Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-02-23
COMMITTEES DIS.
CUSS Immigration
CONTINUED from Page -

northwest. Of course, those going to
the southwest are so remote from our
territory that naturally should not ex-
pect to hear from them; but June frosts
and voracious mosquitoes have been the
burden of many letter / have received,
utterly unsolicited on my part, from
those who have been persuaded to To-
cate in the Canadian northwest prov
inces, and while undoubtedly many land
agents have made considerable money
by turning over Canadian lands while
the demand for them was strong, think
| that during the next two or three years
we shall see the current moving again
/ southwark.
1T could have been kept from going
| beyond the borders of North Dakota
| had the state been alive to its opportun-
tiles, and spent reasonable amount of
| money to advertise its own resources. l
have no criticism to offer on the meth
DDS that have been employed. All I
care to say is that they have been pitt
fully insufficient. Had one tenth of the
money which has been spent by the
Canadian government, been appropriated
and judiciously expended by the state of
| North Dakota, the population of the
state could easily have been doubled.
You have free government land in
abundance, but the impression has been
produced upon many minds that the
only place it could be obtained was in
the British provinces. l have not in my
possession a complete statement of the
amount of government land still open
for homestead entry in North Dakota,
but l recently secured the figures for
thirteen counties, embracing those tribu-
tary to the Northern Pacific, practically
from the James river to the western
boundary of the state, and find that in
them there are over eight million acres
of government land open for settlement
| Complaint is sometimes made that
the tide of emigration is moving west
ward and passing through North Da-
kota. One reason for this may be found
in the fact that some of the western
states are spending money to secure
emigration, and they are securing it..
The state of Washington, for instance,
is publishing and distributing by the
thousand, book descriptive of the re-
sources of that state, copy of which
have with me, and they are not only
sending this book to persons writing for
it, but have furnished us with thousands
of copies, so that we can distribute it
where we think it will do good. 1t is no
wonder that people are going to Wash
lngton, when the state is taking such
pains to convince landseekers of the ad-
vantages which it offers.
| 1t is not for us to discriminate in
favor of any one of the states through
which we run and from which we de-
rive our revenue. We are glad to do
all we can for all of them, but you can
readily understand how, in this, as in all
other matters, natural laws work them
| selves out, and the state or country
which sows the seed, reaps the harvest.
| have no hesitation in saying that the
road l represent has expended more
labor and money in settling North Da-
kota than any other state on the line,
but there are other states through which
we run which have done more for them
| selves than has North Dakota, and if it
is true that the tide of emigration is go
ing further west instead of stopping
| within your borders, l do not think it
is necessary for me to say anything fur
Their in the way of pointing out the rea-
| Ss'6S>SlAAAS
| 10 develop state and bring peoples
notice to its natural advantages as well
as to the advantages that can be made
by toll, there is not vast difference be-
tween the promotion that any wholesale
! house or any commercial body have to
| pursue. You have got everything in this
state to make good state, and the
number of people we have brought here
most all are contented, the discontents
being less than one half of one per cent.
You must advertise and tell the people
what they may obtain, if you are to be
| noticed among the numerous localities
that are seeking for settlement. Compe
titlon is severe from the south, west and
| north, and even today the southern
states, even as far east as the Norfolk
hats, are endeavoring to get men from
Michigan and Indiana to go there for
garden and truck farming. You can
hardly go into any eastern or western
state but what you find competition from
all other localities, and you find that
other states are progressive enough to
have their printed matter vouched for
by the officials of the state. This print
ed matter You can find in almost every
valley and hilltop of the eastern, middle
and western states. The Northern Pa
clhc, having disposed largely of its lands
IN this state, cannot take the position it
formerly did. We must rely upon those
who own the lands and the states who
own state lands and are anxious to seek
the settlement of government lands to
advertise in most systematic manner,
for in distributing this class of advertis-
ing 1t gives character and influence that
no other person or corporation can
give" =. g. = !"