The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-19
! : F.. 81 81 + r. /. 3 = E y p ~
RAILROADS.
TO TRY HILL PLAN.
Union Pacific Will Strive to Fill
Western Lands With
Settlers en-
! ( : y ~ :,
Merely Nominal Sums to Be- Asked
of Those Who Will Develop
EARNS. .a
Special to The Journal

Special to The Journal - '
Omaha, Neb.. Oct dissatisfied that
the plan in operation for a year, to
place the vast area Of semiarid lands
along the Union Pacific railroad in the
hands Of homebuilders is failure and
that 1t is no longer financially eX-
pedlent to pay the government large
sums annually in taxes, the executives
of the railroad have decided to adopt
radically different means. to promote
colonization and secure relief from
taxation -'
This will be the opening for free
settlement of a part of the lands in
western Nebraska and Kansas, east
ern Colorado and all Of Wyoming.
Possibly nominal sums will be asked
of the settlers, but the plan is practic-
ally the same as that adopted by
James J. Hill in the northwest two
years ago with gratifying success.
1t was believed by the officials in
charge Of the land department Of the
Hartman road year ago that the
establishment of central office at
Chicago with branches in the other
cities Of Importance along the line for
the sale of lands at small prices would
result In immigration outstripplng
similar previous movements. What
the expedient actually accomplished
was considerably increased receipts at
the expense of decreased colonization.
Syndicates purchased the land for
speculative purposes and there were
fewer immigrants than in a single year
for a decade. The average price Of
land disposed of during the past year,
the statistics show to be greater than
during the previous years. The acre
age disposed of was less and the coun-
try was not populated as thiclSly and
quickly as was expected by the origin
atOrS of the plan. g.. =
At the next meeting of the directors
will
be submitted and recommended by
officials at Omaha. By that time it is
expected that congress will have
passed the bill throwing open for set
tlement the lands in the Rosebud In
dian reservation in Gregory county,
South Dakota, of which there are
$1,000 acres, homes for $500 settlers.
The rth-Western road last year
completed an extension into this do
main and is making an aggressive eff
fort to promote it's development, so
that if the Union Pacific opens con-
siderable part of it's western unoccu-
pied possessions at the same time, it
is not unlikely that the greatest set
tiers rush in western land annals will
be seen.
Mr.. Hartman is said to have con-
Guided with Mr.. Hill that selling off
land obtained under government
grants at prices now prevailing is an
unprofitab BILE way to settle a country
and develop railroads. The secret Of
profit-getting for the railroads in years
to come is colonization. What the
railroads want is not to be rid Of the
land, but to get settlers.
The motives of the railroads stand
revealed when the statement is, made
that the Union Pacific carries twice.
the tonnage from west to east as it
does from east to west. What the
railroads want lisffrefght from the east.
Settlers alone will solve the problem
of how to get it.
The Union Pacific's total land grant
originally amounted. to 49, 47,S44.24
acres. The selling of land commenced
in 1858 and to-day there is still for
sale 100000 acres.
Behind the idea Of peopling the west
with prospective passengers and ship
pers there is another motive influence
ing the Union Pacific. BY an act of
congress approved July 10, 1885,; all
the granted lands, excepting those I'M
surveyed, and those situated in unor-
ganized counties, were made taxable
and under this act the company has
since paid a total Of $3132,16735
taxes. Men directing the finances of
the road have reached. the conclusion
that the burden is one to be thrown
aside at the earliest possible moment.