The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-03-21
PINS FAITH
TO MONTANA
GREAT FUTURE IN STORE FOR
THE STATE.
OPINION OF RAILROAD MAN
Gives Reasons Why Not More of
Homeseekers Are, Coming
at Present.

lust before the two northern trans
continental roads became ~blockaded
several eastern railroad officials pass
ed through the state on a tour of the
northwest. Among them was G.. Fl.
MacRae. assistant general passenger
agent Of the Chicago. st. Paul, Min
n~eapolis & Omaha, a branch Of the.
Chicago & Northwestern system. The
party stopped at Helena end there Mr..
HacRae Submitted TO an interview in
which he gave his impressions of
Montana, and also had something 10
say concerning the class of people who
are composing the parties al home
seeksers now focking INFO the north
west. AS his remarks possess inter
est to the people of this pert of the
state as well as to those in whose i'm
mediate naighborhood they were
made and are applicable to all of Men
tana, a portion of his interview is
reproduced. He said:
Montana presents a wonderful field
for development along agricultural
lines, and once federal aid to irriga-
ton has been secured there will be
a growth IN this state that will aston
ish the country"
After telling of the number of home
seekers his road had brought into
the northwest from Illinois, Ohio and
Iowa, he said of the immigrants: "It
may not be generally known, but the
northwest is getting the best class of
the people who are seeking some spot
in the land of the setting sun where
they may settle. Very many If them
have money enough to set themselves
up in their new homes, and the state
that gets them is going to profit great
ly by their coming.
'The majority of the immigrants
come from Iowa. Montana will get
a goodly number of the h~omeseekers,
but of course not nearly so many as
will Washington and North Dakota.
This fact is due to- the other fact that
there is not in Montana as much ara
BILE land as the immigrant can find in
the other states. Here you have plen-
ty OF water and plenty of land-the
only trouble being that they are not
yet properly connected. Once this is
done, there will be an thrush of farm
ers that will astonish the country. AS
it is now this country is pouring wa
ter into st. Louis, which prefers beer.
and the liquid might better be used
for contributing to the making of but
ter and milk. I sincerely hope that
congress will pass the law that is now
under consideration. Nothing will
help Montana so much as getting her
water onto her land.
I am firmly of the belief that the
northwest is to become one of the
greatest sections of the United States.
1t is a natural law that the people
will gravitate to the place where they
can make a living easiest. They want
a place to eat and sleep, where they
can work under the best conditions,
and where they can find a tree out of
which to construct a house. Here
you have all these things, and the
time is not far way when the people
in the older states will take advantage
of them. They are just now beginning
to realize what there is out this way.
If the railroads think thew are doing
great business now I wonder what
they will think when the movement
takes on it's full life"