The Russellville Democrat., 1875-07-22
HOMES FOR THE HOME
 LESS.
Cheap Lands-16O Acres for
 $2, 50.
50, 900 to l co, ,OOO Immigrants
 for Arkansas this Year.
Wake up People and Make Known the Advantages Your Respective LO-
 calities Offer.

Below we reproduce a letter from Land Commissioner Smithee to the Arkansas Independent, which will be ot interest to our readers. Our people cannot be too fully awake to the demands of the hour. "There is tide in the affairs of men, which taken at it's food leads to fortune and to fame" That tide is now at hand in Ar kansas and is at it's flood. We must take advantage of it. Re member citizens of Pope county if you want your county to attract a share of the new corners you must make your advantages known. You must ADVERTISE. The most effectual way to do this is to lend cordial and liberal support to your county paper. Your paper is using efforts in every issue to benefit the county and to place it prominently before the world. Every man in the county should at once subscribe for at least one copy to send away from home in the interests of immigration. It will cost only $1,50, and this is certainly small sum to contribute for so laudable q purpose. Friends make us up a club in every neighborhood, and don't be too stingy. The benefit will accrue to you as much as to us. Follow ing is the letter:
 OFFICE OF Coa'R OF STATE LANDS,
 LITTLE ROCK, ARKANsAs.I
 EDITOR ARKANSAS lNDEPEND- ENT:-As you seem to have Jim migration on the brain' it may not be uninteresting to your many readers to know that the inquiries for state lands are greater at the present time than they have been since the war One hundred and eighteen donations alone were made at this office last week. This is outside of sales, which exceed any previous week since l came into office. You cannot keep it too prominently before the public that every man, woman and child is the state is entitled to 160 acres of lands, upon the mere payment of the office fees, $2 in state scrip and 90 cents in currency for each donation. In addition to this, lands forfeited to the state for taxes are sold to individuals on the mere payment of the back taxes.
 rhe inquiries for lands of this class are largely on the increase, especially by parties outside the state. Letters are received daily at this office from parties residing in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, In diana and Kansas making inquir- ies in reference to the state, and indicating an intention of making their homes here this fall. From information so far received l es- timate the immigration to the state this year at not less than 50,000. l believe it will reach 100000, and possibly more. Those counties desirous of reap ing some of the benefits of this influx of population should make an effort, through societies or otherwise, or through their paper if they are able to support one, to set fourth their advantages. l trust the state press will continue to agitate the subject until ali the people are imbued with the same spirit of progress which animates you. Arkansas is now taking an advanced step, and if her citizens are true to themselves the present year will make a new era in fact in the history of our state. Wish ing the Arkansas Independent great success, remain yours, etc.
 J. N. SMITHEE,
 Commissioner of Immigration and
 State Lands.