The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-01-16
rae UOLONIzArION sCHRmE.

"What has become of the colonization
scheme?" is query some of the oppos-
ers of Commissioner Valentines efforts
to carry out the purpose of the legisla-
ture in creating his bureau are raising
A month ago the Waterman announced
that a purchase of tract of land in Els
sex county had been made for Swedish
colonization. N. E. MAMMAL, a Swed,
of Springfield, Mass, the contracting
party, has some twenty thousand acres
of timber land in Norton, and has al
ready sold farms to several Swedes. He
will go to Sweden and use his personal
efforts to persuade large number of his
countrymen to come over and settle on
this tract. 1t is covered with original
forest, and the colonists will have an op-
portunity to renew, in some particulars,
the experience OF immigrants of cen
fury ago. Accustomed to timber cut
ling in the old country, this tract of vir-
gin forest has inducements that the
other localities considered do not pres
ent. 1t would, however, be better for
the state, we believe, to let the forest
stand and secure the resettlement of the
abandoned sections before adding new
lands to the tillage area,
1t may be stated further that another
Swedish firm in Springfield, Mass, John
Mattson & Co., has been led by the ad-
vertising the state has received to make
an examination of some of its unoccu
pied farms. Industrial disturbances in
Massachusetts, and elsewhere have led
Scandiuavians, whose vocation at home
had been farming, but who had been
employed in this country IN other bran :
ches of industry, to consider the oppor
tunity presented in Vermont to resume
their old occupat OF. Mr., John Mattsop
is the representative, in this respect, of II
number of his countrymen, and has been
in correspondence with the commission.
er. Some of these Swedes have been in
Vermont looking personally into the op-
portunitles here for buying good farms
at low prices, and others have engaged
to come. What will come of these eff
forts remains to be seen. 1t may b.
little or nothing, it may be much. We
believe however, the main line of the
commissioners efforts-colonization dir
ect from Sweden-is the more promis
ing of beneficial results, Mr.. Nordgren,
the Swede whose name has been associat-
ed with the original proposition TO bring
two or three colonies from the old coun.
try, sailed on Christmas Day for Sweden.
to see what can be done there in divert
ing emigration TO this stats. The Swedes
prefer to go where their countrymen
have settled, and the efforts to divert
emigration into a new channel, among
strangers, will be attended with diff.
Guilty. When once successfully accom-
plished, lts continuation Is easy to main
tain. MIR. NordgreD will succeed if any
one can, and much is hoped for from
the fact that he has the confidence OF
his countymen, has personally examined
the Vermont lands and commends them
as superior to any that can now be had
in the West. Add to this the advanta-
ges incident to a community long settled
its schools, churches, railroads, high.
ways, etc.-the hope that Mr.. Nordgren
will succeed is reasonable, but until the
the Swedes are here there il nothing
certain about their coming. Waterman