Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-20
A Talk With the Immigration Agent-.How
the People are Secured and How Trans
ported--Chatting with the Passengers--A
Very Mixed Crowd--What They Have to
Saw.

AAuA1CdtlVC db w 1tS ScldllSs
The GLOBE representative, as beginning,
said that the close alliance between Mime
sofa and Manitoba rendered any informa-
ton regarding the latter province, and es-
pecially regarding the present food of immi
grafton, of great importance and interest,
more particularly as the missing railroad
be completed, and would virtually constitute
this, as preface, Mr.. Lalime was permitted
to tell his own story in his own way.
Mr.. Lalime said substantially that the
train, which had arrived in the morning,
consisted of nine passenger coaches and
three baggage cars, containing, with their
effects, nearly four hundred souls, of whom
29G were adults. The immigrants were all
bound for Manitoba, and had come from the
New England States, Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, being the most LARGELY repre-
sented. By far the largest majority consist
ed of Canadian French, among whom was a
sprinkling of native Americans and of
various European nationalities. The Can
adam government was pursuing vigorous
policy, having for its object the populating
of Manitoba. With this view, former Can
adams, now residing in the United States,
were being sought, in order, if possible, to
induce them, by liberal offers of land and
means of attaining it, to re-adopt, as it
were, the country of their nativity. In
point of fact, therefore, the band of immi-
grants in his charge now, was virtually an
exodus, though by an indirect channel,
from the province of Quebec to the province
of Manitoba. The extraordinary efforts
now being made to colonize Manitoba were
meeting with unprecedented success, but
the movement was not altogether new.
Last year he had been instrumental in for
warding LOO immigrants to Manitoba, all
OF whom, with the exception of $50 who
passed through St. Paul, when conveyed to
that province by way of the lakes to Duluth,
and thence onward
The train arriving yesterday, had come
through with only one change, which took
place at Chicago. The baggage of the pass
engers had been checked clear through by
special checks to Fishers Landing and to
various destinations in Manitoba, thus re-
l1eving the travellers of responsibility, annoy
ance AMI worry IN that regard. The railroad
facilities and accommodations throughout
had been found most excellent the West
Wisconsin and the Chicago & Northwestern,
the western links up to this city, being fully
on par in all particulars with their East
ern connections. On the whole line, the
cars furnished had been spacious, and were
supplied with all the appliances for comfort
found on ordinary trains. The trains would
not leave until to-day. A delay at Fishers
Landing was found to be inevitable, and, to
avoid the bad rum, with no opportunities of
innocent amusement and relief, of that from
tier village, he had concluded to spend the
short time of waiting in this city, an ar
rangement which had met the hearty en-
dorsation of his command. The train, so
far, had made excellent time, notwithstand-
ing the delay in picking up at so many
places the varions delegations, which were
not completed until St. Adams, VT, was
reached, where the last consignment was
taken on board.
The immigrants were all intending to
settle on farms. All of them were possessed
of money in larger or smaller amounts, and
might be termed as an altogether desirable
| class. Here, at the suggestion of the re-
porter, Mr. Lalime presented his idea of the
best means of securing immigration. The
| cities of the East were teeming with over.
crowded and underpaid populations, especially
inthe manufacturing centres, where wages had
been reduced to the lowest ebb. In the cot
ton mills of Fall River, Mass, for instance
from which he had secured twenty fami-
lies-a city Of $4,000 inhabitants, hands were
now working at the rate of Sc and 81 cents
per day, while juveniles, who formerly re-
ceived $3 per week, now only earned from
$1.25 to $1.5O. All these people wanted to
induce them to emigrate to the
West, which they already keenly de-
sired, was to afford them cheap
rates of transportation, to get to the lands
offered for settlement, and they were ready
to risk the rest in the struggle for an ulti-
mately independent and comparatively
it's fair share of the immigration from the
New England States, now setting toward
Manitoba. A large share of the New Eng
land emigrants would much prefer to remain
in the United States. They were attached
to the government of the States, and were,
to certain extent, prejudiced against that
OF Canada, more, of course, from fancied,
rather than real, differences or objections.
On this very account, some of the immi-
grants last year were very eager to settle in
Minnesota. Taking, then, this feeling into
consideration and the further fact of the de-
sire for cheap transportation, he believed one
OF the best investments Minnesota, or
any other State or country desiring to
extend its colonization. could make would
be to SO lay out money as to enable those de-
sirous of settling to get to the places of their
| choice and adoption, at the cheapest possible
rates. The privations and labor of pioneer
life never shake the determination of q solid
immigrant to one half the extent that the
heavy railroad fares do at the very outset of
his proposed undertaking.
| This closed the conversation, and cordial
good-by was mutually extended between the
interviewed and the interviewer.
INTERVIEWS WITH PASSENGERS.
A GLOBE reporter visited the train as ii
stood upon the siding, and conversed with
many of the passengers. They were for the
most part French, and many of them could
neither speak nor understand a word OF
English, their language being decided pa
tots neither fish, flesh, nor foul, but q
jumbled jargon of French, Indian, and
WEIGH, or Highland Scotch. The polyglot
GLOBE man, however, picked sufficient out
of the potpouri to enable him to gather some
few facts of public interest.
A swarthy faced, intelligent looking youth
of aboutsf9 years old, said that he was from
New Haven, where he had been working in q
farms that could be obtained Just for the 90
bench fling away at his unhealthy trade,
day in and day out. dreamed and longed for
the green fields and fresh air. He had saved
a little money-not much, but sufficient to
keep the wolf from the door for one year at
least, and as Maurice Leprevost was tired Of
sitting all day with q last on his knee-he is
the father Of Eunice, is Maurice, it was
easy to persuade him when ]
called in the evening just to passer ls temps
you know-to go west. We had thought it
! over-Eunice and me, for long time, but