48 



THIRD ANNUAL SESSIONS 



"At present, however, the Scandinavians are vacillating; the old 

 field is gone, the cheap lands of the northwest are gone, and now it is 

 up to you and to all of us to find them a new opening. Canada is a 

 great rival. Thousands have gone and will go. But the majority seem 

 undecided as to where to go. Here it is where we shall have our future 

 field, among the Scandinavians. We cannot afford to lose sight of them 

 in this move, as we then would lose the strongest pioneer element we 

 have. 



"Any country will benefit by strong immigration of Scandinavians, 

 as they will develop the agricultural possibilities quicker than the aver- 

 age and create prosperous conditions. Another thing; the Scandinavians 

 can "work and wait" as no other nationality. The next question is, 

 since we do want them, how shall we get them? We need a method 

 here as elsewhere, where something is to be accomplished. 



"The Scandinavians are law abiding, school and church loving people. 

 They are conservative, careful and judicious, rather slow in making 

 up their minds, but, when it is made up, the Scandinavian is there to 

 carry out what has been planned. They are not fast money makers, 

 but the average Scandinavian will die leaving his family in absolutely 

 independent circumistances. The average wealth is $1,600 per capita, or 

 about $10,000 per family Knowing this, we must plan to interest them 

 in a way that awakens their confidence. 



"The only way to reach the Scandinavians and to get them to a new 

 country is to offer them a colony. Here some one may object to col- 

 onies, and say we do not want any clannish work here. Well, someone 

 may look at it this way, but a broad-minded man will easily see that it 

 is not the clannish feeling that dictates the colony, but the love for 

 their own church. Again, someone may say, it is not necessary to of- 

 fer a colony, and that he knows Scandinavians who have moved out 

 among strangers and mingled with them as with their own nationalities. 

 This may be true, but there are few instances. The strongest set, the 

 set that would would build up a country, are still at home around the 

 churches. They are Lutherans, and want to remain Lutherans, and their 

 only chance is a colony. The next thing of importance is to get their 

 confidence. Give them a true idea of what they can expect when com- 

 ing here. 



Objectional Immigration IVlethods. 



"The method of today used to get Eastern people to the West is very 

 objectionable. 'Put them in a sleeper, take up their tickets so they can- 

 not slip away, guard them, watch them so nobody talks with them and 

 don't let them get next to other prices, sell them and ship them back 

 home at once.' Many real estate men apply this and make money by 

 It, but the country suffers as we only get suckers here and the business 

 men of the farms stay at home. 



"I have several times talked with the railroads about why .they do 

 not advertise the new openings in the Scandinavian press more than 

 they do. The answer has been, "It doesn't pay, we can't get them to 



