The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-07-14
TO POPULAT TED ES ERTS.

Officers of the Salvation ARMY,
which is now holding its information
al congress in London, have evolved a
stupendous plan OF populating the
arid regions of the West. They have
a scheme to remove the pauperized
classes from the great cities and make
them farmers. They want the gov
eminent to advance the money for
colonization scheme more ambitious
than any which the great colonizing
countries of Europe have ever yet
attempted. They had bill intro
duced at the last Congress to carry
out their scheme, and although the
bill was killed and the plan called
chimera, they are now lining up to
fight it through at the next session.
The Salvationists have figured it all
out. There is enough waste water
in the United States, they say, to
irrigste one-fifth of the arid lands, or
100, 900, 900 acres, and of this vast
territory only one-fifteenth. or about
1000, 900 acres, have already been
reclaimed. They estimate that the
government can settle families on
an acre, and in the bill which they
want passed Uncle Sam is to loan out
So, 600, 600 year to reclaim annually
nearly 200, 600 acres. This would
remove from the cities every year,
they estimate, more than 10, 900 fam
lilies, or about 80. 900 souls. Such a
project would not only pay for itself,
its advocates say, but also net rich
income. The money is all to be paid
back at 6 per cent interest.
Whenever the Salvation officers are
called visionary in advocating such
plan they point to the three colonies
which they have themselves estab-
lished in Colorado, Ohio and Califor-
mia. These settlements, aQgr egating
about five hundred men, women and
children, have cost about $500, 600,
but their founders say that all except
the youngest are now self-supporting.
The Salvationists say that the
United States is far behind Great
Britain in retaining waste lands by
government aid, aud for proof they
point to India and Egypt. In India
the Glitch has turned 5000, 900
acres of desert into harvest fields, and
in Egypt 5000, 600, and in each the
acreage reclaimed is being rapidly en-
larged each year. They do not quote
Mexico, however, as n odel. In
Mexico the peon still hoists up water
out of we'll or stream by means of
crude chain or buckets, which he
makes revolve with his feet.
When man applies at the Saliva
ton Army barracks in Fourteenth
street to become colonist he gener.
ally gives poverty as his chief reason.
Such plea, howevre, counts for
little. Unless the man is found able
bodied and willing to work, willing
to rough it for the first few years,
he is not wanted He must also have
u WilO WIN uCoiiCb w BO OnlJ tHc
other day, for instance, strong
limbed Scotohman visited the bar
racks, and he impressed all who talked
with him as being most desirable
colonist, until he answered question
concerning his wife by saying:
She's against our going. She
SAWS she would die of Inconsistencies
way out there, away from the ele-
waited railroads and the fish markets.
She says there wouldn't be enough
excitement for the brains, either.
No, don't know about her."
Then, my dear man. we cant
send YOU" said the officer in charge
"A house divided against itself can
not stand. IN. Y. Tribune.