Charlevoix County Herald

WE MUST GET READY

A friend of The Herald out in California sends us the below clipping which shows what the sentiment in that region is toward those who wish to settle in that country. That Northern Michigan offers far greater opportunities for the man with limited means is only evidenced by this article.

Millions of people want to come to California, and they will come just as fast as they can be sure of opportunities to make a living. One class we are now ready to absorb in unlimited numbers, but it is in itself the most limited of all classes-those who have grown up with some other country, and are now ready to spend its accumulations in buying our land. This is the class to which we have directed the most of our efforts, and we want all we can get of them. But there is another much more numerous and humanly much more important class which will come without our effort, but which we are not now prepared to receive. Our task is to prepare ourselves to receive it, and to school ourselves to realize that our right to invite it is dependent on our making preparations to receive it-which hitherto we have not done. Therefore, as promoters, we must turn our study inward, to develop opportunities, rather than outward, to find people. For instance, a chamber of commerce secretary from some interior county will come to the office of the development board. "How many more people can you use in your county?" asks the manager "Five thousand," replies the secretary. "That is more than I have," says the manager, "but I can send you twelve right now; I have them here." "What sort are they?" asks the secretary. "Good farmers," replies the manager "Portuguese immigrants; steady and ambitious, who understand farming thoroughly." "How much money have they?" inquires the secretary. "None," answers the manager. "That is what they are looking for a chance to earn." "Then we have nothing for them," replies the secretary, who had been looking for five thousand, but could not find opportunities for twelve. The Southern Pacific railroad, prior to establishing its colonist rates, some two or three years ago, sent letters to the civic bodies of every county in California, asking them how many people they could find places for at that time if sent to them it being understood that the people in question were honest, hardworking people, of various trades and businesses, including farming, mostly with a little money ahead for contingent expenses, but with no surplus for investment. The numbers returned were so absurdly small, a few hundred in all-that they of themselves would not have justified the running of a single home seekers' excursion. So let us face the problem without blinking. California has room for millions of people. We want and need them and the abundant resources of the state are abundant to support them. But we are not organized to make these resources available to those people, and our responsibility is first to organize ourselves to receive the other classes as well as we are now organized to receive the one class to which our "colonist" efforts have been chiefly directed. Until we are organized to receive these people, let us cease inviting them to come. But let us speedily organize to receive them.-California Outlook.

Don't think that a man is ready to take the advice of every fool he meets just because he takes yours.