the passing of the frontier-第20部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



The　barb…wire　fence；　which　was　at　first　used　extensively　by　the　great　operators；　came　at　last　to　be　the　greatest　friend　of　the　Little　Fellow　on　the　range。　The　Little　Fellow；　who　under　the　provisions　of　the　homestead　act　began　to　push　West　arid；　to　depart　farther　and　farther　from　the　protecting　lines　of　the　railways；　could　locate　land　and　water　for　himself　and　fence　in　both。　〃I've　got　the　law　back　of　me；〃　was　what　he　said；　and　what　he　said　was　true。　Around　the　old　cow　camps　of　the　trails；　and　around　the　young　settlements　which　did　not　aspire　to　be　called　cow　camps；　the　homesteaders　fenced　in　landso　much　land　that　there　came　to　be　no　place　near　any　of　the　shipping…points　where　a　big　herd　from　the　South　could　be　held。　Along　the　southern　range　artificial　barriers　to　the　long　drive　began　to　be　raised。　It　would　be　hard　to　say　whether　fear　of　Texas　competition　or　of　Texas　cattle　fever　was　the　more　powerful　motive　in　the　minds　of　ranchers　in　Colorado　and　Kansas。　But　the　cattle　quarantine　laws　of　1885　nearly　broke　up　the　long　drive　of　that　year。　Men　began　to　talk　of　fencing　off　the　trails；　and　keeping　the　northbound　herds　within　the　fencesa　thing　obviously　impossible。

The　railroads　soon　rendered　this　discussion　needless。　Their　agents　went　down　to　Texas　and　convinced　the　shippers　that　it　would　be　cheaper　and　safer　to　put　their　cows　on　cattle　trains　and　ship　them　directly　to　the　ranges　where　they　were　to　be　delivered。　And　in　time　the　rails　running　north　and　south　across　the　Staked　Plains　into　the　heart　of　the　lower　range　began　to　carry　most　of　the　cattle。　So　ended　the　old　cattle　trails。

What　date　shall　we　fix　for　the　setting　of　the　sun　of　that　last　frontier？　Perhaps　the　year　1885　is　as　accurate　as　anythe　time　when　the　cattle　trails　practically　ceased　to　bring　north　their　vast　tribute。　But；　in　fact；　there　is　no　exact　date　for　the　passing　of　the　frontier。　Its　decline　set　in　on　what　day　the　first　lank　〃nester〃　from　the　States　outspanned　his　sun…burned　team　as　he　pulled　up　beside　some　sweet　water　on　the　rolling　lands；　somewhere　in　the　West；　and　looked　about　him；　and　looked　again　at　the　land　map　held　in　his　hand。

〃I　reckon　this　is　our　land；　Mother；〃　said　he。

When　he　said　that；　he　pronounced　the　doom　of　the　old　frontier。



Chapter　IX。　The　Homesteader

His　name　was　usually　Nester　or　Little　Fellow。　It　was　the　old　story　of　the　tortoise　and　the　hare。　The　Little　Fellow　was　from　the　first　destined　to　win。　His　steady　advance；　now　on　this　flank；　now　on　that；　just　back　of　the　vanguard　pushing　westward；　had　marked　the　end　of　all　our　earlier　frontiers。　The　same　story　now　was　being　written　on　the　frontier　of　the　Plains。

But　in　the　passing　of　this　last　frontier　the　type　of　the　land…seeking　man；　the　type　of　the　American；　began　to　alter　distinctly。　The　million　dead　of　our　cruel　Civil　War　left　a　great　gap　in　the　American　population　which　otherwise　would　have　occupied　the　West　and　Northwest　after　the　clearing　away　of　the　Indians。　For　three　decades　we　had　been　receiving　a　strong　and　valuable　immigration　from　the　north　of　Europe。　It　was　in　great　part　this　continuous　immigration　which　occupied　the　farming　lands　of　upper　Iowa；　Minnesota；　and　the　Dakotas。　Thus　the　population　of　the　Northwest　became　largely　foreign。　Each　German　or　Scandinavian　who　found　himself　prospering　in　this　rich　new　country　was　himself　an　immigration　agency。　He　sent　back　word　to　his　friends　and　relatives　in　the　Old　World　and　these　came　to　swell　the　steadily　thickening　population　of　the　New。

We　have　seen　that　the　enterprising　cattlemen　had　not　been　slow　to　reach　out　for　such　resources　as　they　might。　Perhaps　at　one　time　between　1885　and　1890　there　were　over　ten　million　acres　of　land　illegally　fenced　in　on　the　upper　range　by　large　cattle　companies。　This　had　been　done　without　any　color　of　law　whatever；　a　man　simply　threw　out　his　fences　as　far　as　he　liked；　and　took　in　range　enough　to　pasture　all　the　cattle　that　he　owned。　His　only　pretext　was　〃I　saw　it　first。〃　For　the　Nester　who　wanted　a　way　through　these　fences　out　into　the　open　public　lands；　he　cherished　a　bitter　resentment。　And　yet　the　Nester　must　in　time　win　through；　must　eventually　find　the　little　piece　of　land　which　he　was　seeking。

The　government　at　Washington　was　finally　obliged　to　take　action。　In　the　summer　of　1885；　acting　under　authorization　of　Congress；　President　Cleveland　ordered　the　removal　of　all　illegal　enclosures　and　forbade　any　person　or　association　to　prevent　the　peaceful　occupation　of　the　public　land　by　homesteaders。　The　President　had　already　cancelled　the　leases　by　which　a　great　cattle　company　had　occupied　grazing　lands　in　the　Indian　Territory。　Yet；　with　even…handed　justice　he　kept　the　land　boomers　also　out　of　these　coveted　lands；　until　the　Dawes　Act　of　1887　allotted　the　tribal　lands　to　the　Indians　in　severalty　and　threw　open　the　remainder　to　the　impatient　homeseekers。　Waiting　thousands　were　ready　at　the　Kansas　line；　eager　for　the　starting　gun　which　was　to　let　loose　a　mad　stampede　of　crazed　human　beings。

It　always　was　contended　by　the　cowman　that　these　settlers　coming　in　on　the　semi…arid　range　could　not　make　a　living　there；　that　all　they　could　do　was　legally　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