The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-07-30
DIPLOMATS WERE THERE.

DtPLOMATS WERE THERE.
Some Unrecorded History Of Last
Trans.Mississippi Congress.
While attending the recent session
of the Trans-Mississippi congress, I.
2. O'Donnell of this city met many
delegates. who while regarded by
those from the far west" as coming
from the east, were still western men,
as the west is considered by the peo-
pie OF the country east of the great
river which forms the eastern bound
airy of the territory to the welfare
and promotion of whose material in
terests the congress is devoted. Some
of them had notions and ideas strong
~ at variance with those entertained
by the delegates from the territory
west of the Missouri. One element
of disagreement al the question Of
national aid for the reclamation Of the
arid lands of the west and southwest.
They were inclined to strongly op-
pose anything looking to a concerted
action on the part of the congress to
enlist government assistance in that
direction. The reason for their OPP
position was purely selfish. They
were afraid that if the government
undertook to do that which the irri-
gationists ask their W section of
the country would be injured, saying
that with the great west a producer
of cereals it would invade the market
which now belongs to the central
western states and prices for grain
and all other farm produce would go
even lower than they are now and the
small farmers of those states would
find themselves crowded to the wall
and unable to compete with the pro-
ducers of the trans Missouri country.
To still their fears and remove their
opposition was not as easy a task as
might be thought. The case in all
it's bearings had to be put to them and
when they finally came to understand
the matter they voted with the 9TH
ers. Although not all Missourians,
they had to be Shown"
To "show" them each one Of the
delegates from the trans Missouri
country constituted himself an in
structor to the men from the other
side of the river. In their speeches
and private talks with the represent
! o%;xyoe fc0,,, tho ~ - c+ov 10 - b 80 %Io
stream the western delegates laid par
ticular stress on the fact that the east
would always remain the source of
supply of manufactured goods for the
west and that the west would not en-
croach on its territory. in any manner.
but would work in conjunction with
it. What the west desired was the
ability to raise enough food stuffs for
it's own use and ship the surplus to the
Orient and supply China, Japan and
the newly acquired possessions in the
Pacific ocean, which were it's natural
markets. The west would probably
continue, as it had been in the past,
one of the principal supply points for
the beef and mutton used in the east
because of the inability of the east
to raise enough of these articles to
supply it's ever growing needs in that
direction. Mr.. O'Donnell called at.
tention to the fact that already Mon
tana, Notwithstanding it's compare
lively small area given over to agri-
culture, was shipping flour to China
and other Oriental countries, and was
able to do this because of it's closeness
to the ports of the United States from
which those products were forwarded
to the eastern nations. He also made
it clear that as the west expanded in
population and wealth its needs which
the east would be called upon to sup
ply would increase in proportion and
thus both would grow and prosper to
the mutual benefit of each other. Be-
cause of the better railroad facilities
and the comparative proximity of the
eastern %saeboard he assured the cast
erners their grain would be always in
demand for export to the European
countries and the west would be UNI
able to take that trade away from
them.
1t was this argument that won the
day and the support of the delegates
was gained. The drouth and conse-
quent failure Of crops in their region
caused the men from Kansas and
others of the southwest to give their
votes for irrigation without solicia-
ton.
Trades of all sorts seemingly were
made to gain the adherence Of men
from widely separated sections to mat