Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1881 — Indiana and Immigration. [ARTICLE]

Indiana and Immigration.

Hon. M. G. Bright died Wednesday morning last, at Indianapolis. Alexander H. Stephens believes Congress will vote to continue the coinage of the silver dollar. Gen. Ben. Harrison was'elected I 8. Senator by .the Indiana Legislature last Wednesday. Referring to his ac ceptance of the office the Sentinel says: “General Hariison managed yesterday, in receiving and acknowledging his election to the United States Senate, to say u, kind word to the Democratic Members of the Legislature. As this is the first time in his public career that he ever alluded to his political ooponents in any other than an ungenerous and almost Insulting manner, we take great pleas ure in placing the incident on record, and an equal pleasure in congrutuing the General on this budding indication that he will eventually rid himself of the Bourbonism of Republicanism and kick himself clear of his partisan harness.” The Rensselaer Sentinel and a few other papers of the mossback persuasion still claim a plurality of the popular vote for Hancock, notwithstanding the official count has long since been received and tie contrary of their untruthful assertions clearly shown. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Democratic author ity, the official popular plurality for Garfield over Hancock is 6,751. Monticello Herald? Well, Billy, in spite of the CourierJournal, and the protestations of your own Herald and the Rensselaer Republican, we prefer the figures of the official count. See: Hancock, - - 4,438.641. Garfield, - - - 4,432,128. Hancock’s plurality, 6,513 So much for that, and let us go a little further to see how much he lacks being the choice of the people: Weaver, - - ~ 306.840 Dow, ... - 1U.835 and we find a popular ma —— jority against him of Then subtract 1,200,000 no gro votes cast for him, and of the vote which formerly elected our Presidents he is in a - minority - - • 1,523,189. With such a showing, the people would not be surprised if the C. M. and D-G. P. speculator expressed himself a fraud equal to the present incumbent of the Executive mansion.

Indiana has an area of 33,809 square miles, and. according to the latest report of the Auditor of State, 25,631,946 acres of land valued at $326,810,513. The value of improvements upon these lands is set down at $62,721,296, giving a grand total of $380,561,241. Of these lands it is estimated that two-thirds are in cultivation—that is to say, they are devoted to purposes of farming, crops and pasturage. This would leave something over 8,500,000 acres as unimprovedor wild lands. Assuming that onehalf of these unimproved lands are suitable for farming, we have 4,250,000 acres awaiting improvement, sufficient fer 105,000 farms of forty acres, 52,500 farms of eighty acres, or 42,500 farms of 100 acres each. These lands are now of little value to the State. Under cultivation they would be productive of vast wealth, and any legislation calculated to bring them under cultivation would meet with universal approval. The geographical position of Indiana is well calculated to attract attention. Climate, soil, farms, forests and mines, combine to give Indiana a commanding position m the sisterhood or States. Her railroads penetrates almost every County, so that every product of forest, field, farm and mine can readily find a market. Society is as well organized as anywhere in the country. Life and property are as secure. The free school system of Indiana challenges comparison with that of any State in the Union, and every force necessary to progress is in active operation. In these thmgs we speak within prudent limits. It is not surprising, therefore, that the attention of alien capitalists has been attracted to Indiana, or that a disposition is manifested to invest money in Indiana lands for the pur. pose of sending forward emigrants to cultivate them. It is well known that hitherto European immigrants have stopped short of Indiana, or gone beyond the State in their search for permanent homes, and if this misfortune is owing to the laws of the State the time has come for such modifications of the statutes as will in future be productive of more desirable results. Just now a movement is on foot in Scotland to colonize in Indiana immigrants from that country. Companies have been formed, and money has been secured. The people are ready to coriib. Indiana is the favor, ite land. Capitalists fully comprehend its advantages, and feel assured that - investments in Indiana real estate will be secure, but they are confronted with the law which does not permit aliens to own real estate; and unless the law is changed they will be compelled to abandon their project or make their investments in States where rhe laws are more favorable.— The subject is worthy of the consideration of the Legislature now in sesgion. and if millions of foreign capi* tai is ready for investment in this State, and thousands of hardy Scotch farmers are ready to take up their abode in the State, it will be a misfortune it the laws unwisely interpose obstacles. —Indianapolis Sentinel. |

A sixteenth interest in Goat Island, at Niagara, has been sold for $14,000. Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour i» quoted as saying that he expects to live to see a Democratic President in Washington. Allen C. Campbell, who has received the certificate of election to Congress which Cannon, the Mormon, expected to get, is a staunch Democrat, and is known as the Utah Bonanza King. He is said to be worth $2,000,000. He is a bitter foe of polygamy. Sarcasm. - Senator Grubbs, in plao. ing Gen. Harrison in nomination for United States Senator, closed his hifalutin eulogium as follows: “In the name of every just man who would assert and maintain on every foot of American soil the untrammel ed right to a free ballot and a fair count, I nominate for United States Senator from Indiana, General Benjamin Harrison.” Shades of Moses! The palaver piled on the grandson was sublime and amusing, but to claim for the Republican party championship of “a free ballot and a fair count,” is coming down to the ridiculous. Supervisors, mashals, soldiers at the polls, and a free ballot! A fair count, and a Fraud in the Presidential chair! is th® ptoper and correct interpretation of the claim for that party. “A Friend of the Freedmen,” in this week’s Republican says “the editor of the Sentinel must remember that by a certain amendment to the constitution of the United States of America, “Sambo” was placed upon an equality with himself.” Wc rerember well the manner in which that amendment was adopted. The whole proceeding was a farce, on a par with trie counting in of Hayes, and most acts of the radical party. Its adoption was mado a condition precedent to the recon truction (?) of certain States; and even Indiana: lacking a quorum in the Senate, was certified to the Department of Stat® by the Governor, as having adopted it. The admiration of “A Friend of the Freedmen” for his new partizan associates is explained in his ejaculation —‘l * * feel like giving three cheers for the fidelity of “Sambo”’ to the Republican party. But let him vote the Democratic ticket, and the three cheers will not be so heartily given and the Republicans correspondent will not be so much “A Friend of the Freedmen” after all.