Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1895-11-28
ENCOURAGING PROSPECTS.
= A Rapid Increase of Popula-
ton Predicted in the Next
Few Years.
Outlook for Securing Title to
the Northern Pacific
Indemnity Lands.
Efforts of the Land Commits
sioner to Get Actual
Settlers Here.

SsSssSs W ~SS sSOsSS~s
Settlers Here.
One of the most active officials Of the
Northern Pacific has proved to be Land
Commissioner Phipps. He has insisted
on the adoption of new methods and q
more liberal policy than the company
has followed heretofore IN the disposal
OF their lands and the good results Of
this are beginning to appear.
Naturally the subject of immigration
is one ia which the commissioner and
the company as whole are greatly in
terested. In recent interview with On
Alert representative on the subject Land
Commissioner Phipps gave the following
encouraging information to the people
along the line OF the road IN North Da-
kota. He said:
"A clipping from the jamestown Alert
recently came to hand, the sane being
an editorial concerning the policy Of the
Northern Pacific railroad company in
reference to the handling of lands.
This department is doing all in its pow
or to accomplish just the thing advocat-
f8Ned in The Alert, towit: The settlement
OF lands along the line of the road, and
there is very fair prospect at present
of accomplishing good deas 10 that di-
recticn during this fall and the coming
year.
''In the spring OF 1891, when I took
charge Of this department, it was abso,
lutely impossible toinduce any one to
consider the purchase of North Dakota
lands, and the drouth of the summer of
1894 had the effect of still further dis
couraging settlement in thatstate. Itook
charge ef this department with the fixed
determination to use every effort possi-
ble to dispose Of the lands of the com.
pany to actual settlers, and feel reasona.
bly, we'll satisfied with the result thus
far accomplished. The saae Of Mime.
sofa lands for actual settlement during
the past season, has been ve:y large, and
lam pleased:to report that the inquiry
for North Dakota lands has been grow
ing ever since the large crop OF the pres.
ent year was assured. have been de-
voting special efforts to the colonization
OF Dunksrds on Northern Pacific lands,
and have now on file considerable mum.
Der OF applications from these people,
who 10 tend to move upon the lands next
spring.
''The RIOS: desirable of the Northern
Pacific lands now remaining 1nsold, are
indemnity lands, and I have bept every
effort dHring the past twelve months to
secure patents for our indemnity lands,
and until within the past week have ex-
pected patents would soon be issued,
but as you,Gre aware. the seoretary OF
the interior has recently ruled adversely
to our right, of indemnity for lands lost
east of Superior, and these losses were
the basis for abe eelection OF the larger
portion Of our North Dakota lnGemnity
lands. The decision is grossly unjust
and wrong 10 Saw. but it affords nus an
opportunity to secure the indemnity
lands by the substitution OF indemnity
losses, and sm now preparing lists OF
.other lands to substitute ia case our at
,torneys advise tkat.it be done. In any
event, think that within a few months
we shall secure Que patents for the in
demnity lands, and the settlement Of the
same will be very eapld. l expect the
activity IN land sales during the next
year at the east end OF the grant will be
largely confined to North Dakota, and
the class OF settlers that We are now
working to secure are, in my Judgment,
OF the best.
II think one Of the serious evils North
Dakota has been obliged to contend
with in the past ,s the sales of Northern
Pacific lands in large blocks for invest
ment, or for farming Non a large scale.
It is true that the bonanza farmers
broke up and put under cultivation q
very large area of land, but the occu-
pants Of the lands were but few, and
only during the crop and harvest season.
When the grain was harvested and chip
ped, the owners of these large farms,
together with their employees generally
left the state until the following spring
What North Dakota requires more than
anything else is more settlers per square
mile. and the bonanza farmers are now
helping to accomplish this result by cut
tlng up their farms in smaller tracts. and
selling them out on the crop payment
plan. This will OF course, insure per-
manent settlers to the extent that they
make sale, and look forward to rapid
increase IN the population OF North Da-
kots during the next few years. This