the passing of the frontier-第22节

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ame　in　and　covered　three　city　blocks　with　farm　machinery　which　he　had　turned　over　to　the　bank　owning　the　mortgages　on　his　lands　and　plant。　He　turned　in　also　all　his　mules　and　horses；　and　retired　worse　than　broke　from　an　industry　in　which　he　had　once　made　his　hundreds　of　thousands。　Something　of　this　same　story　was　to　follow　in　the　Dakotas。　Presently　we　heard　no　more　of　the　bonanza　wheat　farms；　and　a　little　later　they　were　not。　The　one…crop　country　is　never　one　of　sound　investing　values；　and　a　land　boom　is　something　of　which　to　bewarealways　and　always　to　beware。

The　prairie　had　passed；　the　range　had　passed；　the　illegal　fences　had　passed；　and　presently　the　cattle　themselves　were　to　passthat　is　to　say；　the　great　herds。　As　recently　as　five　years　ago　（1912）　it　was　my　fortune　to　be　in　the　town　of　Belle　Fourche；　near　the　Black　Hillsa　region　long　accustomed　to　vivid　history；　whether　of　Indians；　mines；　or　cowsat　the　time　when　the　last　of　the　great　herds　of　the　old　industry　thereabouts　were　breaking　up；　and　to　see；　coming　down　to　the　cattle　chutes　to　be　shipped　to　the　Eastern　stockyards；　the　last　hundreds　of　the　last　great　Belle　Fourche　herd；　which　was　once　numbered　in　thousands。　They　came　down　out　of　the　blue…edged　horizon；　threading　their　way　from　upper　benches　down　across　the　dusty　valley。　The　dust　of　their　travel　rose　as　it　had　twenty　years　earlier　on　the　same　old　trail。　But　these　were　not　the　same　cattle。　There　was　not　a　longhorn　among　them；　there　has　not　been　a　longhorn　on　the　range　for　many　years。　They　were　sleek；　fat；　well…fed　animals；　heavy　and　stocky；　even　of　type；　all　either　whitefaces　or　shorthorns。　With　them　were　some　old…time　cowmen；　men　grown　gray　in　range　work。　Alongside　the　herds；　after　the　ancient　fashion　of　trailing　cattle；　rode　cowboys　who　handled　their　charges　with　the　same　old　skill。　But　even　the　cowboys　had　changed。　These　were　without　exception　men　from　the　East　who　had　learned　their　trade　here　in　the　West。　Here　indeed　was　one　of　the　last　acts　of　the　great　drama　of　the　Plains。　To　many　an　observer　there　it　was　a　tragic　thing。　I　saw　many　a　cowman　there　the　gravity　on　whose　face　had　nothing　to　do　with　commercial　loss。　It　was　the　Old　West　he　mourned。　I　mourned　with　him。　Naturally　the　growth　of　the　great　stockyards　of　the　Middle　West　had　an　effect　upon　all　the　cattle…producing　country　of　the　West；　whether　those　cattle　were　bred　in　large　or　in　small　numbers。　The　dealers　of　the　stockyards；　let　us　say；　gradually　evolved　a　perfect　understanding　among　themselves　as　to　what　cattle　prices　ought　to　be　at　the　Eastern　end　of　the　rails。　They　have　always　pleaded　poverty　and　explained　the　extremely　small　margin　of　profit　under　which　they　have　operated。　Of　course；　the　repeated　turn…over　in　their　business　has　been　an　enormous　thing；　and　their　industry；　since　the　invention　of　refrigerator　cars　and　the　shipment　of　dressed　beef　in　tins；　has　been　one　which　has　extended　to　all　the　corners　of　the　world。　The　great　packers　would　rather　talk　of　〃by…products〃　than　of　these　things。　Always　they　have　been　poor；　so　very　poor！

For　a　time　the　railroads　east　of　the　stockyard　cities　of　Kansas　City　and　Chicago　divided　up　pro　rata　the　dressed　beef　traffic。　Investigation　after　investigation　has　been　made　of　the　methods　of　the　stockyard　firms；　but　thus　far　the　law　has　not　laid　its　hands　successfully　upon　them。　Naturally　of　late　years　the　extremely　high　price　of　beef　has　made　greater　profit　to　the　cattle　raiser；　but　that　man；　receiving　eight　or　ten　cents　a　pound　on　the　hoof；　is　not　getting　rich　so　fast　as　did　his　predecessor；　who　got　half　of　it；　because　he　is　now　obliged　to　feed　hay　and　to　enclose　his　range。　Where　once　a　half　ton　of　hay　might　have　been　sufficient　to　tide　a　cow　over　the　bad　part　of　the　winter；　the　Little　Fellow　who　fences　his　own　range　of　a　few　hundred　acres　is　obliged　to　figure　on　two　or　three　tons；　for　he　must　feed　his　herd　on　hay　through　the　long　months　of　the　winter。

The　ultimate　consumer；　of　course；　is　the　one　who　pays　the　freight　and　stands　the　cost　of　all　this。　Hence　we　have　the　swift　growth　of　American　discontent　with　living　conditions。　There　is　no　longer　land　for　free　homes　in　America。　This　is　no　longer　a　land　of　opportunity。　It　is　no　longer　a　poor　man's　country。　We　have　arrived　all　too　swiftly　upon　the　ways　of　the　Old　World。　And　today；　in　spite　of　our　love　of　peace；　we　are　in　an　Old　World's　war！

