Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-02-05
AN IMMIGRATION BUREAU


A gentleman of this city, who is well
posted on the subject, this week re-
marked 90 the INDEX, that unless the
people Of Harper, Barber, Cornanche
and Clark counties make an effort. the
tide of valuable immigration that we
have been anticipating. will not come
this year, but will be found hunting for
farms and homes along the Santa Fe
railroad.
Said he: Last week you published
the views of Mr.. Lawrence of Kiowa,
in which he says that a large part of
the immigrants passing throughKansas
City have purchased their tickets over
the Santa Fe line. Mr.. Lawrence is
hut telling what l have noticed for
several years. Out of every hundred
/ men coming west from Illinois, Indiana.
Ohio. Pennsylvania and New York to
look at the country with the view OF
locating, it is safe TO say that one-tenth
of the number have the cash, or the
equivalent, i'll their pockets, 70 buy a
/ good Kansas farm.
"These are the men we want here in
: Southern Kansas now-men who cal
each spend from 81 800 to $1,000. and
| besides bring their families here to
! live.
Did they but know that our lands
are as fertile, our water supply more
[ plentiful, or society as good, Our
/ prices rs cheap, and our railroad facili-
ties as convenient as any other county
in Southwestern Kansas, then immi-
grants would come here.
But, the trouble is that while the
/ Santa Fe land agents have been plas-
tering the entire east with mammoth
dOuble-sheet trl-cClored posters, this
section of country, adjacent 10 the
Southern Kansas road, has been repre-
seated by eighth-sheet hand bills. This
part of Kansas is unheard of, while the
section traversed by the Santa Fe has
been advertised everywhere on the
civilized globe, and wherever the state
is known the Santa Fe is also known.
"What this section then needs is an
immigration bureau, made up of rep
Tesentatives from the counties men
tioned-Harpel, Barber, Comanche and
Clark. This bureau should be pro-
vided will ample means to boom the
counties mentioned in way heretofore
unknown. There should be raised a
fund sufficient 10 provide active agents
with unlimited advertising matter, and
these agents should be authorized to
make railroad rates, provide excursions
ant generally work up an interest in
the east.
This bureau could be easily formed
by the representative men of each
county meeting at some central point
and this action should not be delayed
one day longer than possible. Harper
AttIca, Sharon, Crisfeld, Hazelton
Kiowa, Medicine Lodge, Mingona
Lake City, Sun City, Nescutunga
COldwater, Avilla, Protection, Reedel
ard Ashland are all towns interested
and these should at once consider the
propriety of organizing immigration
bureaus"
How much money would it cost pei
month to keep say three active agents
in the iieldY'' the INDEX asked this i'll
telligent gentleman.
suppose it was $1,000 Per month fOl
three months? That amount could be
raised without difficulty he replied.
what would the railroad company
/ do?" we asked.
Anything reasonable. The South.
ern Kansas road is owned principally
by the Santa Fe people, of course; but
the officers Of the Southern Kansas
road are just as anxious to have theiI
road and the country it penetrates
prosperous as the people who own the
land are. The railroad would no doubt
give immigrants easy rates; it would
certainly assist in furnishing advertis-
ing matter, and aid our agents in get
ting fayors from roads coming west.
The railroad will undoubtedly do its
duty if the people will but do theirs.''
This gentleman is no idle talker, by
any means, and we are inclined to think
that he is correct in his views.
So what do our eastern, southern and
western neighbors think of the PROPOSE
ton to organize the Southern Kansas
Immigration Bureaug
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