Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-07-26
NEEDS IMMIGRATION
RAILROADS HAVE UNDERTAKEN
DEVELOPMENT OF IT N
THE SOUTH.
However It IS Claimed by 7airoa1
Mar Many Obstacles Are IN
the Way.
the Way.

Washington. July - Officials d
railroads in the south. who aa4-
taken up the movement initiated ~
the government for industrial aee-l
opment of that part Of fhe counfz
especially with reference to fnrnin2
the tide of immigration southwark
are learning that conditions are far
different from those which were
faced a generation ago by the western
railroads when they were develop
ing the far and middle west
That the south needs the immf-
grants and that the west =does not
are two facts insisted apo1 by tha
men who are working for Dixie
land But the obstacles TO Be en.
countered are most difficult
NJ Y Richards, land and indus
trial agent of the Southern railway
whose headquarters are at Washing
ton, gives a graphic statement Of
these difficulties Mr. Richards or-
ganized for the Northen Pacific COM
pany seventeen years ago the first in
dustrial department conducted by
any road in the west and made it
great success About nToht years ago
ne vent to the Southern railway. and
has since been laying he foundation
for southern immigration a. De.
velopment movement. which IS low
beginning to assume significant pro-
portions
"Out in the west explained Mr..
Richards today, every railroad al
most in those days was a land grant
road The business of the Industrial
department was TO induce settlers to
come and live on these la,1s We
had lands to sell II is different
now. We have no ehean lands Of
our own market Ever" dollar hat
the industrial department Of south
ern railroads spend must be written
on the ledger in red It's all outeo;
no income. except indirectly
Il remember when | worked in the
west with the duoble object Of mar
keting the lands owned by the rail
roads and also of getting people who
would develop the country and de-
velop business. The railroads could
afford to spend 4 fair proportion of
the incomes from their lands in order
to get the people ami 70 ger thoir
everything working their way, for
the steamships that brought the inn
migrants stopped IT the northern
ports, the railroads ran westward
from these points and finally, as the
years passed. there w"re ties of as
sociation and relationship between
the newcoming immierants and he
reatives and friends who wnra al
ready located in the north.
This particular attraction mas. Of
course, grown mora ard more power
ful az the years have passed When
you realize the proportion II new i'm
migrants who come ia part At least.
with money sent to hem by friends
In America who have brothers or
sisters or parents or children already
here, who come from neiehborhoods
in the Old Worla which have sent
perhaps scores of their people in col
onies 10 this countrv-taking all these
features into consideration you eah.
moi fail to see that he west and |
0rshwest have an immense advant- |
ape by reason of being first in the
field.
an The beginning it was cheap
lands which the railroad companies
were anxious TO sell. AS the latter
were sold off these ties Of relation
shin and association drew the new
comers. Naturally, it is hard to ger
the seandinavians, Bohemians, panes
and Fins 10 go south, because they
know that there are communities ot