w partiality toward any
portion of the state, but did all its work with a view to the interest
of the whole community. Our efforts, however, in behalf of Minnesota
brought on a great deal of envy and ill-will from people in other states
who were interested in seeing the Scandinavian emigration turned towards
Kansas and other states, and this feeling went so far that a prominent
newspaper writer in Kansas accused me of selling my countrymen to a life
not much better than slavery in a land of ice, snow and perpetual
winter, where, if the poor emigrant did not soon starve to death, he
would surely perish with cold. Such was at that time the opinion of many
concerning Minnesota. I would be more than human if I did not, in
recalling these incidents, point with pride and satisfaction to the
condition of the Scandinavians in Minnesota to-day, but will return to
this further on.

The position which I held enabled me to be of service to countrymen in
more ways than one. Thus the interests of the church were by no means
neglected, and I think my readers will excuse me for inserting the
following lines from the minutes of the eighth annual council of the
Swedish Augustana Synod, held in Berlin, Ill., June 13, 1867:

"Whereas, The same conference reports that Col. Mattson has offered to
procure sites for churches, parsonages and burial grounds for Lutheran
churches in the new Scandinavian settlements in Western Minnesota,

"Therefore Resolved, That the synod express its thanks to Col. Mattson,
and request him to get deeds on said property to be given to the
different churches of the Augustana Synod, as soon as they are organized
at the different places."

It has always been admitted that during those years the emigrants
destined for Minnesota received better care, guidance and protection
than was ever accorded to a like class before or after that time. It is
also acknowledged that the state received great benefits in return by
being settled by a superior class of emigrants from the northern
countries. As for my own share in that work, although my efforts were
sometimes misunderstood and I myself blamed, as any one will be who has
to deal with newly-arrived emigrants, I felt much pride and satisfaction
in the work, knowing that not only the state, but the emigrants
themselves, and even the serving and laboring classes remaining in the
old countries, were very greatly benefited thereby. While laboring hard
for immigration to Minn