, 1904-04-11

Western railroads are turning their
attention more and more TO immigra-
ton and colonization. Rates are annu-
ally made to home-scakers to induce
them to visit the undevelOpcd country
adjacent to the various lines. with the
hope that they may settle therein,
build up towns and farming COmmunl-
ties and thus augment traffic. Rail
road agents are constantly employed
In working up this business. Thou
sands of dollars are spent in placing
the advantages of the different scc-
items before the people of the east.
Among the agricultural projects,
railroads have aided in promoting in
Wyoming are the Wheatland colony. in
which the Union Pacific first and the
Colorado and Southern SECOND have
taken considerable interest: the pro-
ject to the north of the Platte near
o Laramie, aided by the Burlington.
and the several projects in the Big
Horn basin and elsewhere in northern
Wyoming, aided by the same company.
By bringing in farmers the companies
have developed the state and enor-
mously increased their business.
Through business is desirable. of
course, but it is not as certain or as
profitable as hat business built up by
the establishment of permanent and
thrifty communities along the routes.
Recently the Overland route has
been turning its attention to the sale
Of its lands to ranchmen and immi-
grants seeking homes in the west
Many tracts. both large and small.
have beer disposed of. to the great ad-
vantage of the company and the coun-
try through which it passes. New
homes have been established by the
thousands and happy, contentcd and
prosperous people are devoting all
their energies to the reclamation of
the desert.
II it is profitable to aid in the build
ing up of new towns and farming COM
munities, why is it not profitable to
aid the maintenance and upbuilding
OF the old?
To illustrate, attention is elected to
the matter of the Laramie rolling mill.
What might be termed a colony of five
hundred people has been receiving sup
port at Laramie and has been aug
menting the traffic of the company to
as great a degree as any like number
OF people in its territory. Permanent
homes have been built and the people
have become part and parcel of this
community and, it might be said, of
the corporatio nitself. To take away
the means of support is like turning
away from Union aPclic soil a colony
of five hundred souls. More, it is cast
ing adrift families who have formed
friendships here covering a period OF
many years. They are united with the
churches and secret societies and their
lear departed are buried in the Lara
mic cemetery. If the financial scales
nearly balance. this moral side to the
question is worthy of the serious con
s%ideration of the management of the
Union Pacific in weighing any propo-
sition to reopen the rolling mill.
1t is true. too. that the lots upon
which the houses of a large number of
these people STAN were purchased
from the company at a valuation made
high by reason of the fact that the
rolling mill was in active operation
at the time the sales were made. To
permanently close the mill would be to
detract very materially from the price
of the homes established because of
its operation.
The Republican believes the Union
Pacific would be away ahead finan-
cially by the permanent operation of
the rolling mill. Directly it would n
doubtedly be able to make some profit;
indirectly the profit would be large.