The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-08-22
That ReooIonIEIng scheme.

The Vermont press need offer no ap-
ologies for devoting liberal amount Of
space to the presentation and discussion
of the recolonization scheme proposed
by Commissioner Valentine. 1t brings
before the people an important question.
1t must receive the cordial support of
both press and people or it will come to
naught. There has been too much talk
in the abstract on the question Of build
ing up Vermont and not enough seeking
after some definite solution of the prob
lem. A year ago or so a movement was
preached to nolonIze English agricultur-
lists upon farming lands in this state.
The movement was not an organized
one, and apparently got no further than
the suggestion, which, as had been said,
was a good one, because the English
yoemanry who are being crowded off
their holdings could do very much worse
than establish themselves upon the I'M
used and disused farming lands of Yer
mont. But after some talk the English
colonizing scheme died a natural death.
Does a similar ending await the Swed-
ish colonizing shemeI IL is hoped not and
with reason, for here we have a move
ment fathered in measure by the State.
1t is also sensible and practical propo-
sition IN itself, and merits the most
scrutinizing examination and investiga-
ton, The matter is already attracting
wide spread attention throughout New
England, Many of the leading papers
of the New England cities have favor
ably discussed the matter editorially. 1t
is natural that all New England should
be interested in seeing this experiment
tried, for what is true of Vermont re-
garding uncultivated farms is true Of
all her sister States TO a greater or less
degree,
Meanwhile it is pleasant to read the
good things that are being said, and that
this discussion is bringing out about the
Green Mountain State. The following
extract from an editorial article in the
Boston Transcript states Vermont's real
situation
1t is great mistake to suppose that
the soil of Vermont is sterile. Some of
it undoubtedly is so, but the greater part
of the farming land of the State is of ex-
cellent fertility, especially in the valleys
and on the terraces which border every
stream, and on the hills where the soil,
naturally good loan, is underlaid with
limestone rock. There is no State in the
American Union WIZ ere the spontaneous
vegetation is more luxuriant, and few
where it is 80 luxuriant. Some of the
best farms in the State are found on
tolerably steep hillsides. 1t is not the
poverty of its soil which has tended TO
the scattering of the population of Yer
mont and the Abandonment of its farms.
The very enterprise and intelligence of
the people has proved depopulating
agency, because the farmers sons and
the farmers themselves, having native
knack of fitting themselves to new situa-
lions, have found more profitable en-
ployment elsewhere in country abound
ing, as ours does, in promising oppor-
tunities for sagacious men,"
Just so. 1t is not poverty OF soil but
wealth of brains that ails Vermont. This
State is furnishing men to manage the
great business, literary and political in
terests of the nation has impoverished
herself. The drain has been severe and
must continue, but we shall survive it.
The people are awake or Awakening to a
realizing sense of the situation. The re-
colonizing of the waste places of the
State in one proposition in the right
direction. Let it be given the hearty
support of the press and people, until it
shall either be proved impracticable and
abandoned or practicable and adopted,
Free Press.