The anti-monopolist., 1877-05-03
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

In my last letter promised that III
my next l should speak of Morris ana
Stevens county.
AS one travels along the Main Line OF
the st. Paul & Pacific K. Il. toward
Breckenridge. the first town met with,
in Stevens county, is Hancock, and from
this to Donnelly, Qormerly Douglas,)
distance of seventeen miles. and for some
miles beyond there is one OF the finest
tracts OF prairie country TO be met with
in the State. On every side the land rises
in gentle undulations, the soil IS rich
loom with clay subsoil, and l have
heard it said that it would be difficult to
find a poor section OF land for miles on
either side of the track. l believe that
most of the land around Hancock is al
ready taken up, but beth government
land and railroad can still be had, in the
section OF country / am now writing
about.
After another year, in case the grass
hoppers disappear, think it will be dlf-
ticult TO find vacant sections between
Hancock and Donnelly, and | would
strongly advise those ofour own farmers
who are anxious to procure more lana
either for themselves or their children
to pay visit to this part OF the State be
fore doing SO.
Most of those who have within the last
two years or so opened farms IN Stevens
county are Minnesotians, and nothing but
the grasshopper pest, prevented rush
of Minnesota farmers there this spring
And very right is it that M should be
cautious in investing in land or incregss
ing their farming operations until this
grasshopper question IS settled iavora-
bly. rs | trust it will be for the State.
The farm OF the Hon. Geo. l.. Becker,
to whom is chiefly due thAsettlement OF
Stevens county-ior Mr.. Becker did not
saw 90. but comedies about two miles
and half from Morris; on the 1lth OF
April he had 800 acres seeded and by this
time. suppose he has nearly, ii not al
together, one thousand acres under cul>
tivation. A. Cogel broke in the neigh
borhood of Morris, 600 acres last year.
has put up six houses, he intends to
rent his til!age land in farms OF one or
two hundred acres and 90 into stock
raising himself. J. Mccarthy has be-
tween two and three hundred acres seed
cd on his farm. West of the village of
Morris, r. W. Wilington has seeded IA
whole section. Hon. Robert Deakin.
two miles north OF the village about
three hundred acres. Hines u Wilcox,
three miles from the village, six hun-
dred acres, and south OF the village
within IN area OF SIX miles there is quite
a gathering Of Minnesotas practical
farmers, men who hold the plow and
know what to do and how to do 1t.
Among them is MIR. Michael Johntsor
of Dakota county, MIR. Johntson ha:
seeded about one hundred and fifty acres
OF his new farm this season. Messrs
Casey, Maloney, Brennan aud Melon
ough, Leonard from one hundred to two
hundred each.
This would do for start, | shoulC
think, around Morris while Hon. |. Don
nelly and his crowd, up ut Donnell,
Station, have put III a large breadth o
country under crop and brag tuat within
a iew years 1.-The seat OF Empire will
be Donnelly.
However think Morris in the iutur,
will hold its own with any town west 0
Minneapolis. 1t has 4 country aroun'
it which cannot he surpassed for agrl-
culture, and it has good business men
who believing in the location pitches
their tents here ut IN early day, some Q
them ahead of the railroad. The success
of those intelligent. brave pioneers, VIII
go ahead OF others, and. as it were, ,stak
out civilization is a source of great graf
ification to me and | always teel a pei
sonal anxiety for their prosperity.
lion. j. ID. Good, one of the earle:
settlers at Morris, is an active busine:
man and good fellow likewise;
keeps large lumber yard and has iu:
completed building 22x60 for iarl
machinery.
Among the business men are Wolf
Weiss Il Stone. general merchandise
Larson 4 Nelson do, Chas Wilson do
Tobn dry goods, Tell druggist. Drago
hardware.
About fifteen new buildings went 3
last year. aud some four or five Al
stores were opened. AIessrs. GrisN1|
x Todd have establisheda n law tirm l
and are doing good business-.sl
Griswold is treasurer of the Coul -
Mr.. Todd formally of Carver CO =
we'll read and accomplished Ia 4
VIM. j. Munro, ST. Paul d