Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-06-04

mercial West, on the land question OF
today, appears the following:
AS a inter of good business policy
the railways have been tireless in
their efforts to bring in new settlers.
Their immigration departments have
accomplished wonders, and long be-
fore the and men began to organize
colonies of settlers the railways were
methodically collecting them and To-
eating them on free land. AS a matter
of fact there has been no land bust
ness in some localities where there
were no land grants to break up until
the settlers brought in by the railroads
had secured an alienable title to their
lands. Colonies of purchasers, wheth-
er by land companies or railways, are
organized largely by the personal soil
citations of agents who usually begin
by taking some we'll known person to
inspect the land. Ii his report is ia
vorable the work of persuading his
ACA5AOOAS w sell 10 NiSOlOuoiy OC6uh.
There are many interesting details in
this work of getting people to new
land that must be passed by without
mention.
Land values and the population
movement have been interactive. The
rise in values has attracted population
to one portion of the country and driv-
en- it from another. Thus, the ILL
nois farmer with 800 acre land. has
seen hat as good land can be obtained
in northern Iowa and southern Mime
sofa for from $50 to SIS an acre, so
he has sold his 800 land and taken up
cheaper Iowa and Minnesota land
Very likely the farmer who bought
there was looking for a chance to sell
his $50 land because he had found
that he could get as good land in South
Dakota, northern Minnesota and North
Dakota for from 81 to $50 an acre. and
so he has moved. And then again, the
northern Minnesota and North Da.
kota mar has moved on to s. land and
the movement has rolled over into
Canada and now they are ever jump
ing by the thousands from the $1oC
and $75 land of Illinois and Iowa to
he S. and SO land of western Canada
st. Paul will soon have to yield to
| yVinninop a c tho chinf land cn11irn o;tx
of the continent. The millions OF
acres OF good. arabic land in western
Canada still remains in the possession
Of the government. The Canadian
Pacific still has IA. 900 900 of its orig
inal land grant of $4,000, 900 acres
The Hudson Bay Co. still owns mos
of the twentieth of all land in western
Canada which it secured when it SUI
rendered the trading monopoly it hat
for two centuries, and there are man,
other large grants. And there is NJ
doubt that large grants will be mad
to several railroad companies nov
planning transcontinental lines. AS tn
cheap lands disappear in the Unite,
States the demand Of Americans TO
Canadian land will rapidly increase.
But the Canadian food for the Amer
lean land hunger will by no mean
satisfy it. American patriotism keep
and will continue to keep the majorit
of the movers and land hungry fror
taking a home in a region over whicI
! We shall have more and more attentioN
paid to irrigation plans and to metf
DDS of cultivating arid or semi-ari
lands without irrigation. The irrigs
ton act, passed by the first session {
the F~ifty-seventh congress has bee
correctly called the second homestea
act. If it's provisions are earnestl
/ carried out and the benefited lands ar
sedulously guarded against the spec'
10000 600 acres that will yet /
brought under cultivation by NEAR
of irrigation will mean an increase
o our population supporting capacity
n about sc, 900 900 persons. One hu
6 bred million acres mean $500 OF
irrigated farms Of 40 acres eec
E. That means a population for the In
n ians. About 10. 0OO, 900 acres we
n granted by congress to the railroa'
d and about 5000, 900 more were grant,
to the state as school, swamp and So
IT, cial fund lands. The bulk Of the I
N mainder of the area Of the state, whit
~ in 1850 was almost entirely own
by Indians or by the government, h
been taken up by private persons
n, homesteads or has been acquired
rectly from the government in vario
other ways.
n. The railways receiving land graz
have never made it their policy to he
lands indefinitely for a rise in pric'
st. but have considered it their duty