The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-09
GOVERNMENT LANDS ARE RAPID
LY BEING PRE-EMPTED BY
NEWCOMERS FROM EAST
IRRIGATION WILL BE
NECESSARY TO MAKE ROOM
Low Rates Offered by Railroads In
duce Large Numbers to Seek New
Homes in Northwest-Eastern Farm
ers Find Relief From Limited Space
and Oppressive Rent.

Congress, in passing the irrigation
law, in my opinion" said Max Bass,
general immigration agent of the Great
Northern, enacted a measure that
will be recognized as important as
the homestead law. 1t will provide
thousands of people with agricultural
lands which are now lying idle, or are
used only for grazing. The govern
ment lands are rapidly being taken up,
continued Mr.. Bass, land it will not
be long before the available lands will
all be pre- empted. 1t is apparent that
in order to provide for a vast influx
of settlers into the Northwest it will
be necessary to reclaim the arid tracts
by irrigation.
"The number of settlers from the
East that have taken lands in Mime
sofa, Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wash
ington and Oregon has been greater
this year than ever before. The low
homeseekers' rates offered by the roads
have tendency to increase the tide,
but the great reason behind the move
ment is that the people Of the East
have many disadvantages from which
they are seeking relief in the new
regions of the Northwest. A large
proportion of the Eastern farmers till
rented soil, and the proceeds Of their
labor goes to pay the rent. They are
getting to see that they can buy an
entire farm in the Northwest for the
amount paid out for a single years
rent. Small farmers in the East can
get for the value of their farms five
times as much land out West as they
owned there.
you can buy five or six acres in the
Western states for the price you would
have to pay for one acre in the East.
Many that 1 know of have disposed of
high-p priced lands, and have secured
for the price they obtained for them
farms that are five times larger than
their old ones. The land is just as pro-
ductive as the land east Of the Mis-
sissippi. The settlers have raised crops
in two years that were large enough
to pay for their farms. The settlers
are mostly from the Central East, and
they are general farmers, cultivating
the soil and raising in addition to their
crop, stock, sheep and poultry. It Is
astonishing to see the progress made
by these settlers; when passing through
the country recently I was reminded
of the experience of Rip Van Wrinkle,
so great had been the improvements
and developments. The enterprise of
the settlers is remarkable, and the sue
cess of one inspires the others.
East Is No Longer Deceived.
"The Northwest has had q reputa-
ton for rigorous winters, but the set
tiers manage to get along, and the
Eastern folks are beginning to think
that If those that are there can stand
the weather they can also. The value
of land is materially increasing in that
section, and the rise is not owing to
speculation. but to the large demand"
Mr.. Bass, who has his headquarters
at Chicago, was in st. Paul yesterday
and will remain till the first of next
week.
The homeseekers' rush still con-
tinues. Yesterday the Great Northern
'Flyer' was carried in two sections, on
account of the large number of passen-
gers. This excursion is next to the
last Of the season; the next excursion
will leave here the third Tuesday Of
the month.