The Portland daily press., 1895-06-26

among our people. At last my colleagues
t-CommlSsloners on the settlement of the
public lands of Maine-united with me
in recommending my plan of immigra-
| tion in our official report to the legisla-
ture of 1870 Governor Chamberlain.
one of the earliest and most constant
friends of Scandinavian immi igration,
warmly advocated the measure The
friends OF the enterprise throughout the
State rallied to its support, and on
March %, 1870, an act was passed author
izing my plan of Swedish immigration
to be tried
Two days afterwards I was appointed
fate OF my plan was placed in my own
hands,
Having successfully arranged all prelimi-
naries, l sailed from America, April 3Oth,
and landed at Gothenburg, Sweden, on
the 10th of May.
1t was bright Spring morning when /
set foot once more on Swedish soil, but
brighter than the dawn was the oppor-
tunity now open to me, to accomplish an
undertaking, which for years had been
the dream of my life, for the good of my
native State
A head office was at ono established at
Gothenburg. Notices, advertisements,
and circulars, describing our state and
the proposed immigration, were scattered
employed to canvas the northern PROV
inces, and as soon as the ball was fairly
in motion, | left the office at Gothenburg
in charge of trusty agent, Capt G. W.
Schroeder, and Travelled extensively in the
interior of Sweden, distributing docu-
ments, and talking with the people in the
villages, at their homes, by the roadside,
and wherever or whenever I met them
Familiar with the Swedish language
and people, / was enabled to preach a
crusade to Maine. But the crusade was a
peaceful one, its weapons were those of
husbandry, and its object to recover the
fertile lands of our state from the domin-
ion of the forest
10 induce the right class of people to
pay their way to settle among us, seemed
indeed the most difficult part of the whole
immigration enterprise. 1 therefore
deemed it expedient to take this point for
granted and in all advertisements, con-
versations, and addresses, to dwell rather
on the fact that, as only limited mum
ber of families could be taken, none would
be accepted unless they brought with
them the highest testimonials as to char
acter and proficiency in their callings
The problem which was thus taken for
granted soon began to solve itself Re-
cruits for Maine began to appear. All
bore certificates of character under the
hand and seal of the pastor of their dis
trict and all who had worked for others
brought recommendations from their en-
ployers. These credentials, however, were
not considered infallible, some applicants
were refused in spite of them, and no one
was accepted unless it appeared clear that
he would make thrift ty citizen of ou
good State of Maine. In this way a little
colony Of picked men, with their wives
and children, was quickly gathered to-
gether. Ths details of the movement, the
arguments used, the objections met, the
multitude of questions about our state
asked and answered. would fill volume
I was repeatedly asked if Maine were one
of the United States. One inquirer
wished to know if Maine lay alongside
Texas, while another seeker after truth
wrote, asking if there were to be found in