But you adopt this system and three. four. or five years would elapse before any now system. unless it should drop down from heaven itself. would be half as well understood as the present system. The present time is. in my judgment. a very unfortunate time in which to introduce a great radical change in the land policy of the Government. There has sprung up during the past year and during the present month an unexampled immigration into the Territories and into the Western States of the Union. We were informed in the Committee on Commerce yesterday by a gentleman from New York that the indications were throughout all Europe that therd was to be a large immigration to this country the present year. Now. this immigration is all. as I have sajd. in advance acquainted with our present policy and our present land system. it is proposed to adopt a new one. Let us look at some of the entries during the past year. There was an increase in the public land entries in the following States and Territories last year over the year preceding. which to my mind. as I have said once before. gives a very hopeful outlook to the country. There was an increase last year over the year before in the Territory of Dakota of 500 per cent.. there was an increase in Idaho of 100 per cent.. in Kansas of 150 per cent.. in Minnesota of 250 per cent.. in Montana of 275 per cent.. in Wyoming of 350 per cent. Here is this large increase in that portion of the Republic which ought to receive not simply the immigration from Europe. but from the older and more densely settled portions of the country. the hitherto idle and unemployed people of those States and cities. Now it is proposed. with this large rush of immigration into these very territorial and frontier States where the public lands are. to overthrow the present system. so well vnderstood. as I have said before. by everybody. and introduce a system whose animus and methods shall be scientific and theoretical rather than practical. The delays. Mr.
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immigration