Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-06-09
THE GREAT CHAIRMAN STATE
Wisconsin's Material Development.

The following article we copy from
the n. Y. Herald of May 9th, which
should be read by every person in the
State of Wisconsin. Mr.. Wood has
kindly furnished US the copy. As
will be seen it is a reported interview
with Mr.. Fred Reitbrock, of Milwau-
kee, of whom we made a brief men
ton in our last:
WISCONSIN AND ITS RAILROADS.
REPORTER-You refer to the grang-
er movement, which had its rise. OF
rather its most pronounced culmina-
ton. in Wisconsin. Is there any
prospect of revival in the West of
hostility to the interests of capital
invested in railroads ?
Mr.. KEITBRoCK None at all [
think. Predictions and rumors to the
contrary are convenient capital for
your Eastern spectators to trade on,
and threats of hostile legislation are
occasionally. to a small extent, avail
able for the purposes of legislative
denagogues and blackmailers. But
the relations of all important railroads
in the West, and especially in Wis
consin, to their customers, the people,
are more amicable and more sa;isfact-
ory and safe for the stockholders since
the modified triumph Of what was
called the granger movement than they
ever were before. This is due to two
causes. The railroad management is
unquestionably more equitable and
conservative than it formerly was. The
ground for imaginary or exaggerated
grievances is taken away by the fact
that both the people and the railroads
understand that there is authority and
machinery available for the adjust
ment of any real grievance that may
occur. Wisconsin has a railroad COM
mission modelled after that Of Massa-
chusetts, and similar, | should judge,
to that which your State is now strug-
Cling for. That It's establishment was
on the whole, a blessing in disguise
even for the railroads, is proved by
the large and steady subsequent APP
probation in what are known here as
''the granger stocks. " Wisconsin,
besides, from, material causes, as we'll
as from the average intelligence, thrift
and contentment Of its population, is
about the last State in the Union to
ever exert the authority over corpora
tions constitutionally reposed in its
LEGISLATURE to the detriment of decent
ly managed railroads.
WISCONSIN KIDDING FOR IMMIGRA-
TION.
''For my part I would say that, in
common with most Of my neighbors
and acquaintance, | am more inter
ested Just now in the subject Of the
material development Of the West
than in politics. Wisconsin is a pretty
big State when you come to think
about it. Less is known and said
about it at distance, in proportion to
the extent and variety of its resources,
than about any other Of our newer
States. The entire population OF
Wisconsin is something more shan
that of New York city proper and
something less than that of this me.
tropolis and its environs. 1t is d
million and half. 1t stands third OF
fourth forget exactly Which-ot
all the States to-day for wealth pei
capita of its population. Yet the
State of Wisconsin possesses, above
the narrow belt Of sandy pine barrens
that divides it laterally into halves, an
area Of rolling, we'll timbered land, in
every way suitable for agriculture,
that is capable Of supporting double
its present total population, and that
without crowding IN the American OF
the Western sense The most Of this
area until the past half dozen years
has been considered and has been in
fact virtually unbroken wilderness.
Some remarkable achievements in
railroad enterprise-notably the build
ing Of the Wisconsin Central, north
and south trunk line $50 miles long
and operating now over 800 miles oil
road all within the limits of this one
State-have begun to make its re
sources known. The colonies and
families that have come there are all
fourishing. They have found shelter
and immediate occupation in reaping
the treasures of pine that grow there
Along with this crop there is a thrifty
growth Of hard woods, showing a
fertile soil, including elm, maple, bass
wood, oak, butternut and red and
yellow birch, which furnish material
for many kinds of manufacturing
Wisconsin is not the far west 1t is
accessible. 1t is the geographical key
stone of the Union It has an avail
able coast line about equal to that of
all New England. Its northern
boundary is nearly three hundred
miles south of the region to which
immigration has been recently inordi-
nately diverted Wisconsin is the
direction for the perishing inhabitants
of your tenements to take, for the
starving surplus of your trades, for
the evicted cultivators of your uptown
rocks, as we'll as for the shiploads of
immigrants, some of whom, I see by
the exposures in the Herald, are
hustled off by ill-informed and ire
spon8ible railroad ticket agents to
overcrowded manufacturing points in