Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-14
RESETTLING NEW ENGLAND.
Emigration to the West-Abandoned
Farms-Foreigners Outnumber Natives

From the New York Tribune.
The gradual dimirution Of the population in
certain parts of New England by reason Of
emigration to the west is having a curious
sequel. Steps are being taken in Vermont, for
example, to attract good class of immigrants
from abroad, and thus the first state to be
admitted under the Federal Constitution comes
into competition with the young common
wealths of the northwest in the bidding for
settlers. The census of 1880 showed the popu-
lation Of Vermont to be practically at a stand
still, there having been an increase of less than
5000 in twenty years. Maine and New Hamp-
shire made even a poorer showing, though in
both cases there had been some increase since
1870. The result of the drift westward has been
that many farms are abandoned and the prices
of good farms, as we all know, have fallen to a
singularly low figure.
LAND FOR 50 AN ACRE IN, MONT.
The last Vermont legislature was therefore
led to provide for the appointment of a COM
missioner, whose duty it should be to attract
public attention to the advantages offered to
farmers by settlement in Vermont, and that
officer Is now hard at work. In circular he
has sent out he declares that there are 200. 900
acres of land. formerly under cultivation, but
which have since been abandoned, and that
this land Is, as rule, capable of as successful
cultivation as the prosperous surrounding
farms" Good lands are offered for sale as low
as 50 an acre, and it is said that it will be
necessary to make IS an acre the maximum
price for settlers if the new Vermont "boomers"
expect to compete with western lands. Nego-
tiations have already been opened with a view
to bringing Swedes over to fill these vacant
spaces. 1t may serve to give vivid notion of
the extent to which the depopulating process
has gone to say that no difficulty was encoun-
tered in finding enough abandoned farms in
one locality to furnish contiguous farms for
the first proposed colony of fifty families. In
fact, four such localities were found.
This movement may be successful. though
similar undertakings in other parts Of New
England have not proved so in times past
Lands have grown SO cheap that settlers can
be offered homes near the seaboard for nearly
the same price as they would have to pay for
lands that are no better, perhaps, but are half
way across the continent. Only the best class
of immigrants should be brought in, that thus
the bone and sinew Of the state can be re-
newed.
THE NATIVES IN MINORITY.
While the disappearance of the original
American stock from the farming districts is
leading to the consideration Of methods for
filling the gap by foreign emigration, there is
widely different movement IN progress in the
cities and towns of New England. The foreign
elements in their population are growing SO
rapidly that the native class is fast losing its
preponderance, and, in some instances is even
being over shadowed An article in 'sThe
Forum" treating the subject from another
point OF view, gives some striking figures Of
this foreign invasion. The French-C Canadian
element is noticeably large, and presents one
peculiar problem in the fact that it carries
the French language with it, and tenaci-
ously adheres to it in the parochial schools
recent school report in Manchester, N.
H., states that out of two hundred
and ffty-eight French children less than
per cent could read the simplest
English words. The French Canadians in New
England are said now to number half a million
souls In Manchester and Nashua, n. H., and
Lowell, Mass, they constitute one-third of the
population. In Fall River they have increased
in thirty years from one family to 10000 per-
sons. This is the percentage of illiteracy
among the leading foreign nationalities that
are crowding mo Massachusetts,: French Cana
dams. 81 per cent; Italians, S.; Portuguese. So.
This is putting heavy task upon the assimilat-
ing and educating powers Of the old common
wealth. Fortunately she seems equal to it
thus far. But the New England which is in
cooperating these diverse elements into its
body polite is not the New England that once
was.