Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-04-16

;he purpose Of working up immigration
'or that portion Of the state. These
etters stated that the counties OF Wells
md Foster were situated in the James
River valley and that that portion ot the
valley Wa sandy and barren district;
that there had bsen i've failures of crops |
within the past fourteen years in which |
land had been fsrmsd IN the valley; that |
he bad ridden over the oountry and
could speak truthfully and familliarly
OF tho country and in behalf Of those |
thinking OF coming to North Dakota
he advised them to come to Ramsey
county.
Later there appeared sfidsvits and
letters signed by other parties who lived
in the eastern part Of the state, to the
effect that that portion Of the country
Wells, Foster and Eddy countles-was
no good; the Russian thistle had ruined
all prospects of growing grain or wheat.
Accompanying these letters we're let.
ters by Max Bass, Hebrew, addressed
to Dunkard ministers saying that he
had the interests of the brethren at
heart and that the colonies started
along the line Of the Great Northern
road would be protected and fostered
and that any statement made by Rev. D.
81. Nicum, prominent and leading
elder of the Dunkard church, was not
substant1ated by any experience on his
part and that he (Bass) requested those
ministers to call Nicum down on any
statement that he might make and use
his (Bass) name for authority for SO
doing.
The truth Of the matter was tnat Mr..
Nicum spent eleven days of ,nvestlga-
tion in the vicinity OF Darlington since
moving there and had bought 16O acres
Of land. Accompanying MIR. Nicum
from his own county to this state were
some 60 families. This same county in
Indiana has, during the past two years,
sent out about 13O people who have
been induced by Max Bass to locate
along the line of the Great Northern,
while this year there we're only three
single men who left looking for work,
while the influence and truthful report
of Rev. Nicum had brought go families
to the state.
Not being satisfied with this kind Of
attack, they even went further, and the
last three weeks has seen their General
Baggage Agent Smart masquersdlng
through Indiana under an assumed
nsme-the name Of a gentleman con-
nected with the Northern Pacific ra,l.
road land making inquiries Of local
railroad men at different points in In
diana, and under this assumed name
asking where Dunkards lived that were
about to remove to North Dakota, to
Darlington, Wells, Foster or Eddy coun-
ties, and after learning these facts gong
to them and telling them that the
country (while they had no interest IN
It, yet were very familiar with it, was
a sea Of hot sand and the treatment that
they would receive from the hands Of
the Northern Pacific would be villainous;
that the road is in the hands of re-
ceiver, and # any OF their stock was
killed or injured they would never re-.
ceive any pay for it. This and others
were the arguments used. In fact he
approached one Dunkard who is very
worthy man In his community and told
him this tale about the hot sand and all
the other mlsfortunes which he declared
existed in that vicinity, when the gentle
man quietly told him that he only had
one remark to make and that was he had
but recently returned from that very
locality and the statements could not be
made with truth. Smart, by name and
not by nature, stole away.
The Dunkards said that on their way
to North Dakota the Great Northern
agents surrounded the different depots
leading into Chicago and, having had re-
presentatives 100 or $50 miles out, as the
trains came to Chicago, they attacked
these people with the same arguments
and misrepresentation and induced
quite number to change their route.
They used the argument that by taking
the Great Northern line they would be
in their own communities where the
brethren we're doing we'll, while itthey
came to Darlington, to Wells, Eddy and
Foster counties (the above letters being
shown them, )they were led to believe that
they would never be able to make
living. When these SIX delegations dr.
rived, Wisconsin Central and Great
Northern men surrounded these people
and grabbing their baggage started them
off before they could be appraised of the
fact that they were not in the hands of
the Northern Pacific employees. In
fact baggage had to be taken out Of the
hands of Great Northern employees
altar thay had haan askad NV tho hrath