The legislature of Virginia, in its very proper and commendable desire to promote immigration to the State, is discussing the enactment of some extraordinary legislation. A bill now before the senate provides for the appointment of a commissioner of immigration, who shall keep on file in his office a description of any lands submitted to him by any owner or real-estate agent, and shall receive a commission of not more than 5 per cent. upon the sale of any such lands in lieu of salary. Evidently, to the mind of the author of this bill, the benefits of an increase in the population of the State terminate with the sale of lands, and are confined to owners of such lands. The narrowness of a measure that would impose upon any one class of people the expense of an immigration department is manifest. The innumerable and widely ramifying benefits resulting from judicious immigration effort are shared by everybody, and the expense should be borne by everybody. Aside from this inequity, there are many objections to the plan of giving the proposed commissioner an interest in the sale of lands. As an officer of the State he should be free from any possibility of bias as to any part of the State or any specific properties. Let a commissioner of immigration be appointed by all means, and let an adequate fund be set apart for the expenses of his department, but let this come out of the receipts from taxes, and thus be equitably apportioned among all classes. Florida’s Obligation to Mr. Disston. To say that no other State owes as much to any one man as Florida owes to Hamilton Disston, of Philadelphia, is a comprehensive statement, but it is probably true. About fifteen years ago some Northern capitalists were induced to consider the idea of building railroads in Florida. It was found on investigation that the State could not grant any of its lands to railroad companies, since all the lands of the State were covered by a general mortgage which had been made to secure the State bonds. Without this inducement nobody was willing to put a dollar into railroad building in Florida, for the reason that the early returns from traffic could not be expected to be such as would justify it. In this emergency Mr. Disston came to the rescue of the State. He bought 4,000,000 acres of Florida land, paying for it enough to discharge the entire State debt, thereby releasing the lands owned by the State, and placing it in a position to make grants to railroads. Immediately following this, contracts were made with New York capitalists, and Florida entered upon an era of railroad building and general development. Of course it is beyond question that the enormous resources and capabilities of Florida would in time have brought railroads, with the development that accompanies them, but it is also true that but for this timely intervention and help from Mr. Disston, the beginning of this period of growth and prosperity would have been delayed, possibly many years.