Show S ABOUT UTAH A plain statement of 61 facts ly by hou hon john T caine the Jol lowing succinct s statement tat ement purporting to he from lion hon john T caine appears in the national farm and Fires fireside ikle it is in and although it relates to facts with which a large proportion of our readers are familiar yet it will doubtless he be perused by enem with considerable interest being a plain unvarnished tale of truth the marvelous results which the mormons cormons have brou wrought bt in reclaiming arid regions in ia utah and other western territories makes everything relating lating to their methods as a agriculture ests exceedingly iv int erestine toey appear to systematically settle in localities where the land depends on irrigation they do not make failures Lii luree and wherever they settle prosperity seems to settle and abide with teem these general facts long since attracted my attention and recently I 1 have at diff different er times sought and obtained interesting information from the delegate De leaty fromi from utah hon john johe T caine I 1 which I 1 purpose to embody in ia this thia article when the mormons cormons begin began their settlement in utah after then unparalleled journey from the backs of the mississippi the entire intermountain inter mountain region wm wa deemed an irreclaimable desert the exploration party under col fremont reported that the valley valle of great salt lake was uninhabitable unia habitable captain jim bridger the frontiersman scout aud guide woo had bad known the valley for years said to brigham Young upon mee meeting ting the pioneer party of the mormons cormons in 1847 add abd discovering ing their destination 1 I will give 1000 tor the first drat bushel of corn you raise in salt lake valley the Mort aGnA had bad no previous experience peri ence with systems of irrigation their lives had been spent in the east or in the valley of the mississippi so far as I 1 can learn not one of teem had travelled in countries where agriculture was deReD dependent dent artificial irrigation what the general aspect of the inter intermountain mo mountain a re region oon was when the mormons cormons first gazed upon salt lake valley the tourist to the pacific c can n form some inadequate idea as he views from the car windows miles upon miles ot of alkali plains in nevada or A arizona the population of wah is provably prop ably about and of his number the mormons cormons are lully fully there are mormon settlements in the territories ot of idaho wyoming arizona and new mexico and ia the baates of colorado and nevada the exact number of the outlying outly ipg settlements and their respective spec tive populations latius I 1 have chave been unable to ase ascertain ertain but the aggregate mormon population 7 in the states and territories named including those of utah is probably about 1 As before stated the settlements have been in localities where irrigation is the only sure dependence for crops some seasons in some localities what is called dry farming succeeds to a limited extent it has also been found that the tha settlement of any locality and the cultivation of the soil slightly increases the rain tull it appears as time elapses the rainfall increase budnot sufficiently to be depended upon nor Is it probable that the climate will change in this respect so radically as to make irrigation unnecessary the physical character of the country high mountain ranges with detached spurs and subsidiary branches and intervening valleys makes the snow fall an all important factor there are few streams of any magnitude and those that are found are chiefly dependent upon melting snows for feeding them during the summer months the mormon people are not communists ts nor have they any distinctly operative cooperative co oper stive communities statements roe ha have been made to the effect that in inal all mormon settlements the real es estate tate and everything else was practically held eld in common and that the mccu of laud land and ohp use of water for jancy brig irrigation giop was in fact controlled by tho that the bishop regulated overy everything thing both temporal and spiritual there never were greater false hoods circulated individual ownership is universal there are a greater proportion of land owners among the mormons cormons than any in the land can boast the church not only does not seek to control nor to favor community ownership but does encourage the acquisition of individual holdings it particularly incites every individual to g become acome a land aland owne raad raud discourages its members from parting with their homes it teaches thrift economy and endeavors to inspire every one of af its is followers to acquire a home hoine and to bold on 09 tp to it no matter what apparent advantages there may be in selling this is the example set by the leaders in every settlement lement put the cormons mormons have a system ol of community operation cooperation co probably has contributed largely to their fickes fi cees it t applies not only to separate settlements but to a certain extent ent embraces nijib lk mormon communities t jes in the western bogn country pou try probably fellowship is the terra term which in Us its broadest sensie sense would best beat express dihe e idea of this community pom co