Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1910-12-30

The idea has prevailed in recent years
among a certain class Of thinkers that
it will be misfortune to be born in the
future instead of the past, because of
the supposed closing of opportunities
to the children of the future. This be-
lief is not as popularly entertained now
as in the past, at least it is not talked
as much, and for good reason. Avail.
ing themselves of the mental condition
upon large portion of the public, as
above referred to, exploitation concssna
almost without number proceeded to
engage popular attention. The govern
ment, through the public land and re-
clamation departments have appealed
to the people and great railroads have
carried on active and elaborate public
ity campaigns in which opportunities
were vividly pointed out, and we regret
to state, often unduly colored. Dis
tance, novelty, isolation and sometimes
the impossible were made to appeal to
the popular mind-the extraordinary
results of human endeavor were played
upon by lucid, vivid and often sensa-
tional writer's until they appeared to
the popular mind to be the common and
not the exceptional occurrence. Frenzy
for opportunities displaced the thought
of their disappearance and rainbow
chasing became a vocation. But the
day of the rational came as it always
| follows a period of undue enthusiasm.
And it has been discovered that oppor-
tunities at home or near home have
been overlooked and passed on the
theory that the older states were fully
developed. Considerable areas have
been put under cultivation by drainage
in several of the older states, but that
area is but a fraction of the amount of
unused lands in the three states of
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota
where 1000, 900 acres of fertile land
are still unused, more than 10000, 900
of which is in the state of Wisconsin.
Until three years ago the state of Wis
consin made no effort to secure the
development of it's latent resources.
The State Board of immigration, Great
ed three years ago, has done much in
calling public attention to Wisconsin s
unimproved area and recently the Wis
consin Advancement Association, COM
prising several hundred of Wisconsin s
enterprising business men and bankers
has been organized to further the
States development. Products from
the Wisconsin region of cheap unim-
proved land were exhibited at the 1909
and 1910 Illinois State Fairs and was
shown at the Chicago land show and
also in permanent exhibit in Chicago
In order to have this work official and
authentic, the Wisconsin Advance
ment Association is working with and
largely under the supervision OF the
State Board of immigration.
The point we would lay particular
stress upon in this discussion is that it
is not necessary, in securing new homes
on cheap lands, to go far from the CEN
tral markets and that in Wisconsin
authentic information may be obtained
from the State Board of immigration
a bureau that is interested in success
full and permanent development rather
than in the mere sale of land. Oddly
enough, while the multitude has been
going to points n thousand miles or
more from the central markets, the
vacant areas in Wisconsin are filed
with manufacturing towns and within
less than four hours ride from such
cities as Duluth and Superior, Mime
apolis and ST. Paul and within six to
ten hours ride from Chicago.