Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-17
DAKOTA WIND.

Frank Mead Corra1led aud Talks ol
Crops. Town Sites and Politics Racy
Ideas Of an Old Newspaper Man.
Almost everybody in Minnesota has
heard of Frank Mead, erstwhile an old
newspaper scribe of this city, but now ar
incipient millionaire of Dakota. Find.
ing his name upon the register of the
Metropolitan hotel, the GLOBE man sent
up his name upon silver platter, and
was accorded an interview, of which the
following is but brief synopsis:
Reporter-What's doing up in North
Dakota?
Mead-Just now, harvesting the most
unanimous crops of No. hard ever pro-
duced on the green earth. AS Donnelly
used to remark about Bill King, it's "per-
fectly enormous"
Rep.-How much wheat will Dakota
give to the markets of the world?
M.-Now, my dear sir, you have got
me. have no accurate means of know
ing how much was broken last season
But you can say this-from Fargo tC
Valley City (sixty miles,, for distance OF
forty to 100 miles on each side of the
Northern Pacific track, it is one
vast wheat field. From Valley City tc
jamestown forty miles further) very
nearly all the land is under cultivation
for twenty-five miles on each side of the
track. From jamestown to Mandan (10C
miles further) there are tens of thousands
OF acres of wheat, oats and barley. Make
your own estimate.
Rep.-Are the crops in all the differen,
localities equally good?
M.-NO. In the level country of the
Red River valley the water re-
NAMED on the ground too late
and some of the grain was
injured, but from where the
rolling country commences-in the neigh
borhood of Valley City-to the Bad
Lands, 150 miles west of Mandan, the
grain is uniformly excellent. Why,
stood in oats, two miles north of Man.
dan, one day last week, which shut out
the view of the horizon-over six feet
high-just think of it. This looks like
strong story, but if people will visit the
Northern Pacific land office in this city
it will be demonstrated to besa!fact.
Rep-What will be the yield per acre!
M can only speak as to my own par.
ticular locality as to that. West of the
Missouri river, wheat will average over
thirty and oats over seventy-five bushels
per acre, if no unforeseen accident oc.
ours. 1 tell you, after living in Mime.
sofa and Dakota for more than quarter
of century, never saw such crops as
we have in the upper Missouri valley this
year.
Rep.---You have now and then, cas-.
ually made some remarks about a town
called Mandan. How is that place -four
ishing?
M.-It's the coming st. Paul of the
upper Missouri valley. I have no shadow
of doubt but 1t will be the largest town
between st. Paul and the Pacific ocean.
Rep.-Well, but how about Fargo, and
Valley City, and Aberdeen, and James.
town, and Bismarck?
Mali good towns, sir, good towns
with fine country to back them, but
none of them have the great Missouri
river. A water way to the East and South
is an essential, you know, to hold the
reins over the railroads The day il
not distant when Mandan will be jobbing
pretty much all the goods consumed be.
tween the Missouri river and the Pacific
ocean
Rep.-But there's Bismarck. thought
that was on the Missouri.
M.-Now, my dear sir, must beg o1
you-don't! Mandan is rival of Bis
marck. 1t is on the west side of the Mis-
souri, river; it is the end of the Missouri
Division of the Northern Pacific railroad;
the great miliion and half dollar bridge
across the Missouri river will be com
pleted this fall, and all the warehouses
and steamboat business is to be transfer
red to us; the Northern Pacific shops are
located In Mandan; all trains west OF
the river to Bozeman run on Mandan
time. You did this. l never would have
said word about it but for you, and the
good people of Bismarck are terribly
sensitive on the subject. Just think Of
it. My old and valued friend, Col. Louns-
berry, editor of the Bismarck Tribune, m
called me hard names the other day for
giving some facts about Mandan; and
you know that the colonel must get.very
mad before he calls hard names. Taken
guess you better not print
what l have said about Mandan and Bis
marck, for you know have to pass
through them on my way home.
Rep How about politics?
M.-There you strike me: We are
going to have some fun with the boys
this fall. Geo. w. Hand, the excellent
secretary of the territory, is Just now
making a bed of thorns for my friend
Pettigrew.
R.-Will Hand get Pettigrew's scalp?
M.-Well, l am getting alarmed; and if
I'm scared, how do you think Pettlgrew
must feel? County after county is coming
in for Hand, and the best showing our
talented THAT what his postmasters call
him) young representative can make is to
organize an occasional kicking delega-
ton. It's very sad. could almost weep.
RI should judge by your remarks
that you were not supporter of Mr..
Pettigrew, eh?
M.-Well, Dakota has many great men,
and if Pettigrew should be scooped,
l feel that possibly there might be found
balm in Gilead.
R.-Do you prefer a North Dakota
man?
, M.-Yes. But prefer an honest man
and capable man first, whatever his To-
cality. The day of the bull-whacker and
steamboat roustabout is past and the day
of the tenderfoot has come in Dakota.
We don't need good thief in congress,
or the patron of thieves. Mr.. Hand is a
most excellent gentleman, honest, up
right and capable. He has been in the
territory for years and knows its needs
and its wishes. l shall certainly support
him unless some unforeseen contingency
occurs.
R.-How about your Morton county
now9 l see you have two delegations to
the Grand Forks convention, and that
you head one delegation.
M.-That is purely local muss, and
as it has not assumed territorial proper
tions refrain from saying anything.
R.-You are an old resident of Mime
sofa. How do you feel about the Fifth
district row?