opera t on it t is not an ecclesiastical regulation t on or a 46 church decree it is one of tie t afi practical outgrow tha of a high highly y I 1 practical tactical rac and matter of tact everyday er y religion the bee hive is th the e emblem le of the mormon social aggred aggregation I 1 a an and the motto to is no drones I 1 all I 1 are workers all are contributors and while the poor and the unfortunate of each settlement and locality are cared for and assisted the tiu unvarying varying rule is that all must labor hence charity chanty la Is practical among amone them it is the bounden duty of individuals and of communities to give all who care to work employ employment meui this is inculcated by the church and church rev revenues egges are arc used for this purpose but vry discreetly cre etly I 1 the direction and supervision of the establishment of new settlements are not ecclesiastical concerns but the mormons cormons have something like a great rest board of trade composed of affo anfo prominent m men from each locality and le settlement t tl ement the semiannual semi annual conferences of the church which are attended by people from every locality affords opportunities for these men to meet and elis discuss cuss affairs in their r re settlements to present th their air wants to tell what they are doing and to suggest ideas and point out opportunities tuni ties for those who may dedire to make cli changes anges of their habitations everything is talked over at these meetings which may be of local or general good the improvement of stock the advisability of starting manufacturing industries of trying tryan new kinds of grain of experimenting with sorghum of developing some natural resource all such things are discussed and determined it settlements have reached the maximum which the arable land will support etke fact is made known by the representatives of that locality aud notice is given that such a number of families would like to form part of a colony elsewhere so also notice is given that there are uch and opportunities tuni tai ties in this or that settlement for new newcomers comers either immigrants from abroad or from other localities when a new settlement is determined on its establishment is systematically 1 gone one about some efterp enterprising rising person has found the place investigated its resources aed told cold about its capabilities the news goes round A party of pioneers start out and investigate and report upon the situation they give notice of the results and ii if found satisfactory of their purpose to settle there and invite others to join them travel which way you may through utah and you are pretty certain to come across parties of emigrants bound to some new settlement ai already eady started or to be started they have their eff effects acts with them in wagons As pioneers I 1 their equals have bave never been round bound they are one and all animated by two purposes to better their condition and to build up zion the settlement determined on all go to work to provide the one essential thing water tor for irrigation the ditch is dug each contributes his share anere is a territorial law that regulates th taj water right sand provision Is made that chat those who come after are to share in these water rights upon equitable principles there is no grabbing grabein 9 of either land or water some strange and remark remarkable anle things by these mormon pioneers for instance in salt river valley arizona a band of mormon pioneers looking for 4 site whereon to found a settlement discovered the traces of an old irrigation canal which had been aban boned centuries 9 ago 0 o braes were grow ingin the bed bedot of the they simply had bad to clean out the old ditch repair the embankments in places and turn the water into it they were saved many thousands of dollars by this discovery this discovery also led to explorations and ancient buried cities were found the opening of which by frank gushing cushing has resulted in an addition to the history ol of the country value ot of which can scarcely be bd estimated the physical characteristics of the country and the necessity for irrigation renders compact settlement in dispensable the farms are small not because one man might not acquire a large body ot of land but because the economic principle at the bottom of t ade e marmon polity is distribution i the greatest good for the greatest number this is fellowship shiell in its broadest ind and mos christian sense the es pris of each community is stimulated b by the he general ei example ample 4 thrifty as fel fe low m must st be indeed irreclaimable if he be is bol not affected by examples of the others there is the deepest interest taken in all that relates to agriculture and pastoral pursuits the territorial agricultural and manufacturing society is an institution recognized by the legislative assembly but depends for its success upon the the encouragement it receives from the people industry is one of the causes of the successes of the mormon farmers the dairy is not neglected and every family strives to improve domestic animals from prom profit is ahe he who whole e Is family y con tributes to t the e stock industry is the touchstone of success the e young children look after the flocks and the older ones labor in the