Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-08-09
E. H. THORP, Editor and Manager
T f Il VI 5
Friday, AUGUST 8, 1850.
COMMISSIONER VALENTINE SCHEME

The Legislature of 1883 passed an act
designed to aid in reviving the agricul-
tural and manufacturing interests of the
State. Maj. a. B. Valentine of Benning-
ton was appointed commissioner under
the following section of that act:
The governor of the State is authorized
and directed to appoint a commissioner
to collect authentic statistical infOrma-
ton, as far as may be possible, covering
a convenient series of years, in regard to
the agricultural interests and productions
of the State, its live stock interests and
prices of farm property and farm labor.
also in regard to the manufacturing in
terests of the State, ana especially of its
undeveloped manufacturing and agricul-
tural resources, and report the same to
the next biennial session of the legisla-
ture.
Mr.. Valentine, aided by the listers of
the several towns. has collected a vast
array of facts, useful and otherwise, and
now he is out with a plan for building up
the State. He tells what he thinks of
doing in a circular to listers. That his
scheme is practicable he doesn't seem to
be quite sure, for he says he wishes it
understood that "he is not committed to
any fixed scheme of action" but that he
is in search of further information. Now
for the plan. \ Swedish gentleman in
the West has proposed to bring over 80
families of his countrymen and plant the
colony in Vermont, provided the neces-
sary land can be purchased at a low
enough price. The information desired
by the commissioner is:
1st. How many contiguous acres could
probably be secured in your town and
adjoining towns?
I'd. At what price do you think the
land could be bought:
Sd. Information as to quality of land,
its improvements, location:
4th Conditions being satisfactory,
could bonds for deeds be secured. and
would you. or person or persons select
ed by you, do the work required, the COM
missioner, of course, refundng any mon
ey expended?
9TH. Would the people of your town
take an interest in the enterprise:
Mr.. Valentine says, and no doubt he is
right, that Swedes would form a desir-
able addition to our populations: but it
may be that the commissioner is on the
wrong track altogether. Reports made
to him show, he says. that there are GER
tain lands, once cultivated, which are
now growing up to forest and are prac-
tically abandoned for farming purposes.
Isn't it possible that these lands were
abandoned because they were good for
nothing except to grow forests, and that
the best interests of the State would be
served by allowing them to go back to
their primitive condition.: There are
hundreds of acres of just such lands in
this county.
The problem before the commissioner
and the people of the State is, it seems
to us, of an entirely different nature. An
increase of population would do no harm,
but lack of population is not the trouble.
What the farmers we already have want
to know is, how to make their business
pay. That farming operations don't pay
in majority of cases, even when care
fully conducted, is well known. 1t costs
too much to produce crops; the prices
obtainable for them are too small; the
competition of the West is too sharp.
If the best lands of the State are not
profitable to cultivate, it is not to be ex-
pected that Swedes or any other people
can make a living out of poorer lands.
There is, however, one feature of the
commissioner scheme that promises
well. More foreigners would give us
more and better help, indoors and out
and that would be appreciated.