New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-26
.TBE SLEEPING EMPIRE BEYOND"

"The Minneapolis Journal has gathered to-
gether some interesting facts In regard 10 west
ern Canada 1.-The land OF the warm. wet, western
wind and the far-fiung. fenceless prairie, "hch
the late American Consul Taylor nj winnipeg
called 'the sleeping empire beyond Noting
rho recent great influx OF Americans TO this
region. The Journal says: eve view this
movement with satisfaction rather than alarm.
Fertile Western Canada is bound TO be setued
.soon We prefer 10 have 1t settled by Anerl-
scans rather than by an alien population. At
1.-The present rate the Canadian population OF
western Canada will be outnumbered by
Americans in ten years. and In twenty years
..they will be lost in the torrent of Americans
..who will carry with them, settling In colonies
''as they do. American customs, views and sym
"nothies The American population in Western
Canada Will within twenty years comprise
..onefourth of the whole population or the
Dominion and will be n powerful factor IN
..Dolitics If they do not initiate the Outlanders
.'of the Transvaal and bring Western Canada
Into the Union. they VIII certainly succeed III
shaping the policy OF the Dominion so that IL
will always be friendly TO the United states
land will constitute an admirable Offset to the
sentiment that might otherwise draw CANADA
"into closer relations with the British Empire
much, perhaps. to our injury Apparently
however Canada does not fear this possible
Americaniza ton for she is offering the most
liberal inducements TO American emgrants
MANY of these, in fact. declare that nowhere
else on the American continent can the settler
now find such an opportunity ~ make home
and prosper rs is presented In Western Canada.
In Manitoba and Assiniboia alone there are
co 600 600 acres Of rich arabic land, which could
easily support a population OF 100000 with
nresent nopulation of only 100000. Much OF
This land formerly sold for So an acre. but
owing to the present immigration the price for
favored sections has gone up to 81 and some
times SIS an acre. Even $50 an acre has been
offered for choice lands In Southern Manitoba.
The soil of this land is so deep that its fertility
IS practically ineXhaustbe, and many far
sighted American capitalists are purchasing
large blocks of it. In order to open up this
country the railroads building numerous
extensions. and soon there will be prosperous
settlements in regions that were not even sur
veyed a few years ago. Last year this region
raised g. 1875 42S bushels Of hard wheat, the best
In the world from 2520399 acres. The average
wheat yield on this land is - bushels to the
acre while 40 bushels OF barley and AZ bushels
Of oats are common. The value of Manitoba's
crops last year was $4O,O0O,0OO. which was dis
trbuted among a population Of 246464 Sas-
katchewan lying north of Assiniboia, with an
area of $4,000 square miles. Is being
opened up by railroads, and Americans are find
ing their way there. 1t has large wheat grow
ing district and is well adapted for cattle
raising Fine land IN this territory may be had
ON the settlers own terms. The western por-
ton of Assiniboa and most of Alberta are
prairie land, and admirably adapted for
cattle raising Indeed, large fortunes have
already been made in this industry Between
the Red River and the Rockies It is estimated
that there are 60 600 miles of coal bearing strata,
hardly any of which has yet been developed.
The popular idea that the climate Of Western
Canada is severe has been n serious obstacle to
its development. 1t is true the winters are
cold but not much more than in Minnesota
and the DakOtas. On the other hand the warm
Western Canada, especially Alberta, distinctly
more temperate than some of the Northwestern
States. The equable climate Of Alberta is highly
praised by ali Americans who have settled in
it, and its Rocky Mountain resorts such as
Banff Glacier and Field, are patroniZed largely
by Americans, especially by sufferers from
hay fever Even where the winters are found
10 be severe there is an offset in the fact that
the days in summer are long and vegeta-
tion thus gets great deal Of sunlight AS to
the general conditions of the cOuntry-climatic
social and poltical-'The Journal" prints signed
letters from former citizens of the Northwestern
States who declare that they are entirely salts
fed. The laws are just the taxation is light.
built. Many Americans indeed, who have taken