Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-03-31
ORIENTAL MARKETS.
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James j. Hill Says That is Where
Our Wheat Must Go.

At the grain growers convention
recently held in Fargo, President j.
]. Hill, of the Great Northern, made
the following able address, which every
farmer in North Dakota should care
fully read:
1T is twenty nine years ago this
month since I nrst visited the Red
River Valley. There were only three
white families living north Of Fort
Abercrombie and halt of one of these
families ives "native American" How
ever, they were hospitable people, and
/ was pleased to find the latch string
out. / spent thirty six hours between
drift. That winter was not unlike
this. When returned to st. Paul and
remarked to some Of my friends, who
had crossed the country, that the val
ley vas destined to become great
farming country. and the home Of q
thrifty people, they smiled and SAID
the soil was too wet for advantagto US
development.
mo one has watched the valley more
closely than !, and I am not willing
that any should take more pleasure in
its remarkable development than L.
1t is true you have more water than
you need, but it is very easy to get rid
Of the water. A few years ago-pos.
sibly tsn-l tried to arouse interest In
the question OF drainage. We had Q
meeting at Crookston, and Q survey
was made Of the Minnesota side of the
valley, and the map then made, is,
think, practically the Same Is the
drainage commission have used in
their work of the past few years.
There is abundant fall in the valley
for absolute drainage.
ut was very hard to get public inter
est awakened. l remember Polk
county sent representative to the
capital at st. Paul, and after hard
work, was not able to get authority
for the counties to bond for small
amounts 80 they might have general
system Of drainage. Later the prop.
ositton was taken up by active, ener.
getic men. The Legislature was sp
pealed to, but many Of the Legislators
said the older portions Of the state
had gotten along without drainage
and that the valley would have to get
along the best it could. There we're
many reasons why the valley should
hsve assistance in drainage. After
our company bad agreed to pay 81. .00(
for survey, by hard work the state
was induced to make a grant of 600,
600. We stipulated that we should be
permitted to furnish an engineer tc
see that the money was intelligently
spent. The greatest difficulty was
experienced in getting the state om
cisls interested In drainage. But lstel
when by constant work on the part Of
| intelligent men, number Of Ole
| waterways were opened up, a great
change come over the spirit of the
state officers, and more interest was
manifested than I had ever though
possible.
"While before q committee of the
legislature few weeks ago. l fount
from local members that where stat.
lands had been abandoned by pur
chssers, the state has disposed Of then
in many instances at an advance o
over Sl2 per acre. 4 statement from
the state auditor is to the effect thai
the state has received more money ii
increased value in lands than th
whole appropriation. amounted tc
While the land on this side of tn
river does not need so much drainage
yet hope the people on this side vii
have good system Of drainage. FRS
procure map Of the rise and fall o
the land. SO that the direction of th
drainage system may not be Difficult
to arrive at The Great Northern will
be glad to do all it can to help in tn
matter. It is true we have no lam