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st 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 make 〃permanent improvements〃 to the value of a dollar and twenty…five cents an acre； and at least one…half of these improvements must be made within three years after the date of entry。 In the old times the question of proof in 〃proving up〃 was very leniently considered。 A man would stroll down to the land office and swear solemnly that he had lived the legal length of time on his homestead； whereas perhaps he had never seen it or had no more than ridden across it。 Today matters perhaps will be administered somewhat more strictly； for of all those millions of acres of open land once in the West there is almost none left worth the holding for farm purposes。
Such dishonest practices were； however； indignantly denied by those who fostered the irrigation and dryfarming booms which made the last phase of exploitation of the old range。 A vast amount of disaster was worked by the failure of number less irrigation companies； each of them offering lands to the settlers through the medium of most alluring advertising。 In almost every case the engineers underestimated the cost of getting water on the land。 Very often the amount of water available was not sufficient to irrigate the land which had been sold to settlers。 In countless cases the district irrigation bonds…which were offered broadcast by Eastern banks to their small investorswere hardly worth the paper on which they were written。 One after another these wildcat irrigation schemes； purporting to assure sudden wealth in apples； pears； celery； garden truck； cherries； small fruits； alfalfa； pecans； eucalyptus or catalpa trees…anything you likedwent to the wall。 Sometimes whole communities became straitened by the collapse of these overblown enterprises。 The recovery was slow； though usually the result of that recovery was a far healthier and more stable condition of society。
This whole question of irrigation and dry farming； this or that phase of the last scrambling； feverish settling on the last lands； was sorely wasteful of human enterprise and human happiness。 It was much like the spawning rush of the salmon from