The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-06-15
WEDNESDAY, JUNE IS, 1904
IMMIGRATION THE BUILDER

7 he GIOb e believes that the con-
YentiOn which met yesterday in st.
Paul to consider immigration and the
possibility of encouraging the move
moving on right lines, and that effort
SO guided will be the builder of a new
and enlarged prosperity. It believes
that there is in this more of promise
and of benefit for all sections of the
state, for all our people whatever their
occupations and for all our material
interests, than in any other project
that has been mooted. We therefore
urge on the~part Of the people the clos
est interest and the most ardent sup
port for the work that the representa-
stives of the immigration movement de-
sire to further. .
The main dependence of the people
of Minnesota must forever be upon the
products of the soil. Other resources
we have, but their contributions to the
stock of wealth are destined to decline
rather than to grow. We are pre- emi-
nently an agricultural community; and
plans for future progress must be made
in harmony with this fact. Our SPLEEN
did transportation agencies are vaIu-
able to US as they help to carry cheaply
to the worlds markets the products of
our fields and to supply those who till
them with the necessaries of life. Our
cities upon whose increase in popula-
ton and in volume of business we
justly pride ourselves, will grow no
faster and no farther than the broad
foundation of agricultural prosperity is
sufficient to support. The farm is the
unit; is the germ cell out of which all
our hopes must be developed.
Now there is room and to spare in
Minnesota for indefinite increase. The
slightest examination shows that the
soil already under cultivation is ca
pable, under better methods and. with
the application of greater industry. Of
yielding from two to four times its
present output of wealth. And then
there is the great unoccupied domain.
an empire in itself, untouched, watt
ing for the plough. There is as much
land to be had as there is already I'M
der tillage. We can estimate its possi-
bilities as a producer of wealth and a
supporter of population only when we
consider the present circumstances of
great states like New York that are in
ferior to US in many natural resources.
The first movement is to direct popu-
lation upon these lands That is the
great need of Minnesota today as much
as it was in the earliest eras of her his
tory Then it was self-apparent, and
for years the resources and the interest
of our people We're concentrated upon
swelling the volume of immigration.
With the development of territories
and states to the westward, the atten-
ton of incomers was diverted. and we
began to fall into the idea that all we
had to do was to develop by internal
growth. Out of this dream it is the
purpose of the immigration advocates
to rouse our people. All the great com
monwealths- between us and the Pa
eifie, all the vast spaces of the Cana
dian Northwest are searching for the
immigrant and enticing him to make
his home with them. 1t is time for MS
to get to work again
1t is far easier task than It ever
was before. In those earlier days we
were on the frontier, and certain .por-
ton OF hardships must be endured by
those who cast in THEN lot with us.
Now we have everything 10 offer. This.