El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-29

issue a call for great congress 70 DC
held in Seattle on June 8 and Z, 70
consider the ways and means for en-
cOuraging. directing and assisting Jhe
deveISpment of the natural and accu-
mulated resources Of this vast terri
tory.
The call will be signed by the gov
errors of Idaho, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, oregon
and Washington. and the assemDlaBe
will be known as The Northwest De-
velopment congress" Its chief purpose
will be TO emphasize the attractions OF
the American northwest as d1stin-
euished from the Canadian northwest
The seven governors believe that their
states, a part OF the American fedora
union and under the stars and stripes
are better in every way for the FARMER
settler than the Canadian provinces,
under the British flag at the north
But they realize that the Canadians
have paid more attention to the bust
ness of inducing immigration, and II is
TO awaken American interest IN this
subject that the congress Is called.
The congress is TO be held under the
auspices of the Northwest Development
league, an organization recently formed
for the advancement OF all the inter
ests OF these states and Of Alaska II
includes in its membership the most
progressive farmers, business men and
financiers of that section Of country
and their interests are unselEshly
broad in seeking the welfare Of the
nOrInW eSLeru territory IdlueE imam LAo
advancement of mere private ends This
congress viii be attended by thousands
of people representing all classes Of in
dustries and the program will Include
subjects Of vital interest to all.
To Turn Tide of immigration.
One of the most important features
OF the congress. as has been said, viii
be the organized efforts to turn the
time Of immigration of American
farmers away from Canada by showing
them the opportunities offered in the
undevelOped lands Of their own north
west. Each Of the seven states IS to be
asked to contribute $4,000 annually to
this purpose until satisfactory result
has been achieved
Another demand to be brought for
ward by this congress will be for the
establishments of a federal domestic
policy which will recognize the value
of the securing and distribution Of de-
SRA Bile settlers for our vacant lands
This will call for the establishment
Of an information bureau in connection
with the department Of commerce and
labor which will collect and publish all
possible information about vacant lands
and opportunities where aliens can Sc
cure q start on the land when coming
10 the United States. The congress viii
urge greater liberality on the part OF
the United States government IN deal
ing with the home seeker and the &C
tual hOmesteader and more prompt at
tention and more interested and cour-
LeOuS treatment Oh LllF pdA VI -AAg
United States land office IN the mat
ter Of geeting titles through. and In
giving freely and cOurteOusly, more re-
liable information about unapproprla-
ted lands. The congress will outline
plan of finance for the purpose OF Sc
curing additional public sentiment IN
favor Of these measures for the gen
eral good.
The fact that during the past TO
years thousands Of American farmers
have given up farms which through
lack Of proper care have become IN
profitable, and have emigrated to
Canada to take up land under the Brit
ish flag, has called the attention OF
progressive men to the need of offering
some additional inducements to inful-
ence them to remain in their own cOun-
try. The call isued by the governors
invites attention TO the 1act that IN
these seven states $4,000, 600 acres of
public lands still await the home
seeker Thousands Of acres of logged
off land OF uneXcelled fertility are be
ing offered for sale at low prices. There
are millions of acres Of grazing lands
which could readily be turned into
wheat fields There are many enor-
nous ranches waiting TO be trans
ferred into smaller farms.
Gives Impetus 10 Farm Move.
The growing feeling Of dissatisfac-
ton with the conditions of the older
sections OF the country is inducing
many people each year 20 inquire into
More than 5000 900 people have re-
turned to the land within the past four
years and the words back to the farm 4
are each year receiving greater cOnstd@N1
Grafton. 1t is to cope with this feeling
and to keep American citizens from
giving their labor and money to deYel- .
Oping farms and building new homes In
another nation that this effort IS now
being made. 1t is believed that when il
is realized that the people coming into I
this new northwest will not have to /
face any of the hardships Of the earlier Z
pioneers, but Will enjoy many devel- I
oped advantages superior to most Of I
the older sections of the country In 4
addition to wonderful natural resOur- /
Ces, there will be a greater movement z
of people seeking permanent homes z
into this region during the next decade I
than ever before known
The seven states represented by the ]
congress include p percent of all the /
territory Of the United States and are /
capable, because Of their natural re-
sources, OF supporting a dense pOpula- Z
ton. although at present they have less .
than 5000, 900 people. The wonderful /
Increase that has been made in this Z
direction, however. is indicated by the 4
fact that during the last 10 years they !
have increased their population nv 4
nearly 1000. 00O which is just half OF 3
their population in 1900 In other Z
words, while the United States as a 4
whole has increased its population a 7
decade, this great northwest increased /
so percent. and the increase in wealth, !
public and private Improvement and I
land development has been cOmmensu- /
rate with the growth of population.
Section of Mineral Wealth.
No other part of the world contains /
larger areas of rich mineral wealth
more easy OF access. besides its eQOr-
nous timber acreage and other natural I
resources. The wonderful fertility OF 4
the soil is demonstrated by the varie- /
", quality and quantity Of the crops
raised. The enormous apples. potatoes
and other products shipped east are re- 7
garded as almost abnormal in size, al
though representing the average pro-
ductiOn Of the northwestern states
rom these seven states last year came
IS percent Of the wheat crop, 3 per-
cent Of the oats. So percent or the bar
ley. IS percent Of the wool and 90 per-
cent OF the flax seed produced in the
United States last year. These are
only examples Of what these states are
given by the members of the class. at
late hour, as a signal for departure.
Miss Lois Hamil, who has been visit !
ing her sister Mrs. c. s Hart for sew
aral months. has returned to her home
COa Howard arrived from aoe+o-- I