The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-03-03
NUMBER "a.
Or the following extract from a letter received from

Or the following extract from a letter received from
Ohio: ~.,-o
2 BY this tim. I think you must b. sa'i fed with your
experience in MINI .s,ta. and be ready tn return. we
learn hrre that. twen'y-ttree children have frozen to
death in Minnesota during the present winter
VIII" is there can believe such r. ports originate in
anything but the mnst fraudulent and corrupt motives.
Our wiuter has been remarkably mild md "pt"-rhere
has been no continuous ~sleighi"g, the snow barely COW
er ny the gr.tuni for a day or Nv" ut a time, and the
Mississippi river 50 it'll frozen as t" interfere material
ly with WOOL cutting an other pursuits that r CURED =
s"lid ice surface for hauling-and yet in the face Of all
these facts, trinuphantly t~rump'ted through the
columns of every 'urnal in the Territory, the Eastern
press continues freezing and starving us with wonderful
pertiuarity. Can We believe otherwise than tuat the
s wish is father t., the thought
Or does any man here un ler-rate the potent influence
of the sovereign instrument, the Press, INV welded
against US ? Does any man doubt that the universal
diffusion bt adcast over the land of their SANDERS will
turn thousands and tens Of thousands from our doors!
AZ Shakespeare said Of the playes. Better that thou
have a bad epitaph after thy death, than their Ill
repute while living We all know how sanguine we
were last winter Of an immense increase in population
during the spring Of 1857, and during the winter
months certainly nothing could have promised falrer.
But at the very tu:n If the season, the Eastern press
alarmed at the immenee exodus which threatened to
dtp"pulate their country, joined in one tumult"us torrent
III dUuSC VI " W CStS CuIuuIudttuK ~ pIVPuCSbV0 " 'S
immediate downfall | need not advert to the subse-
a.. ut history of that downfall where it commenced
nor how instrumental the prophets were in bringing
about their own fore bod. ng>: it Is sufficient for my
purpose that the Eastern press stayed at once the ex-
peced food an that instcal IF the largest emigration
that ever visited our shores as was expecte J. we received
,. rhsps the smallest. After such a J. sson we should
not unletrste the power Of the ublic iurnals, potent
~ they are for good or evil How much we would
reflect upon ourselves if from \ want Of correct inf"rma'
ton, widely disseminated. next spring the tide ofempire
'weeps past Us to 6nd a resting place in oth'r localities
possessing not half our Advantages.
The necessity for some action at this time Is general!y
'onceded. The discussions in our Legislature on the
exemption Law show the prevalence of the feel ng 1t
. .till more >tr'kingly exhibited in the proposition Of
Mr. r h6eld Of ths House to publish thirty thousand
g pies Of n pamphlet setting forth the advantages Of
Minnesota, to be distributed by a COMMITTEES. There is
a, question as to the necessity Of some steps to counter
,ct The false aud injurious influences at work against US.
Fine only question is as to the best means Of getting =
he proposed cnl A, = citizen Of Minnesota, With all
my interests centered within her Dor iers, have thought
go'd deal on this SUI ject, aud 70, one l see the great
folly Of sitting idly waiting for the d'od Of fortune to
:ome to our feet, while other an rival localities are
IL lustriously and unfairly 1T work dyking and daming
it up to keep il from US. W. must be aroused and
LONG. - @
The means. already discussed. | would resp ctfully
.,y, seem. in my judgment. Insult lent to the end pro-
PW"O a. w tUC uo"UtC q u CNVo ~" = p
modified exemption law there can be no question:. but it
loss not reach the heart Of the disease. lis very de-
sirable to those now here, but it canno' offer sufficient
'emptati . to overcome the impressions already produced
~ the minds # the. Eastern p "pIc. An * ,"pt'on law
''nn't greatly Influence a IN n o em'yrate lat" . c,'on'
Try where he has been taught I" believe h. would have
nothing to tx ,mpt Entirr immunity f,nm deb. w'aia
o"t people namschatka The Exemption Law may b.
>et forth a. one Of the many adyant ges our Territory
possesses. but zone it can do ba, little -" -
Mr.. RehfelTs proposition il right in it, purp sc, but
there is one ma q objection to it. Its efficacy would
depend s.lely on the distribution Of the 81, 900 p,mph
lets, AMI as to this the Legislature would have to trust
agents who might in turn trust other agents. and the
result would probably I've, that many Of them would be
sent - useless localities. an still more be left in piles
in the corners Of dusty Offices. VIII" is 10 r., be he
chief-agenf nr suh-..enf, who VII tax. the tronhie OF
even possess the data on which to form a list Of $4,000
persona :" whom :" seni these pamphlets BY mail-"r
even if euch list was prepared, what guerdon have We
that one-tenth OF the persons SO named would have tia
slightest inclination towards EN- migration Of any k'sd.
an consequently would MT trouble themselves u read
u vHuMin .us p .nphlet on y subj ct which they hal NJ
interest. 1t may be said, in answer. that these 3O,OO0
pamphlets could be sent to IN iiyidnals in the East who
were known BY ~citi1-ns here to b. already inclined to
~emigrate hither but here Mr.. Balc"mbe's arguaaeat
comss II. that saoh pers ms can be much better sup
Piled With information on the sub ect fro" their fr'"n IS
here who have interest enough in them to furnish their
names to the government agent The great argausent,
however, al .in.t the. pamphlet system i 10 be fun in
the iipsufE.,sncy Of 30 ouO pamphlets to ~enighscn tho
60. OOO, 900 If people in these United States, t" say
nothing If the inhabitants Of E ,r.p.,, on the advantages
Of Minnesota. They, w"uli Mt T., adtop in the bucket,
even if distributed With the greatest care, aud this, aa
We think We have shown. Is y M liter Of much doubt
The. plain and the direct mode of controves,iag the
sl.nders Of the press il to use the columns Of the press
in our defence ; the ~refutatiou viii thea 90 wherever
the assault has gone. We woalt be a. the siag. bss
it, : taking u hair off the dog that bit U.s. But how Is
this to be doae9 There are hut two ways, the 6rst 10
by ip iiviiusls the second, BY the State itself. Let
u take up those modes. e = -
The frst. BY iniividnals. tn this there are. tvn OBJ
jecsions. First, there are few or no individuals who
could. as times nov are, take upon themselves the ex-
pense Of such advertising, "r nh" II able would feel
called upon to assume the burden Of the defeasa 1T the
Comnonw wealth. And aecon lly, could any such indie
vidaas be found, their statements would be ln.ked upon
hy Eastern e~migrants with suspicion aud disfrast. and
he would BE- regarded as a qnack or a Vi ,rper, who was
practicing up,n the ~creiulity Of the public.
= What then renains1 Here is = great community,
blessed in a thousani natural advantages and resources,
vet tradpced and borne down BY 4 Combination Of
neighboring AMI rival States, Here il y commun y
whose good name. Is baadied about to the four winds OF
haven ut I tive when she mort imperatively oeeds
every intelligent t~nigrant whose natural proclivities
would incline, him towards her. She eanAot sdtpeua>