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Show A CALIFORNIA DELUSION. The AUa California having recently published some industrial articles asserting that work and public land are abundant in tbe golden stale, a correspondent takes the journal to task, alleging that he has traveled, prospected and worked over a large portion of the Pacific coaet, front Alaska to Mexico, has lately been through the southern counties bunting bunt-ing for desirable public land, and all without success; hence he tquarely contradicts tbe editor's allegations. The Alia thereupon repeats its assertions asser-tions that "work and good public land are abundant in Northern, Middle and Southern California." It says: "California has about 100,000,000 acres of land, and of these about 30,-000,000, 30,-000,000, including 10,000,000 not tillable, have passed into the ownership owner-ship of private individuals; 10,000,000 are enclosed, and 5 000,000 are cultivated. culti-vated. The state has 40,000,000 acres of tillable land; 35,000,000 are until ted nnrt 9.1 fiflD. flfTl inrlndintr much hill, open, brush, t:mber, and Chaparral, are open to settlers under the federal homestead and other laws. Much of this land cannot be cultivated in grain or garden vegetables profitably profita-bly without irrigation; but in many places wter can be obtained by ditches from mountain stream?, by artesian wells, or by reservoirs to catch tho rains. It ia not ncen try, however, that the tiller ol the coil should depend exclusively rr mainly on grain and garden vt'nt tnSlf-: he may find the olive, the fiir, the pnuio, the almond, the walnut, the. kmjk-; and other p n;:.ui;i! pi. in'- 1": ,e; bu i ted for dry soil.'' The editor rc-fens to- luly, with its inferior tofla and machinery, its It hi fertile soil, scantier fcupp'y of (t.pfr for fuel, fencing and building u tenth !a much railroad in proportion to population, and yet its inhabitants number 20,000,000, while California has a population of only 900,000. This reasoning will hardly hold goad in America and in these limes. The argument is the 6am e that is used against tho Chinese labor. There ia no question that as our population increases the soil must be made to produce more and a greater area be brougb into cultivation; but in the present Btate of American working society it is not aafe to say there is plenty of agricultural labor anywhere. Italy ia perhaps no more productive than California is capable of being made; but in the former country every avail able acre ia brought to produce the maximum amount, while here we are coutent to receive the minimum. Nor can this bo easily and immediately imme-diately changed. The Italian laborer will work in his own land for a tithe of what he expocts to receive here, tie practices rigid economy and endures more or less privation, and' is therefore enabled to exist from the scant wages obtained from his work The American laborer cannot, or will not incessantly toil aud accept the bard fare of bis Italian brother. We rail against the Chinese because they practice economy in their living, and are therefore enabled to work (or leai wages than our countrymen. The Mongolians waste nothing neither time nor substance. Every moment ia employed and everything utilized. The time that the American laborer will tquander ia sufficient for the Chinaman'B supiort, and what the tormer wastes will more than maintain main-tain the Mongolian. Tbe heathen carries his economy to an ei treme to which the more enlightened en-lightened human being cannot rpanh. The economv of the Chinese in labor and substance, is observed only in a less degree, in Italy and the old, thickly populated countries of the world. This account for the fact that Italy can support its 26,000,000 people from a Bmaller area of country than is required in California to maintain main-tain 1,000,000. In point oi laci mo -du is peruaps ; correct, but its argument is ahead of tbe timea. Before it can be carried into ecct a great revolution will have to take place among the laborers of thia continent. The wages low and unsatisfactory as they are are yet bo high that few farmers can afford to hire hands for mure ih-n two or three montba in tbe year. This is not the fault of the soil, which is the moat productive in the world; the simple truth ia the land cannot be made to produce sufficient to pay the high prices asked for work. Take a California farm to Italy, and work it with Italian labor, at Italian wages, and the owner would get rich; but bring an Italian farm to California and work it with American labor, at American wages, and the proprietor wou'd soon be a pauper. It may not be a pleasant outlook for farm bands and laborer.! generally, but as the'population increased in-creased the work muBt become harder and the wages less, and as a consequence conse-quence the necessity for economy greater. We admit there ia plenty of iand, and hence plenty of labor, in California, but under the cinum stances neither is immediately available, avail-able, and it is wrong to entice more poor peoplo to the Btate with the delusion that profitable employment can be readily obtained. |