Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-16
EMIGRATION FROM UNITED STATES
HI FREDERIC =. mAskIN

WASlIINGToN. February 1.-THE
United states has an emigration prob
lem All our national life We have
been worried over the immigrant.
whether to admit him. what 10 no with
MN. Apparently everybody wanted to
get in ana nobody wanted to get out
No" the opposite Issue arises
IA the last ten gears almost a mil
non Americans have cInipratcd TO the
DOMINION OF Canada. Their space cam
not b" hiled by any million OF the i'm
grants that Europe sends US so liberal.
~ They are no problem for canada.
Practically all Of them are Young
hat!Ee-born farmers and their families.
IN" best Kind Of Americans
me present Congress is considering
- number of different bills calculated
TO keep the American at home They
are All iahd bills. for the question is a
IHnd question. Canada has millions OF
acres o! land open TO en,rv. and ,b.
has tn" most liberal kind of land laws
contrary TO the current impressions
IN" United states also has AN immense
amount OF public lana unprecedented.
In tho eleven carthost Western states
!"n can pick a homestead on, Of $50
100000 acres OF land. Four f,hs OF
Nevada IS SIN subjcc; 20 settlement
and entry. so is twD-,hirds Of Utah.
haii OF Arizona and wyoming and ono
nith TO twr-thirds OF Oregon Idaho.
Montana, Colorado. California. ANA New
Mexico. Uncl" sam is sim In Tho land
office business. but his trade is falling
of
pnblIr Lands for Millions
Now II is dcairat,l. that as much OF
our public lands ns possible should he
settled 10y Americans. out az tho $50
o"n,0"O acres open to cntrv ii Is doubt
'ui whether NOR" than half can ever
T." put under cultivation. but 10000.
ooo acres OF land s. sim a good sized
block OF real estate. |, can sumner,
millions Of people V: ,hos. who
might take IL up" AZ the homestead
ers phras. goes. ara moving across
the border, larselr. according 20 IN.
statesmen OF tho border states 10.
cause OF the more liberal land laws
they nnd Their. IN canada every homo
Steadcr must bc a British citizen norm
or natura!ized. - on, "m!rrauts ar.
lost 20 rs Tor good
one or the bills bcfor. Congress nro
woes Tor homestead twice as biz az
the so-chl!"d desert claim. which can
no" he located. ana four times the size
or the old lG0-acrc homestead ,bo,
made The Middle West. The new size
rs the .io-acr" grazing homestead II
must ne located Oh land deSigunIcd
ny The Secretary OF the Interior a,
grazing land. AMI the object Of In.
men behind tho bill j. TO u,ilizc seq
-
rem FOR farming. by combining stock
raising and the growing OF a few
odd crops III the level or watcrcd cor.
Eers In this way 81" acres may sun
port family.
IIomestcadcrs Need Larger Trnct..
That has been the UNDERLINE. nrin.
ciple o! all our land Legislation for the
last hundred ycars-to divide i, into
the smallest tracts necessary for the
support Of a single family But the
character OF The public land is chang
Ing. \ so acres in Illinois OF Kansas
can support several families AZ a pinch
Even $40 i too little In some OF the
dry rocky states. Moreover the land
that is open 10 entry to-day has been
picked "ver I; is what every earlier
settler rejected when he came to looL,
at the country. So tn" man who home
st"ads nowadays needs. and is entitled
10. bigger piece OF land
II the 6i0-acrc bill passes Congress
il VIII make great difference in GER
tain fundamental! conditions IN The
West. AL! the immense tracts Of pub
lie land arc not lying i'll" there They
arc being used for tho grazing Of cat
tie and sheep. Hence, the large cat
Il" and sheep owners have their own
ideas as 20 how the situation should
h. handled Many Of them 10 not be-
iievc that the arid lands still opcn TO
entry can support farmer. six hun
dr"d and forty acres of such land will
only run about forty or fifty cattle and
tina: is not enough for family to live
on. even in this DAY Of high beef prices
SO some Stockmen hold that settlers
should not be encouraged TO take up
a!.% great part Of the land now avail
able.
The National Wool Growers Associa-
ton recommends thar the Intcrior De-
partment classify all the land left open
into two classes-thai suitable for
agriculture and that suitable for graz
ing. Then the former should be par
ccled out in whatever size units are