Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-17
Especial Correspondence of the Des0e Ncs BY Frank Cafcme

lands aud IN the traffic WhIah viii come
to the railroad through the settling OF
the country
AFTER OUR FARMERS.
understand that the Canadians cS-
poet to populate this country with
Americans. The railroad has given over
the first 10, 200 acres now rcady for
settlement p> AN American syndicate.
which has already made bis money In
selling tracts of spring wheat lands 70
immigrants from Minnesota, Dakota.
Iowa. Illinois ana otuer states. These
American agents have colonization Of
fces AT Calgary, and they are formu-
lating schemes By which they expect
90 canvass the irrigated sections of The
United STATES 10 induce our good farm
ar. 80 come hero and buy these lands
as fast as they are opened up. SAID
one of the syndicate to me the other
day.
I'VE will work those parts OF the
Union Just as k-publishlng house
works It's territory. Our selling agents
VIII 60 from farm to farm like the can
lasrer does selling books. and will In
ducD such us have money TO buy this
band on installments. n they are in
tfIoHed, we VIII food them with liter
amre and VIII probably bring them
- Canada at reduced rates OF trans
pcr,ati0u to show them what We have
To sell
Ia the meantime the lands are offer
ed az several times the price asked for
thf spring wheat lands farther north
and east; but the Canadians claim that
they are cheap on account Of the wa
ter which lnsures steady crops year
after year, regardless of seasons.
INTRODUCED BY "MORMoNs."
The practical possibility OF an irri-
gated Canada was suggested by the
"MOrmons." There are about 10000 OF
them now living on irrigated lands
near Lethbrldge, between here and the
United states boundary. They have es-
tablished towns, have built up a beet
sugar factory with a capital OF $1,000
600. have one Hour mill, which is now
turning out a carload of flour daily.
and they are. altogether one OF the
most thriving peoples of the new Can
ada.
These "Mormons" produced more
than 100000 bushels Of wheat last
year. and they are now shipping -four
direct to Japan and China They come
from the irrigated states Of Utah and
Idaho They farm on tracts of about
so acres each and I am told that they
raise two or three times as much on
such farms as can be raised In the
non-irrigated sections,
During my stay I'm Canada | have
visited this Mormon" country. 1t Is
reached by the line of the Alberta
Railway and Irrigation company,
which Is used largely TO carry coal
from Lethbridge down to Montana.
The lands are almost dead fiat, and
are cut up by canals fed by the st.
Mary's river
Seventy-hve thousand acres are al
ready under cultivation and the rail-
way and irrigation company above re-
ferred to has altogether almost 1000
GOO acres yet TO redeem, The COM
pany received n concession for a part
of these lands for opening M the coal
mines and building the railroad, and
looked upOn them as fitted only for
grazing until the "MOrmons' came in
and proposed to irrigate them. As II
Is, the irrigation works are only Ave
years old. and they have the town
of Raymond which has population
% 900. situated IN the heart Of them
and smaller settlements along the line
of the railroad.
talked with Peter y. Nalsmlth. the
manager OF the company and G. A.
Magrath, the land commissioner, about
its character and possibilities. They
toll me the lands are excellent and that
they are being rapidly settled Mr..
Magrath, while not a Mormon" him
self, has represented these people IN
the territorial Legislature, and has
known them from the time they came
to Canada. lie says they make ex-
cellent citizens and are conforming TO
the Canadian laws in every respect. |
asked him how they acted In regard
to plural marriages. He replied
NO POLYGAMY IN CANADA.
"The Canadian 'Mormons' are mo-
nogamists. We have some citizens who
were polygamists In Utah, but they
brought but one family each TO this
country Shortly after their arrival
they sent delegates TO Ottawa to ask
IL they might bring their plural wives
provided no further plural marriages
were made. Sir John Macdonald. who
was then premier, replied IN the mega.
tive, saying that, while he was glad
to have the 'Mormons' come to Cana
da, they could not live there unless
they obeyed the laws. AS result, the
extra wives remained where they
were"
III do not believe there IL any polyg.
amy In Canada" continued Mr. Ma
grath, 1.-THE mounted police keep a
close tab on the 'Mormons,' and IL
there were plural marriages we should
surely know Now and then some
person In eastern Canada dcnounccs