The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-26
Committee Issues a Statement;
Rail Men Interested.
SHOULD HELP THIS SECTION
Conference Held in st. Paul, Out of
Which Excellent Results Will
Surely Come.

ern Minnesota Better Development
arguments in favor of the rates was
sent to Ebsen Macleod, chairman of
the Western Passenger association,
asking him to use his influence in
having the hcmeSeekers' stop-over
excursion rates to this section of the
state granted as this section is being
Disseminated against. The COM
mittee is composed of C. N. Sonnesyn
of st. James, George Atchison of
Mankato and r. B. Daniels of Mar
shall. The letter which is copied
in full below is self-explanatory:
st. Paul, Mimi, April, II, 1912:-
Eben E. Macleod, Chairman Western
Passenger Association, Chicago, Ills,
Dear Sir: We, the undersigned,
committee appointed at the recent
meeting of the Southern Minnesota
Better Development association, which
organization comprises thirty-one
counties of Southern Minnesota met
today at the state capitol, in the
office of the State immigration Com
missioner II. J. Maxfield, in confer
ence with the following passenger
agents and representatives of the
railroad lines operating in Southern
Minnesota, namely: Mr.. Pardee. as
sistant General Passenger agent,
Omaha line; Mr.. Montgomery, city
passenger agent of the Great West
ern; w. N. Dixon, assistant general
passenger agent of the Chicago Mil,
waukee and st. Paul railway; Mr..
Hathaway, district passenger agent
of the Rock Island. " T..
.. Purpose of. Conference. F..
The purpose of this conference
was to request of the Western Pas
senger association and the road oper-
ating in Southern Minnesota, that
Southern Minnesota be favored with
homeseekers' excursions. Southern
|, Minnesota has for some time past
it's territory. The, northern part of
the state has been. favored with such
excursions and all of the business
interests of Southern Minnesota, in
GLIDING the farmers of that section
have felt that their country was be-
ing Disseminated against by the
granting of excursions rates into
Northern Minnesota, to North and
South Dakota points and by leaving
Southern Minnesota out of such ex-
cursion consideration
Sentiment That Has Prevailed.
The general sentiment which has
prevailed in Southern Minnesota for
some time that ii has been discrim-
mated against eliminated in the
recent appointment of this COM
mittee, and we were unanimously
requested to take immediate steps to
procure, if possible, favorable action
in the matter of such excursions.
immigration from the east, south
ern and central states has been grad
ually working north and westward
, for the past few years, and a very
large proportion of such movement of
immigrants has been entirely out
sue vi Tic OHlISu oIdICo' MuSl VI
it now is going to Canada. Home
seekers rates have been in force to
Canadian and other states in the
northwest. AS a result, Southern
Minnesota has been overlooked and
those in search of farms and cheap
er lands have taken advan-
tage of the low rate excursions and
gone to further away points. This
has been to the detriment of the rail
roads operating in Southern Mime
sofa.
Should Interest Railroads.
The population of Southern Mime.
sofa has materially decreased in the
past ten years as shown by the last
census report Southern Minnesota
needs development as badly as does
Northern Minnesota. North and South
Dakota, and we believe, that it is as
much to the, interests of the rail
road companies operating here to
develop our section of the state, by
giving homeseekers' excursion rates,
as by allowing them in other sections
of the country. The settlers who do
come to Southern Minnesota from
easter and central states as rule
take the place of retired farmers
who remain here, or renters VINO
move further north in Minnesota. 1T
is the general consensus of opinion
of the land men and those CONVEX
SAINT with development problems of
Southern Minnesota that we cannot
get a true measure of development
and progress without standing on an
equal footing with the northern part
of the state and with surrounding
states in the matter of passenger
transportation.
Reduce Size of Farms.
BY the addition of population, the
farms will be reduced in size, scien-
tific and intensified methods of agri-
culture will be followed and it is
conceded that the annual production
of wealth will thereby be materially
increased. This we know would
benefit the railroads in the same pro-
portion that it will benefit the other
business interests of this section.
We, of Southern Minnesota, firmly