in all the large cities was suspended. In imper¬ 
ial Rome the greasy mechanic threw up his cap and 
made a holiday to celebrate the soldiers’ triumph 
along the Appian Way. During the feudal ages, the 
glimmer of chivalric lances, the flash of shields and 
the bray of trumpets threw into the background the 
humble efforts of the workers to take part in the 
celebration of public triumphs. These showed the 
glory and pageantry of destructive forces ; while the 
processions of Labor Day represent the constructive 
forces. In this country we are all laborers, whether 
organized or unorganized, whether we work by head 
or hand, whether employers or employed. We are 
also among the hardest workers on the face of the 
globe. It is eminently proper, therefore, that in this 
great nation of toilers a day should be consecrated to 
the glorification of labor as a just recognition of its 
dignity. If the annual celebration of Independence 
Day increases our sense of patriotism ; if the observ¬ 
ance of Memorial Day reminds us the more keenly of 
what it cost to preserve the Union and excites in us a 
deeper love of it, why may not the celebration of 
Labor Day, with marching hosts of toilers bearing 
the insignia of their crafts and mottoes expressive of 
their hopes and aspirations, awaken and broaden in 
the millions of workers the consciousness of the dig¬ 
nity and true manliness of their vocations ? 
i X t 
The collection of statistics of mortgage indebtedness, 
the most difficult of all the census work, has now been 
secured from 20 States. They are as follows accord¬ 
ing to a late census bulletin, the amounts of indebt¬ 
edness being per capita: 
Alabama. 
. $26 
.... $152 
. 13 
. 80 
Colorado. 
. 206 
Keorassa. 
. 1.6 
Connecticut. 
New Hampshire 
. 60 
Illinois. 
. HO 
Oregon. 
. 73 
Indiana —.. 
. 61 
Pennsylvania. 
117 
Iowa . 
. 104 
Rhode island. 
. 106 
Kansas. 
. 170 
Tennessee _ _ 
.... 2 4 
Maine. 
Vermont. 
. 84 
Massachusetts. 
. 144 
Wisconsin. 
. 72 
Of course the average indebtedness per capita does 
not represent the real oppressiveness of the debt, as 
that is regulated by its relation to the value of the 
property held by the people of the various States. The 
following table gives the percentages of mortgages to 
all other property and therefore shows which States 
are least burthened : 
. 10.96 
.. 18 83 
_ 7.34 
_ 18.15 
Colorado. 
. 14 75 
Nebraska. 
.... 24.58 
. 20 14 
11 08 
.14.06 
.. . 8.11 
Indiana. 
. 9.79 
Pennsylvania .... 
. 18.91 
Iowa. 
.... 17.61 
Rhode Island. 
... 1213 
Kansas. 
. 28.13 
Tenuessee. 
.... 8.67 
. 13 28 
_ 19.21 
Massacnuseits .. 
. 19.42 
W Isconsin. 
.... 1246 
This is at once an interesting and instructive exhibit 
and affords a good deal of food for reflection. 
t X X 
We hear less about the Populist movement in Kan¬ 
sas than we did two years ago when ia the midst of 
an exciting political campaign. Has the movement 
died out ? The It. N.-Y. said three years ago that it 
could not die. The peculiar condition of affa ; rs in 
Kansas and other Western States made it necessary 
that such a party should always exist. A writer in The 
Outlook, who has carefully studied the matter, says 
that the People’s party in Kansas has come to stay for 
good. As to the make-up of present parties, he says : 
The richest people In the State, especially the hankers, railroad 
men and lawyers, are almost always Republicans. The very poorest 
people In the State, especially the negroes and invalid pensioners, 
are generally Republicans. But the great body of the Republican 
party in Kansas does not consist of these two extremes. Amonu the 
f-.rmeis—ana three quartets ot the people of Kansas are farmers— 
there is no difference as regards wealth or social position between 
Populists and Repuollcans. A man belongs to one party or the other 
according to his temper and his moral spirit. If the element of hope 
and tbe desire to make things better predominate In his make-up, he 
Is likely to be a Populist; if the element of caution and the fear of 
making things worse predominate he is certain to be a Republican 
or a Democrat Most of the earnest temperance people of the State 
are, of course. Populis.s; on the other hand, most of the culture of 
the State is Republican. Nearly all of the ministers are Republicans. 
X X X 
As to tbe demands of tbe Populists, be gives this 
description of a typical member of the party : 
He was the nominal owner of a farm which his father had bought 
a good many years ago, subject to a mortgage of 1900. His lather had 
been unable to make ends meet; had let tne mortgage grow to $ 1,200 
and finally had turned the land over to his son. Thus far the son 
also had been unable to reduce tne indebtedness. If the land were 
sold now, it would not, with the Improvements that have oeen put 
upon it, more than satisfy tne mortgage. This young farmer believed 
In the Increase of the currency, both by tne free coinage of silver and 
the Issue of greenbacks. In order to lessen the rale of interest and re¬ 
store to land the money value wnlchlthad when his farm was bought. 
He also believed In the reduction of freight rates by the State, and 
the ownership of the roads by the State as soon as that could be 
brought aoout. 
This corresponds with our own observations. In 
fact, tbe Populists seem everywhere to be drifting 
towards socialism, and would encourage tbe substitu¬ 
tion of State control of public business and even a 
redistiibution of wealth. Tbe chief trouble with tbe 
Populists is that they are too ready to experiment 
with new schemes that promise well, but which might 
result in great loss and trouble. 
