The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-03-25
The New Inn IMMIGRATION Pamphlet..-
What It should He.

the Commissioner appointed for that pur-
pose, for the two premium pamphlets pro-
vided for by the so-called Immigration
Act, passed last winter 1t will be re-
membered that we took strong grounds in
opposition to such law, for the reason
that we, though not opposed to the prin-
ciple of such scheme, were thoroughly
persuaded that the manner of its execu-
ton would most certainly ensure another
Minnesota immigration transcendental fiz-
zle. Since, however, the legislature, con-
trary to our advice and the dictates of
common sense, has passed the law, and the
system is about being inaugmated, in or
der that some good may come out OF
machine which seemingly forebodes much
evil, we hold it but duty of every good
citizen to cordially aid the success of the
plan. In this spirit we most cheerfully
make the following suggestions to those
who intend or may undertake to be the
authors of such pamphlets.
We think, in the first place, that
the whole business has been bungled,
by limiting the period for writing such
pamphlets to space of time little
exceeding two months. Every one capa-
BILE of executing the work suitably will
have other indispensable occupations which
will prevent them from devoting but part
of their time to this special business
while any one whose abilities or habits
leave him no other pursuit but this, will
scarcely be considered as suited for the
undertaking. We fear too that the price
is not sufficient to reward competent
ability for such task, since two hundred
dollars for the first rate, and one hundred
dollars for the second rate, of these little
books is rather inadequate pay for writing
seventy five octave, printed pages of well
composed and appropriate matter for the
special purpose of inducing immigration;
or what is still harder, to compress the
same matter to less space as the proposal
suggests. Somebody, however, will write
them, whether they be good, bad or in
different, and we hope the hardy adven-
turers on the understanding will not con-
slider it presumptuous or egotistical in US,
if we indicate some of what we believe
should be the cardinal points of the chart
for such composition.
In the first place then, the plainest and
clearest style and language should be
adopted, for the several reasons that the
pamphlets are to be addressed to plain,
humble people, and are not intended as
appeals to induce the educated, scientific
and professional people of Europe to emf
gate to Minnesota. In other words, they
are for farmers, mechanics, and artisans,
and not for philologists, geologists, law
yers, doctors, chronologists, and metaphy-
sicians. Their purpose also is to be &C.
complished to great extent through the
medium of translation, and if written like
some of the statistical phenomena WEIGH
Minnesota has produced, they might in the
form of attempted translation appear even
more incomprehensible, if possible, than
such statistics do in the original.
As to the historical cart of such essays,
we would advise that it not only be as
brief as possible, but that of all things it
omit to overshadow everything else by
labored history of the Indians. Indeed,
if we said anything at all Of the Indians it
would be to tell, in a romantic way to be
sure, how every one of them has been
driven over the Rocky Mountains, or helped
with halter to the elysium of happy
hunting grounds in the next world and
we would not have the phrase "the land of
the Dakotas" occur once except to speak
of the good lands in Dakota County. Per-
haps it would be as well, too, not to give
as part of the history of Minnesota, the
biography of everybody and everybt dy's
wife; for the people of Germany, Ireland,
or Norway will care very little about the
wonderful giants who have preceded them
in Minnesota.
But emigrants will like to know where
abouts in the world Minnesota is, without
being forever told that it is the "geo-
graphical centre and "omphalos " of the
North American continent. They will
also like to know how they are to get here
without coming on parallels Of longitude
or "isothermal lines " or hypothetical all
lines of imaginary railroads. How to come
across the ocean and where to land ant
from whence to derive information as t.
what line of actual railroad to take ant
how to get themselves and wives and chill
dren and boxes up the rioer and theI
oohere to go to in Minnesota, are matter
they viii all want to know.
Such an essay should be so written tina
the emigrant may learn from it while com
| inc here something of the topography Q
the state-of its navigable rivers, desira