The　insatiable　demand　of　Americans　for　cheap　lands　assumed　a　certain　international　phase　at　the　period　lying　between　1900　and　1913　or　laterthe　years　of　the　last　great　boom　in　Canadian　lands。　The　Dominion　Government；　represented　by　shrewd　and　enterprising　men　able　to　handle　large　undertakings；　saw　with　a　certain　satisfaction　of　its　own　the　swift　passing　from　the　market　of　all　the　cheap　lands　of　the　United　States。　It　was　proved　to　the　satisfaction　of　all　that　very　large　tracts　of　the　Canadian　plains　also　would　raise　wheat；　quite　as　well　as　had　the　prairies　of　Montana　or　Dakota。　The　Canadian　railroads；　with　lands　to　sell；　began　to　advertise　the　wheat　industry　in　Alberta　and　Saskatchewan。　The　Canadian　Government　went　into　the　publicity　business　on　its　own　part。　To　a　certain　extent　European　immigration　was　encouraged；　but　the　United　States　really　was　the　country　most　combed　out　for　settlers　for　these　Canadian　lands。　As　by　magic；　millions　of　acres　in　western　Canada　were　settled。

The　young　American　farmers　of　our　near　Northwest　were　especially　coveted　as　settlers；　because　they　knew　how　to　farm　these　upper　lands　far　better　than　any　Europeans；　and　because　each　of　them　was　able　to　bring　a　little　capital　of　ready　money　into　Canada。　The　publicity　campaign　waged　by　Canadians　in　our　Western　States　in　one　season　took　away　more　than　a　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　good　young　farmers；　resolved　to　live　under　another　flag。　In　one　year　the　State　of　Iowa　lost　over　fifteen　million　dollars　of　money　withdrawn　from　bank　deposits　by　farmers　moving　across　the　line　into　Canada。

The　story　of　these　land　rushes　was　much　the　same　there　as　it　had　been　with　us。　Not　all　succeeded。　The　climatic　conditions　were　far　more　severe　than　any　which　we　had　endured；　and　if　the　soil　for　a　time　in　some　regions　seemed　better　than　some　of　our　poorest；　at　least　there　waited　for　the　one…crop　man　the　same　future　which　had　been　discovered　for　similar　methods　within　our　own　confines。　But　the　great　Canadian　land　booms；　carefully　fostered　and　well　developed；　offered　a　curious　illustration　of　the　tremendous　pressure　of　all　the　populations　of　the　world　for　land　and　yet　more　land。

In　the　year　1911　the　writer　saw；　all　through　the　Peace　River　Valley　and　even　in　the　neighborhood　of　the　Little　Slave　Lake；　the　advance…guard　of　wheat　farmers　crowding　out　even　beyond　the　Canadian　frontier　in　the　covetous　search　for　yet　more　cheap　land。　In　1912　I　talked　with　a　school　teacher；　who　herself　had　homestead　land　in　the　Judith　Basin　of　Montanaonce　sacred　to　cowsand　who　was　calmly　discussing　the　advisability　of　going　up　into　the　Peace　River　country　to　take　up　yet　more　homestead　land　under　the　regulations　of　the　Dominion　Government！　In　the　year　1913　I　saw　an　active　business　done　in　town　lots　at　Fort　McMurray；　five　hundred　miles　north　of　the　last　railroad　of　Alberta；　on　the　ancient　Athabasca　waterway　of　the　fur　trade！

Who　shall　state　the　limit　of　all　this　expansion？　The　farmer　has　ever　found　more　and　more　land　on　which　he　could　make　a　living；　he　is　always　taking　land　which　his　predecessor　has　scornfully　refused。　If　presently　there　shall　come　the　news　that　the　land　boomer　has　reached　the　mouth　of　the　Mackenzie　Riveras　long　ago　he　reached　certain　portions　of　the　Yukon　and　Tanana　countryif　it　shall　be　said　that　men　are　now　selling　town　lots　under　the　Midnight　Sunwhat　then？　We　are　building　a　government　railroad　of　our　own　almost　within　shadow　of　Mount　McKinley　in　Alaska。　There　are　steamboats　on　all　these　great　sub…Arctic　rivers。　Perhaps；　some　day；　a　power　boat　may　take　us　easily　where　I　have　stood；　somewhat　wearied；　at　that　spot　on　the　Little　Bell　tributary　of　the　Porcupine；　where　a　slab　on　a　post　said；　〃Portage　Road　to　Ft。　McPherson〃a　〃road〃　which　is　not　even　a　trail；　but　which　crosses　the　most　northerly　of　all　the　passes　of　the　Rockies；　within　a　hundred　miles　of　the　Arctic　Ocean。

Land；　land；　more　land！　It　is　the　cry　of　the　ages；　more　imperative　and　clamorous　now　than　ever　in　the　history　of　the　world　and　only　arrested　for　the　time　by　the　cataclysm　of　the　Great　War。　The　earth　is　well…nigh　occupied　now。　Australia；　New　Zealand；　Canada；　even　Africa；　are　colonization　grounds。　What　will　be　the　story　of　the　world　at　the　end　of　the　Great　War　none　may　predict。　For　the　time　there　will　be　more　land　left　in　Europe；　but；　unbelievably　soon；　the　Great　War　will　have　been　forgotten；　and　then　the　march　of　the　people　will　be　resumed　toward　such　frontiers　of　the　world　as　yet　may　remain。　Land；　land；　more　land！

Always　in　America　we　have　occupied　the　land　as　fast　as　it　was　feasible　to　do　so。　We　have　survived　incredible　hardships　on　the　mining　frontier；　have　lived　through　desperate　social　conditions　in　the　cow　country；　have　fought　many　of　our　bravest　battles　in　the　Indian　country。　Always　it　has　been　the　frontier　which　has　allured　many　of　our　boldest　souls。　And　always；　just　back　of　the　frontier；　advancing；　receding；　crossing　it　t