X X X 
According to official reports for the 12 months end¬ 
ing June 31, Americans are, year after year, becoming 
more and more devoted to Gambrinus. A trifle of 
8,383,720 barrels of beer satisfied their thirst in 1875, 
but last year they drank 31,474,519 barrels, and this 
year 33 876,466 —an increase of 2,401,947. Their con¬ 
sumption of beer now averages half a barrel per 
capita, and of late it has been doubling in about 
every eight years. Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Mis¬ 
sissippi, Nevada, North and South C arolina and Ver¬ 
mont make practically no beer, while New York leads 
the Union, making 8,833,501 barrels, or nearlj two to 
each inhabitant, and tbe average consumption is 
nearly as high. Pennsylvania comes next, and then 
Illinois and Wisconsin, which also make nearly two 
barrels per capita. Until after the civil war very 
little beer was consumed in this country, and that 
mainly by Germans. Soon, however, from sampling 
it, Americans acquired a liking for it, and it has 
grown steadily in favor among all classes and nation¬ 
alities, cutting down the consumption of all other 
intoxicants. % % 
Under a new law in Missouri the Board of Railway 
Commissioners are required to regulate the transpor¬ 
tation charges of express companies just as they regu¬ 
late freight charges on railroads. On the demand of 
the Commissioners the various express companies 
operating in the State have just agreed to make a re¬ 
duction of 20 per cent in the class of express matter 
known as “ general specials,” including merchandise 
packages, fruits, meats and general farm produ ts. 
Were the companies making overcharges before, see¬ 
ing that they have promptly complied with the Com¬ 
missioners’ demands for such a large reduction, and 
still expect to do a profitable business? 
X t X 
There has been a very noticeable deterioration in 
the character of recent immigration into this country. 
Until within a comparatively late date the incoming 
streams, mainly from England, Ireland, Scotland and 
Germany, consisted of an easily assimilated class of 
population, which formed a welcome addition to our 
native resources of brains and brawn. Of late, how¬ 
ever, there has been a heavy influx of undesirable 
materials from eastern and southeastern Europe, badly 
flavored with shiploads of assisted victims of Russian 
persecution, whom European philanthropists have been 
expediting to our shores, though no European country 
has been willing to afford them shelter. From these 
sources mainly have come the heavy increase in the 
inmates of our almshouses—an increase which is of 
portentous import. Thus, in 1880 our foreign-born 
white population was a little over 15 per cent of the 
whole, while the foreign-born paupers amounted to 
30 per cent of the inmates of our almshouses. In 
1890. when the foreign-born whites were 17 per cent 
of our population, the objects of public charity from 
the same class had increased to 51 per cent of the 
whole. In other words, while the total foreign-born 
population had increased only 1% per cent, the for¬ 
eign-born paupers had increased 13 per cent! Doesn’t 
the situation call for prompt improvement in our in¬ 
adequate immigration laws, rigidly preventing the 
incursion into this country of pauper as well as crim¬ 
inal Europe ? Many other reforms in our laws are 
needed, but the need of an effective barrier against 
this undesirable tide of foreigners is immediate and 
imperative. ^ + 
Never before have there been so many complaints 
of the unwhoiesomeness of ice-cream as during the 
past summer. A number of deaths and a mucn larger 
number of cases of sickness have been attributed to it 
in all sections of the country, and in several cities, 
such as St Louis and New Orleans, an agitation pre¬ 
vails to put a stop to its indiscriminate and unregu¬ 
lated manufacture and sale, and to place tne handling 
of it under surveillance, like that of milk. “ Bad 
eggs ” have been a fruitful source of sickness among 
the users of the toothsome compound, and then have 
come poisons in the can or in the flavoring chemicals, 
or evolved by the action of the acid on the tin, as well 
as ptomaines in the cream. In towns and cities, 
indeed, there is a growing movement to place the 
manufacture and sale of the product under the direc¬ 
tion of the various Boards of Health. Tales of death 
and prostration from the use of the article may make 
an impression on the summer young man ; but are 
hardly likely to do so on his “ best girl.” 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Cut green bone Is great feed for poultry. Webster & Hannum, 
Cazenovia, N. Y., want to send you descriptive circulars and testi¬ 
monials ot their green bone cutter. Write for them. 
During the last year we have had many requests for a broadcast 
ferttl'zer and ashes distributor. How will that made by A. Mekenny, 
Rock, Mass., do? It is a one-horse machine ana does the business. 
Save coal or wood by utilizing the heat that goes to waste up the 
chimney. A large part of this escaping heat can be saved to heat 
upper rooms by the use of the Rochester radiator. Send to the 
Rochester Radiator Co., Rochester. N. Y., for descriptions. 
The R. N. Y.’s friend and correspondent, C. K. Chapman, goes to 
Chicago to help arrange the New York State potato exniolt. He will 
talk potato-growing on the basis of the “New Potato Culture’’ to all 
who are interested. Our Western readers will be glad to meet Mr. 
Cnapman. 
Almost every farmer wants a power of some kind, and the tread 
horse power is perhaps as generally used as any. There are two gen¬ 
eral classes of these. All tne makes we kaow of. with one exception, 
use an Inclined tread. The exception Is Heebner’s Level-tread 
power. This Is so constructed that the horses tread on a level foot¬ 
ing. It Is made by Heebner & Sons, Lansdale, I’a. This house 
also manufactures thrashers, feed grinders and ensilage cutters. 
We are sometimes asked by readers where they can buy a good 
organ directly from the maker without paying a big commission to 
agentB. Cornish & Co., Washington, N. J., are no doubt the largest 
Hrm that manufactures its own Instruments and seils directly to 
purchasers. It has a reputation ot over 2 d years behind it, and as an 
evidence of good faith it offers to ship an organ to any responsible 
party on fO days’ trial, and will pay freight both ways If it Is not satis¬ 
factory. These instruments are warranted for 10 years. 
