The Kalispell bee., 1902-08-22
TO BUILD UP
NORTHWEST
Hundreds of Thousands Come From
Eastern States to Rocky Mountains.
HOW THE RAILROADS HUSTLE
There Is No Money in the Homeseek-
ers' Movement the First Year, But
the Returns Come in Strong Within
Few Years.

Emigration from the Eastern and
middle states this year promises to
far exceed the figurese for last year,
which were the most remarkable In
the history of the great westward
movement of population. Last year
200, 900 souls were addeu to the popu-
lation of the far west. This year, the
more optimistic railroad officials pre-
dict that a quarter of million people
will remove from the Atlantic and
middle states to the Rocky mountain
and Pacific coast region.
The reasons for this great move
ment are two fold The first and
most important is that the northern
transcontinental lines were so sue
cessful in procuring settlers for the
wild lands in their territory last year
that the southern lines became en-
vious They wanted a share of the
business and they made elaborate
preparations to obtain It. Early last
winter a meeting of the representa-
tives of the southern lines was held
in Chicago, at which arrangements
were made to send one thousand
agents into the east to induce emil
grafton to the great southwest. Home
seekers excursions at extraordinary
lily low rates were arranged. AS a
result of their efforts the southern
transcontinental lines hope to place
settlers on 100000 acres of vacant
land in California, Arizona New Mex
leo and Texas. Of course, the north
ern lines were fully informed of the
movements Of their rivals Naturally
they redoubled their own eXertions
to secure settlers for their own lines.
The inevitable result was a great in
crease in emigration, especially when
added to the second great cause, the
| inducements held out by the new set
tiers in the west to their relatives
and old neighbors in the east.
Investigations by the census bu-
reau, while not so nearly up to date
as those procurable from the rail
roads, are, nevertheless, interesting.
| These census bureau figures show
| that migration from the Atlantic to
the central states is decreasing abso-
lutely and relatively; migration from
the Atlantic states to the western
states is increasing absolutely, but
decreasing relatively, and migration
from the central to the western states
is increasing both absolutely and rel
atively.
The directors of the census in state
ment concerning migration said:
"No feature in the history of Amer
ican population during the nineteenth
century has been more conspicuous
than the tide of migration pushing
westward from the Atlantic coast to
| the Pacific. There is no statistical in
| formation by which this current can
be accurately measured, but import
ant indications regarding its magni-
tude can be derived from compar-
| ing the state of birth with the state
of residence. To get summary re-
view of the results the states and ter
ritories may be divided into those of
the Atlantic coast the central states
and the western states. The natives
of the Atlantic coast states living in
the central group in 1880 were 2 $780,
938; in 1890, they were 2,408,627.
In the last twenty years the ma
tives of the Atlantic coast states liv
ing in the central states have de
creased by 482,311, While the mum
ber of fasteners in the central states
has been declining the total popula
ton of the central states has beer
rapidly increasing. In 1880, II pei
cent of the total population of the
central states were born in TIE At
lantic states; in 1890, 10 por cent;
in 1900, 6 per cent.
The natives of the Atlantic coast
states living in the western division
were 23S,165 in 1880; 362,097 in 1890
and 387,815 in 1900. This current o
migration is still increasing, but the
amount of increase in the last ter
years was much less than in the per
iod from 1880 to 1890 Although i
has grown, the total population of the
western division born in the Atlantic
states were, in 1880, 1875 per cent; il
1890, II per cent, and in 1900 onl.
9.5 per cent of the total population
But at the present time, the Atlantic
coast states have contributed large
: per cent to the population of thu
western division than they have II
the population of the central di
: vision.
Looking at the subject of emigra
ton from the view point of a rail
road man, it is a most interesting
one. When an ordinary. citizen see
: settlers train running in three see
tions, he is inclined to say to him
. self ''"There's a good bit of none
for the railroad" But that only show
his ignorance. There is ne money il
that train rTbnra will hn III,