Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-04-16
SECURE Free Homo In tho Fertile
Wheat Fields of Western Canada.


Wheat Fields of Western Canada. !.
To the Editor: The emigration of
well-to-do farmers from the United
States to the Canadian Northwest has
assumed such proportions that organ
lied efforts are now fleing made by in
tercsted persons and corporations. to
stem the tide. The efforts are being
initiated chiefly by railway and real
estate interests in the States from
which the bulk of the emigration takes
place. The movement Of population
has taken from numerous States thou
sands of persons whose presence along
railways in these States made bust
ness for the transportation companies.
The movement has also become so
widely known that it has prevented
the settlcment of vacant lands along
these lines. parties who might have To-
Gated there being attracted to the free
and more fertile lands of Canada. The
the railway companies not only see
the vacant lands along their lines re-
main vacant, but they also see hun
drcCs of substantial farmers who have
helped provide business for these rail
ways move away and so cease their
contributions. The farmers have
moved to Canada because they We're
convinced that it would be to their
financial interest to do so. In NOV
ing they have been inconsiderate
enough to place their own financial
interests before those of the financial
interests of the railway corporations.
In addition to the railway corpora
tions real estate dealers are working
to stem the flow of cmigrants. OF
course every emigrant who goes to
Canada means the loss of commissions
ON land deals by real estate dealers.
Now a person has but to know what
the interests are that are trying to stop
the flow to know what motive is in
flucncinS INTERCOURSE. The emigration
means financial loss 10 railway corpo-
rations and TO real estate mon These
interests therefore are not directing
their opposition efforts out of any love
for the departing emigrants or out of
amy high patriotic motives. either.
They are doing so pMFely from selfish
interests. II is a matter of dollars and
cents with them. They are so patriot
ic, they are so consumed by love for
their fellow citizens, that they want
to prevent these fellow citizens going
TO Canada and getting free farms OF
the best wheat land in the world; and
instead they want to make them stay
on high-pricctl farms in The United
States, where they will continue TO
pour money into the pockets OF these
railways and real estate men.
Ono of the methods employed Ivy
these interests TO stem the tide is the
distribution of matter to newspapers,
painting Canada in the darkest colol's
These articles cmanatc ohicay from Il
bureau in st. Louis. They are sent
out at frequent intervals for simulta-.
neous publication. a writer is en-
ployc,l at high salary to prepare the
matter.
Moreover, statements absolutely at
variance with tho truth have lately
been published broadcast. These APP
pear chiefly in what plHport to lie let
tiers from persons who are alleged.
to have gone to Canada and become
disguised With it. Only a few of such
have been Published. and they con
tain statements that dire absurd In
their falsity. whether the parties
whose names appear in connection
/ with these letters liavc ever been 10
Canada, and, If so. their history viii @
there. is TO lie tlicraughly looked INTO.
The discovery Of their motive, like the
discovery of the motive of the inter
csts who are engineering the opposi
ton, may prove illumining. In tie
meantime, however. it may hc pointed
ont that only few of such letters
have appeared. but@since 1897 over
$1,000 American settlers have gone TO
the Canadian West Can any reason
able person suppose for moment iliat
il Canada was one quarter as bad as
represented in these Letters, the $1,000
Americans HOW there would remain
II. the country; or. if the Canadian
{ West had not proved the truth Of all
that WAS claimed for it, the papers of
every State in thc American North
west would rot be filled with letters
saying 50? Imagine 5000 aggressive
Americans deceived and not making
short shrift of their dcccivers. The
fact is, the $1,000 are we'll satisfied
and are encouraging their friends to
follow them.
Anyone who sees any of these dis
parasing letters should remember that
it is railway and rcnl estate interests
who have from purely selfish reasons
organized a campaign TO stem the flow
TO Canada. If Canada We're half as
bad as represented there would be no
need Of such an organization. The fact
that such exists IS of itself n magnfi-
cent tribute TO Canada. FINALLY. it
should not be forgotten that the let
iers published are brimful OF false
hoods and that $1,000 satisfied Ameri-
cans in the Canadian West constitute
living proof that such is the case.
The Canadian Government Agent
whose name appears In advertisement
elsewhere in this paper is authorized
TO give all information as to rates, and
available lands in Western Canada.