The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-11-06
THE HEBREW COLONY.

An application has been made to our
government on behalf Of the prosecuted
Roumanian Jews, for a grant Of land to be
settled by a colony of that oppressed race,
but as, unfortunately, our laws do not au-
thorize any such concession, the govern
ment officials could only inform the appli-
cants of the steps necessary to secure
homesteads on the public domain. 1t is,
however, desired by these Roumanian Jews
that lands should be granted to them in
such a way that they might be able to set
tie together and establish q colony, guar
anteeing that a certain number Of families
shall emigrate from Roumania to the colo
ny every year. Under existing laws the
emigrants might fix upon their location, and
take up tracts in homesteads, and go
through all the pioneer labors, and then
find a lot of greedy Western land-sharks
coming in to locate the adjoining lands and
SO defeat or greatly embarrass the progress
of the colony.
This is one Of the greatest defects of our
existing land system, and it is one that
prevents organized emigration on q great
scale from settling the vast Western wilder
ness. Tho land-shark and the border ruflan
afflict the whole of the pioneer settlements
and form a rowing and nomadic population,
Of no benefit to themselves and a curse to
the country. Rough settlers, who go
long distances and endure great hardships
to occupy and cultivate wild tracts and find
homes for their families, are driven to acts
of desperate violence to rid themselves
of these pests, which the national
Congress could easily obviate by passing a
law authorizing the General Land Office,
under certain fixed rules and requirements,
to set apart tracts for organized colonies Of
actual settlers. Such colonies always car.
ry with them societary rules and ~restric-
tons, and maintain law and order without
the aid of murders or lynchings. The
wondrous results of the Mormon colony
are attributable to this fact. That was or
ganized emigration on q great scale, with
its complete code of religion, law and social
government.
If Congress were to enact such q general
law as we speak Of, there can be no doubt
that its effect would be immediate and re-
markable. A case in point has just occurred
in r ussia, where a religious society of
non-combatants has been subjected to such
severe restrictions as to have determined
to emigrate in a body to the United
States. Yet the difficulty of securing a
location, where these people could all set
tie together, stands in their way just the
same as in the case of the Roumanian
Jews. In both cases the difference of lam
guage and social customs, and habits, from
those of our people, renders it desirable
that the emigrants should settle in a body.
Many such instances are scattered through
American history. And the original colo
n~ization of the country wa under similar
auspices, the Puritans of Massachusetts,
the fugitives of Rhode Island, the Quakers
of Pennsylvania, and the Catholics of
Maryland having all been planted here
under circumstances not dissimilar to those
under which the Roumanian Jews and the
Russian non-combatants are now seeking a
r~esting-place.
Had we an organized bureau of immigra-
ton in this State, and were the owners of
lands among US disposed to ncourag the
settlement Of colonies on the principle of
" enhanced Values" such as must come
from the location of industrial centres, an
effort might be made to secure some of the
advantages in prospect from these immigra-
tons to the United States. A few days
ago some of the Alsatian colenists were in
specting lands in Virginia with a view to a
permanent settlement here by those now
flying from the expressions of the German
Emperor but we have not learned whether
any satisfactory determination was reached.
We have lands enough in Virginia for
any number of such colonies, and the own
ers could well afford to part with them, or
at least with a moiety of them, at s~atisfac-
tory rates to immigrants, and find them
selves better of, financially, with a half
than a whole-that is, with one hundred
acres Of saleable lands than two hundred
not saleable. The trouble with most of
our local land agents is, that they want to
" realize" at once, and hence keep a sharp
eye to the immediate per cents" of their
business. The grand results which are
palpable to the eye of the future do not
enter into their calculations. The climate,
soil and productions of Virginia are no
doubt what these Roumanians would pre-
fer before those of any other State. Is
there no way by which their attention may
be directed hither?