Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-03-13
Spacious Efforts to COIOnize
Them In the Climate
of Labrador.
By JAMES a. EDcERToN.

reading notices designed TO lure
our farmers into Canada. Pre-
sumably this stuff is paid for. It
is hard to understand why anybody
would publish it for any other rea-
son. That gives TO the whole trans
action a certain fine old Benedict Ar
mold favor. Arnold was paid also.
He only tried 70 sell q fort TO the
British. however. The purpose here
seems to be to sell American citizens
20 the British. The probability is that
this kind Of treason will fail as sig
nally as did the other. It was expo
sure that finished Arnold's little
scheme. Perhaps the same method
viii help IN the present case.
1t is easy TO understand why the
Canadian government should try 70 in
duce people to settle on its lands Ev-
cry one it can so procure is an asset.
He becomes producer and taxpay-
er. 1t is little harder to see why any
American newspaper or syndicate OF
papers should be unpatriotic enough TO
print the matter prepared by the Ca
madam government 10 further this
purpose. even though paid straight ad-
vertising rates for the space. since
each American farmer induced TO go
to Canada because Of these advertise
ments means the loss Of subscriber
and a corresponding loss to the mer-
chants with whom the paper does
business and to the community in
which il is published. The hardest
thing of ali to comprehend. however.
is why any American farmer should
be misled by this advertising and
press agent material into going into u
frozen and sparsely settled wilderness
and into renouncing the stars and
stripes for the British Gag
American Acres Still Available.
There are still millions of acres Of
land open 10 entry in the United
States. Outside of the reservations
there is the enormous expanse Of Ill
9s6,4O9 acres. If Alaska be excluded.
and that is fully as desirable as some
OF this Canadian land. there are still
343,971 ,674 acres in the United States
proper that are open for entry. Allow
ing $50 acres to a farm. this gives
room for 2.149.s23 families. If forty
acres be allowed TO each farm there
would be space for four times as
many, or nearly 100000 families
approximately 5OOOO.O0O people This
IS outside of the forest and other reser-
vations, much Of the land on which is
open for settlement on easy terms.
Uncle Sam still has plenty Of sol for
his people. plenty to hold comfortably
twice as many as now iuhabit his do
main.
This land still open for entry is scat
tered all the way from Florida TO
California and from Minnesota 10 the
gulf. The constant spread Of irriga-
ton is bringing thousands of acres into
profitable small farms where as much
can be made from an acre as from FIVE
acres in many other sections. Before
these life giving streams the so called
American desert is disappearing. Out
side Of the reclamation belt there are
veritable empires of desirable lands
awaiting entry. Minnesota alone has
more than 100000 acres, Nebraska
has nearly 100000 acres. Oregon con
tains 1T.5so.5T3 acres. Washington has
5,196,059, South Dakota 4.5G2. SO4 acres.
North Dakota 1.41O.225, Arkansas and
Florida each has about 100000 acres.
Alabama. Kansas. Louisiana. Michi-
gan. Mississippi. Oklahoma and Mis-
souri, each has smaller amounts, while
Arizona, California, Colorado. Idaho,
Montana. Nevada, New Mexico. Utah
and Wyoming each has immense tracts
ranging from 20,OOO.0OO TO nearly Co.
900. 600 acres.
Fertile Land For Settlers.
Nor is all of this land arid even
without irrigation. Very much Of #
IS fertile. but heretofore II has been
distant from railroads and therefore
has not been taken Much of il can
be titled by dry farming. The surface
OF some of these immense states has
scarcely been scratched In addition
there is the empire OF Texas The
Texas lands belong 10 the state itself
but are open 70 entry on much the
same terms as the government landG
elsewhere. Aside from the land oper
10 entry. there are millions OF farms
taken which can be purchased
at figures that would make them prof
liable TO farmers with little cash and
plenty OF energy.
With the reign Of high prices and
Is no nation on earth offering such Cd
portunitieS 10 the farmer as the Unit
ed States All these millions in the
cities must be fed. The constant cry
Is that there IS not enough proauced
on the farms. The population Of the
nation is increasing at the rate OF
more than 100000 per year. and most
Of it IS in the cities. These added
mouths mean an increased market and
more prosperity for the farmer There
never has been 4 time in our history
when the farmer had more reason 10 1
stay at home than now. Here is where /
the people live and where they are go
rg 10 live in ever increasing numbers 1
Why. there are practically abandoned /
farms in many OF the eastern states !
thar IN the hands o< euterpTising farm I
Prs could be made 10 yield fortunes.
What advantages has Canada cora /
c.,Tei 20 all this TO induce a sane man 4
n fn-Swear his American citizenship /