field the Therl ves vea and daughters spin and wea d attend to the dairy work and po poultry neatness is one of thet characteristics ot of the 1 people the planting of shade trees the cultivation of mowers flowers and the little adornments q rf home which chic h make it at attractive tta alv are a all I 1 encouraged to auard against ivil evil associations and to abord rational amusement each community has its social recreations mutual improvement societies for both sexes are formed and the young people are encouraged to read books and aad L p ars ana to disc discuss sa with one another fh the e topics of et the axy day the he mormons cormons are a musical people and musical in ments are found in almost every home innocent la Is amusement amu gement of every kind are provided for the children and young ydun folks and the frequent gather ings of all the people ot of the settlement set dement in picnics festivals anniversaries and other celebrations are a feature of mormon country co life there is noth jug morose about the mormon religion ua ness and contentment are the marked characteristics of the people there is a general misconception concerning the emigration policy ot the mormons cormons Mor mons the prevailing notion is that emigrants are gathered like sheep and brought over from europe at so much a head the church providing the lands funds the jie tact fact is that the mormon mordon church is established in most of the european countries anti and milt all it does is to 10 encourage those loose oi of its converts I 1 who desire to emigrate to 9 gather ather to zion to help i themselves hem selves habits of economy are taught and encouraged and those who cannot save during a course of years sufficient to defray the entire expense ot ol emigration to utah are assisted the assistance is not riven given by the church but comes from relatives and friends who have preceded them to the land of promise mormon emigrants were formerly assisted by the perpetual emigration fund company a beneficent institution created by those who were themselves assisted to detter their condition by settlement in utah and they nobly dedicated a part ot of their savings to help others emigrate this company however was bythe by the act of Coku congress gress known as the edmunds tucker law and its assets are now in the hands ot of the united states marshal who was appointed receiver by the supreme court of the territory the funds of the institution if any escape through the meshes of the law are by said act to be diverted to a purpose entirely different to that tor for which they were contributed the emigrants on their arrival in ic salt lake city are met by their friends and relatives in utah and the settle mantai in other territories and taken to the localities where Ri provision has been made for them T the e wonderful way in w which aich the great bulk of these ped people pie p prosper cannot be comprehended a e ded by one who has not seen them arrive in salt lake city and a year or two later visited the places where they were settled but notwithstanding this emigration of which so much has been said and to prevent which such strenuous efforts have beyn beva made by legislation as that to wind up the affairs of the perpetual emigration fund company the fact is that there is a less percentage of foreign born people in utah than in many of the stat states e and other territories and instead of there being more ill literary there is less the common school system of utah is a good one and amid a greater proportion of the people can read and write than in many northern states in this respect utah compares favorably with any of the new england eagland states the official statistics establish these startling facts the great bulk of the mormons cormons are agriculturists their possessions are in lands and herds the census of 1880 showed that 90 per cent of the heads of mormon families owned the homes in which they lived the average sie of farms is less than IN 2 acres there is no other community on earth which will make a like showing there is not ilot an alms house or the necessity for one in any of the ex elusively clu mormon settlements with the exception of mining every other industry in the territory is kept alive by mormon labor and mormon patro liage the mormons cormons have always been the originators promoters and sustainers iners of home enterprise it certainly should not be a cause of reproach that most of the mormons cormons have been and aredith are without the aggregation of wealth necessary to carry on great mining and other undertakings requiring immense capital I 1 the fital he proportion of the material interests t controlled oled by the mormons cormons is shown by the oft official leial statistics the governor ot of the territory estimates them as follows for the year 1887 grain and vegetables alq other garden products cattle head value yield horses head bead value 10 yield 25 sheep head value 00 wool clip swine head value yield yi eldr r gwm total totals 1 this representing the agricultural ri and pastoral products for 1887 may practically be credited to mormon industry it is a low estimate the te manufactured articles for 1887 are valued at less than of this amount represents the product of exclusively non mormon concerns the assessed value |