Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-07-14

but after all, these people are delving
IN the mine, are blowing in the feel |,
after they are all at work where is our
market to be? / want to charge on you
and you must not forget it to do every
thing in your power, at all times to
increase the number of yourcustomers
who are going to buy the wheat you
produce. That is the way we are going
to get dollar wheat and we won't get in
IN any other way. t:Applause.) Those
who can help you simply is our general
government. Your state legislature
can't help you; the state governor can't
help you; the county commissioners
will fall short, and l can't help
you, except that l can help you to call
attention, and l a help you as far as
my voice goes, and ! am ready at all
times to raise it to that end. Let us
extend our commercial concern to an
extent that we will have the market
that we will have that other half of
the people of the world who now buy
nothing from us practically, Let us
have them for customers for they are
nearest to Jul doors. (.Applause.)
Now, we are ready as a nation. You
will see if you will look back to the
commencement of the last congress
we were ready to pay a hundred mil
lion for the Nicauraga canal, or
canal through the Isthmus. For what?
l would like to see the canal there if
we want to move our war vessels back
and forth. But the reason given is
that we want that canal for CONNER
cial easons We have not any COM
mercial navy-let us get the navy first
and the canal afterwards. (.Applause.)
The expenditure of that hundred mil
lion dollars would simply take one
third of the distance off the course of
the ships from Europe to the Orient,
that is all. Now what would it cost,
supposing this-let US suppose that we
ship M hundred million bushels from
the Pacific coast. and they don't raise
a hundred million. Their annual ex-
ports are from twenty-1ve to thirty
million bushels of wheat, but sup.
posing we should have one hundred
thousand bushels of wheat, what would
it total? a hundred million bushels
would be practically three million
tons. Now if it was II dollar a ton,
ship bonus, to carry it to the new mar
ket it would cost three million dollars;
if it was two dollars a ton it would cost
six million dollars. That cuts a small,
paltry figure alongside the hundred
million for the canal that would do us
no good but shorten the other fellows
trip to the market that we want to
preserve for ourselves. (.Applause.)
We could take six millions out of the
river and harbor bill and not miss it.
(Applause.) Think of this. l do not
know what the annual appropriation
IN the muddy little Red River of the
North is. | know that we own all the
boats on the river and l think the an
nual appropriation is about thirty
thousand and l would like to sell the
boats for fifteen. (.Applause.) | would
like to sell the boats for half what the
annual appropriation is, and still, gen
tlemen tell you that they have done
something smart, and that they have
got an appropriation for that river to
help boats, ana wea don't ask it..
Where does the money come from!
You and | pay it out Of our pockets.
The government cal only collect
money through taxes | am perfectly
willing to pay taxes if | am going to get
something for it. l never have found
any fault with the tax collector, but
let Us be true to ourselves; let us use
that money for something that will do
us some good, and if we are going to
have river and harbor improvements
let us have them intelligently and have
something that will do the people good
and not simply to pay some political
debt to some fellow that has not earn
ed it. (Applause) When you will make
up your minds, | do not care whether
it is a Republican, Democrat OR Pop
ulist or alliance, or any body SO long
as he has a vote, if he will make up
his mind and say Here, | am for the
nan who will give me a new market,
who will bring me new customers and
pay me a higher price for the stuff /
have to sell than the one man to whom
| am able to sell now" When you do
that you will serve yourselves and
until you do that you won't serve your
selves. That is a matter that l believe
is nearer your own interests than any
other. [ know it is our interest.
Nothing would delight me more than
to be able to make a rate from North
Dakota to the Pacific coast, if we could
load our cars in both directions. If
we could load our cars in both ways
and not have to run SO many miles
empty as we do loaded and have to
haul empty ears and hurry them out
here in the fall and get them loaded
back to the lake-empty II way; have
to go two train miles to get a loaded
mile. We are exactly in the same pos
ition as you would be if you had to
drive ten miles into town with three
passengers-you would want two dol
lars a piece, and it would pay you pref
ty well-but you could do a good deal
better if you were sure you would have
three more going back, and SO it is with
us. If we could load our cars both
ways it would be not only a pleasure
but it would be profit for us to make a
lower rate--even today while our rate
is lower than the rate on the same
commodities under the same circum-
stances in the west.
Now, if your people will bear in mind
what l said, ard l know that some OF
your representatives. are as full Of it to-
day as you wish them to be-they de.
sire to help you in that direction and
must stand behind, and you must in
sist upon it. You must raise your vol
ces SO that the people, not only the
men in North Dakota it will help, but
the farmer in Maryland, Virginia,