Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-16
People of the Land of Snow and
 Blizzards
TURNED TOWARD ALABAMA
Capt. P. Sid Jones Tells an Age-Herald Reporter About
 His Western Trip.

IYesterday morningan AGE HERALD re- porter sought an interview with Capt. P. bid Jones, travelling passenger agent of the Louisville and Nashville, and found this gentleman, who has just returned from an immigration tour through the northwest, to be highly pleased over the prospects for immigrants this winter.
 Captain Jones left here for Chicago about thirty days ago, and was there joined by Hon. Hector D. Lane, commissioner of ag- riculture for the state. h Chicago their routes were made out and plans for the tour laid. From Chicago they went to Milwaukee and Minneapolis, and then through the Dakotas and ended their tour at Sioux City, Ia. They carried inn migration literature and scattered it all along their route. At great many of the small places county fairs were being held, and there they had the chance of meeting more of the northwestern farmers than they would had this not been the case. At Sioux City tri-state fair was being held, and there they met the farmers by the thousands and talked Alabama immigra- tion to them.
 At Sioux City the tour was ended and both gentlemen left more than satisfied with their second trip.
 Speaking of the trip Captain Jones said: "Ihe fact of.the business is great many of the farmers of the northwest are tired of long winters and bowling blizzards, and are coming south where the climate is bet. ter and where the winters are not so vigor- ous.
 ''As for our trip, MT. Lane and myself are satisfied. The people are coming south, and 1t only remains to be seen whether or not Alabama will get her share. She has gD- Louisiana and Georgia, and all it will take to get them here is little persuasion. At Sioux City we met thousands of farmFrS, scattered literature and talked immigra- tion, and with one single exception there was a desire to come south. At this tri state fair the Illinois Central railroad had six cars of agricultural exhibits from Mis- sissippi and Louisiana. The exhibits were beautifully displayed, and each car had manager who had left the northwest and made his home in the south.
 .sAe a matter of course if we had had Ala barna exhibiis we would have accomplished more than we did.
 ''The tide of i'm mi igration has tured south ward and the real estate men are becoming interested and encouraging 1t.
 Fl have dozens of letters from real estate agents in Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, wanting to buy large tracts of land. Ireceived one this morning from Chicago immigration agent stating that he wanted
  that he could establish Swedish, Danish and Scandinavian colonies. Not only this but there will be dozen men of means and influence through Alabama in short while to look at the country, and If 1t suits them to make arrangements for number of fam- il:es who are ready to come to Alabama as soon as crops are gathered.
 ssAfter looking In to he matt CT thoroughly l have come to the conclusion that the only point in view is to get themto settle l. bav, f, ,tSre. hot hn no as whole should become interested in this movement and secure these people, who are determined to leave the blizzards of the northwest and come south. There should be concert of action by the differ- ent counties and railroads in the state and a commissioner of immigration appointed, with permanent h ( adquarters in tue north west, where he could have permanent agricultural display from Alabama. A man in that section of the country to an- swer queries of people who want to come south and to show Alabama agricultural products would be the best thing that could be done. This would insure immi grants of some designated place, when they are ready 10 come: Ithink too, that an agricultural paper and a real estate bulletin published in the in- terest of Alabama and scattered through the northwest would be one of the greatest things that could be done. It would make money for tho proprietor and would be one oi bhO bccO oSCuViCo AoA oiAa6'hS PooPAo " this state.
 ssWe will have the people down here this winter to look over the state and there is no doubt about 1t. They are coming and if Ala bama don't get her share 1t won't be Sid Jones' or Hector Lane's fault.
 'sWhen l arrived here found a stock of immigration letters waiting for me. They are nearly all queries about the climate, cheapness of lands and locality, while there are some that tell of the date that they ex- pect to arrive here.
 ssThere is anoth CT thing, too. The people are not all coming by rail, but there are some of them coming in wagons. Here is a letter from widow in South Dakota:
 sFARNswoRTH. g.. D., Oct. 1, 1894. P. Sid Jones, Birmingham, Ala
 '' DEAR SIR: am resident of Sanborn county, South Dakota, and my son started three weeks ago with @ team to drive through to Alabama.
 .t AS am a widow if he should like the country and stay he will want me to come and keep house for him. Will you please let me know low the country is around Verbena and how cheap can get there, and oblige MRS. A. B. BARNEY.'
 ss1his is simply 8 sample Of some have been receiving, and you can see how it looks.
 ssI answered her letter this morning and sent her, under separate cover, a copy of Sundays AGE HHRALD.D
 
 BELGJJJM,S ELECTION.