The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-31
CITY NEWS.
VIEWS AT VARIANCE
Land Agents Disagree as to Value
of State Immigration
Bureau.
Some Indorse Heartily; Others
Think Settlers Are Coming
Fast Enough.

There Is great difference Of opinion
among those familiar with the conditions
and resources OF the state as to the value
of state bureau Of immigration, pro-
vided by legislative bill now pending.
Some give the plan unqualified indorse-
ment while others unreservedly stamp it
as an unnecessary waste of public funds.
These differing views are held by per-
sons engaged in the same line Of business.
w. D. Washburn, Jr., who is extensively
interested In Minnesota lands, thinks the
proposition to establish such a bureau an
important one and worthy of considera-
II think it is an excellent plan. and it
should be carried out at once" said Mr..
yVashburn, land it Is not for selfish rea-
sons that I favor the proposition. The
state would derive immediate benefit
from a larger immigration, if only from
the additional taxes derived from the i'm
provement of what idle lands.
The expense Of maintaining such bureau
would be a mere trit1e as compared with
the almost immediate benefits.
"The indications are that from 60. 900 to
100000 persons are going into Canada, this
year from the United States. Large num-
bers are going from the states south and
east of us to North Dakota and the Pa
ci1c coast states, passing right over us to
get lands which are no better than our
own, at prices just as high and higher.
According to my Idea some Of these peo-
pie should be induced to locate here.
minneapolis and other Minnesota cities
should favor any proposition that would
bring settlers into the state. The growth
of this city is naturally dependent upon
the development of the country tributary
to it."
A. L. crocker Opposes.
Minnesota. has passed the stage when
she needs any artificial booming" said
~f o
are actively interested in the work of COL
onizng the northern part Of the state.
",Ten years ago an immigration bureau
with capable man at the head might
have accomplished something. The state
not growing very rapidly at that time
+. and the railroads were not doing a great
deal Of work in the construction of
branches or feeders into the unsettled
sections. Then was the time to have an
immigration commissioner.
Its too late now for the simple rea-
son that the people are already coming
as fast as they can be taken care Of The
railroads extending settlers will fol-
. low the railroads and the overflow will
people the country between the lines. It
is not the best thing for the state to have
too big influx of settlers at one time.
A gradual, steady growth is much more
healthy and hence more valuable
Olaf o. Searle Of the A. E. Johnson
company. which has been engaged for a
generation in colorizing Minnesota ,ap-
proves of the bureau of immigration. pro-
,~Vided the right kind of is secured
as commissioner.
I'VE have in this state. between the
Northern Pacific railway and the Cana ;
ulan boundary. a vast stretch of country
which, in the main, is very sparsely set
tied. Mr.. Searle to-day. "It has been
overlooked in years past, and we then
thought that it was Of little or no account
When the timber was cut off, We have
now awakened to the fact that It is very
valuable for certain purposes, and the
time has now come to people it. Anything
! that would hasten the settlement of this
part of the state would naturally prove
or benefit TO the whole state.
minnesota could afford to mainta in
such bureau for some time to come,
and it would pay for itself many times
s over II properly conducted"
J. c.. Young Thinks Not.
I can see no good purpose to bo
achieved by establishing such a bureau"
B remarked James G. Young, a large deale1s
IN lands. unless it is to give some orc
political sinecure. The state does not
need 1t, for it is filling up as fast as the
true friends of the state could wish. All
the land agents are rushed to death to
lake care of the business that comes to
lhe1n. The present growth is na tural and
substantial and anything like a boom is
to be deprecated. There is such thing
as crowdng the people in too fast, faster
than the development Of the country, can
4 take care OF them, and such forced boom
would be- followed by a reaction which
would do more harm than good. We have
plenty of precedents before us and should
not be anxious for any more" b. e =