Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-06-21
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Help Them start over In Nebraska.
LINCOLN. June ITO the Editor Of
The Bee: When the European war ends
a great tide Of immigration will sweep
from Europe TO America. 1t will consist
Of the most virile and ambitious OF the
men who having fought their best for
their respective countries will feel no
duty resting upon them to shoulder the
burden OF paying the heavy cost OF the
war In increased taxes. A large per-
centage Of these immigrants will be from
the farms Of Europe. ought not Ne
braska to organize for the purpose Of
getting its share of this immigration?
Talking the matter over with some
large owners of Nebraska lands the other
day, IL was suggested that the work of
reaching out after the desirable and the
best OF these immigrants ought to be
placed in the hands OF an organized body
like our state board of agriculture.
am writing this letter in the hope that l
may enlist the powerful aid of The Bee
i'm what / believe to be a most important
task and one that II properly handled
will add many millions to our productive
wealth.
In the various business trips that
have made to Europe | have been inn
pressed by the wonderful results achieved
by farmers in Belgium and France and
Germany Not only have they been forced
to learn how to increase yields and to
make every inch of their land productive
by reason Of the scarcity OF acreage but
they have also been compelled to absorb
all OF the details OF profitable marketing
There will be thousands of the kind Of
farmers who have made agriculture so
profitable in those countries that land IL
worth $500 and $500 an acre who will head
for America when the war is over, and
Nebraska ought to get a goodly per
centage of them.
Suppose we could get 10000 or 10000 OF
them located on Nebraska farms With
the object lessons they could give other
farmers in doubling yields and improv-
ing their land, this state would add
millions OF bushels of wheat and other
grains to its yearly production in a re-
markably short time. Land values would
increase in proportion as productivity
grew, and our farms would be selling at
double and treble their present value
within a decade, with the limit removed
There is a much more serious feature
than reaching out after these farmers.
Most of them will have been impover-
ished by the war; and they Will need to
have their farming operations financed.
How shall this be done? Let me suggest
practicable way. There are dozens of
men in this state who own large tracts
OF land. good, tillable land l am one of
them and therefore feel competent to
speak for them They stand ready 10
sell portion of their holdinges to these
fnir Of -
by state body or commission composed
OF competent men, on long time and ut
low interest, and in addition will finance
their first years operations. They can
afford to do this because of the increased
value that success will give to their other
holdings and to the various business en-
terprises with which most OF them are
connected.
The work Of interesting these land own
ers and listing their offerings'and check
ing up on the various details should be
entrusted to body that has the author
ity OF the state behind it, not only to
create confidence in the plan, but to as
sure a square deal for the immigrants
] suggest the state Board of Agriculture
because 1t is already organized. because
1t Is splendidly manned, because it's pur-
poses are TO develop agriculture and be-
cause its very name will create the neces-
sary confidence in the enterprise. 1t has
all of the machinery for going out and
getting the kind of immigrants we want
and also in placing them where they
should be put.
These European farmers have learned
lessons that our farmers, filling a virgin
soil and many acres, have not had to
learn. Enough OF them scattered through
the productive areas of the state would
work wonders in increasing yields and
land values. The result TO the people of
the state would be marvellous.
The Bee was founded by man who
came to this country an immigrant, pos
sibly no better equipped than thousands
OF these men / refer to. What his energy
and his intelligence wrought is written
in the history of Nebraska. What ne did
for the state can. in a way. be done by
hundreds of others from across the sea
from whence he came, and feel sure that
his sons, to whom I address this letter,
will be glad 10 aid in some such project
as | have outlined.
MARK W. WOODS.