The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-22
HUNDREDS OF IMMIGRANTS MAY
BE EASILY SECURED.
FORM A DESIRABLE CLASS
Little Concerted Action Will Bring
Large Michigan Colony Here
Hint to Commercial Club.

Saginaw, Mich, March 49,. 1904
Especial correspondence of The ia
zette.) believe before leaving Bill
ings promised to communicate with
The Gazette That have not done
SO before was owing to the monotony
of events here.
landed in Michigan in the midst
of a blizzard which has lasted, with
slight exception, to the present and
today but little Improvement is mo-
ticed, as it is showing, wind blowing
and almost zero weather. A few
bright days and one or two rainy
ones started flood above this point
on the Flint and Shiawasse rivers
and the Saginaw river at this point
|is nearly overfowing. "A rain and q
little warm weather just now will
carry the water up Genesee street and
into the business places of the city.
Now, in view OF these conditions, it
would seem that all would need to
do to secure settlers tor the vast tract
of fertile lands being watered by the
Billings Land and Irrigation company
kwould be to state the facts and load
them on the train, properly labelled
and nature would do the rest; but
here comes the point wish to impress
upon the mind Of every .cftizen Of
Billings.
These people are looking for a,
warmer climate and they have to be
educated as to Montanas claim Ia this
direction and have industriously
labored to this purpose, and allow me
to say The Gazette has been my only
support, and to- offset that have the,
opposition of the Michigan Land assoc
citation and now u new organization,
"The Colonization Bureau of Michi-
gan Railroads Everyone knows that
they can find warm weather by going
south. Some believe they can by
going northwest, but when they are
told by my competitors that Montana
is 40 degrees below zero, they have q
chill and I have to apply an electric
thaw;ng machine to warm them up
again.
Michigan is organized to secure new
settlers and to keep old citizens. The
southern states are organized to Sc
cure new settlers and have active
men n the field, backed up, not only
by land owners, but by the state and
railroads. Their advertising resources
are unlimited and the railroads are
liberal with their transportation. Now,
it is time the citizens of Billings took
a hand in the work. With proper
advertising, right now, a large colony
of Al Michigan farmers could be Sc
cured. With this would come a can
merry, cheese factory and a creamery,
all of which, have the assurance Of
putting into Billings this summer,
besides numerous other industries
that would naturally follow the crowd.
In fact, with proper advertising. Bill
ings could double her population in
the next 12 months with class OF
people that would be the energy OF
the west.
l am not easily tired of talking and
l am at it almost necessarily, but
can't reach more than hundred at
a time and l am not placed in q
position to compete with those of the
south, who can show state, munich
pal and railroad force behind them.
1 can't even give transportation to
a delegation Of representative citizens. Il
our southern competitors can.
Surely the Commercial club OF Bill
ings means something besides local
amusement; if it does, why not open
its treasury to enhance the CONNER
cial possibilities of Billings and 1ts
surrounding country.
It is possible to exhaust the resour-
ces of an individual in a futile ehort
to advertise the wonderful possibdli-
ties of the Yellowstone valley, but
with the wealth of the city OF Bill
ings, great work could be done, ana
l feel it will be.
Yours for Greater Billings,
d. c. ASHMUN.