Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-01-16
JAMES ]. HILL to the
GRAIN GROWERS
r1r. Hills Speech Before the Grain
Growers Convention at Fargo,
North Dakota.

Fargo, y. D.. Special JAN 10.-This was
| Hill day in the Tri-state Grain and Stock
Growers convention. 1t was the final
wind-up of a most successful four days
session, and the close was in the nature
| of an ovation to the president of the
| Great Northern railway and the recently
| organized Northern Securities company.
| Great interest was aroused in Mr.. Hills
| appearance here and had increased since
! its original announcement. Each day
| since the convention started had aug
| mented the attendance. and to-day was
| the banner one of the meeting.
| Mayor johnson introduced President
| Hill in complimentary eaioslStlc
speech. as the man the audience had come
| TO hear. His reference to the liberality of
| Mr.. Hill in providing free excursions for
| North Dakota farmers to the North Da-
kota agricultural college brought forth
| lot of applause. When President Hill
| arose to speak there was another ova-
| tion. He said:
Mr.. Hills Speech.
/! I want to present to you to-day some
| important figures which l think will es-
| tablish many facts that are of great in
| terest to all the people of this country.
and moro especially TO the people of the
| Northwest.
| An advance in the material prosperity OF
our country has always marked an inn
provement in the condition of the people.
| Every United States census from 1ISo to
| 1900 shows average growth which has
practically doubled the population of the
country about every thirty years. At the
| close of the Civil war this country con-
tanned. say 34.00O0O0 of people: since that
| time we have added fully 100000 Of peo-
pie. At the average rate OF the increase
of the past one hundred years We should
have at least 150,OOo,00O of people by 1850.
| The present increase is more than one and
| half millions annually
| The all-important question presenting it
self to every individual and to every com
munity is: Where will they go and whar
will they do to secure for themselves COM
| Portable homes and the ability to educate
| their children and to bring them up in
such manner will make them gooo,
useful citizens of the republic?
| At the close Of the war large portion
Of the States of Iowa. Wisconsin and Min
nesota were government lands, open for
! homesteads. and practically all the country
west of these states to the Pacific ocean
was open to settlement. The census r..
ports show that large portion of the in
creased population has gone into this new
country and built up cities and states.
| opened up prosperous farming communi-
ties and dotted the land with schools and
| churches-every evidence of
American Enterprise and Progress.
Nearly one-half of the capital of the
country is invested in agricultural land
and what goes with it for the purpose of
making it productive. Nearly one-half of
the population of the country is directly
or indirectly connected with the cultiva-
ton of the soil, and if we judge from all
the experience Of the past, the agricui-
tural MALT Of the population has done more
| than Its share in everything that goes IN
Deneht the country as whole: that half
has always shown itself more Intelligent,
more patriotic. and in every way the
Sheet-anchor Of the nation. When me-.
nave been called to defend the flag of our
country the farmers sons have always
been ready to step to the front and an
| sWer to the call. While the farmers are
ready to go ten miles on election day to
cast their votes, others hang around the
polls IN the cities waiting to sell their
votes. From the farmers sons in New
England and the Middle and Western
states are constantly recruited the num-
| bers of those who engage in the profess
| sions and the various walks of business.
and their individual successes clearly es-
tapllsh their right to be placed in the
front rank wherever they have been
called. My observation leads me to be-
i1eve that the nation at large has more to
expect from those who cultivate the soil
than from all others combined
me largest area of unoccupied land
where green trees and green grass grows,
and where clear water runs lies in th,a
CHIC ocean, and to the settlement and de-
Velopment of this country We must look
TOT the increase of our traffic and tn.
future value of our investment in rail-
ways.
11o" are we to provide homes for our
Rapidly increasing Population.
Most of the lands that will produce crons
every year and are susceptible of Guilt
Walton are already occupied. The impor-
4 Idnt question TODAY before cto
men of the nation is: How can the re
| naming lands best be made to furnish
homes for the rapidly crowding popula-
ton: little reflection Will show
every individual man that it is only by
the wisest action on the part of the gen
eral government by well-matured plans
for irrigation and every other means
which will make available every portion
| Of the country that is or can be made
susceptible of cultivation. There is
movement among a few of our statesmen
to secure this end. In some localities in
| the West this movement is opposed by
cattle and sheepmen who desire to retain
these lands for their own purposes In
some cases an effort is being made to in
duce congress to convey the lands to the
several states. to be disposed Of by them
| This latter movement can only end in
failure. The lands would be frittered
away or practically given away or APP
propriated without benetiting any con-
siderable number of people. l consider
the future welfare of the country depends
more upon the wise disposition of tee
public domain, SO as to secure homes for
the people, than upon any other single
condition in our nation. Our country is
large; our population and occupations
differ as widely as the climate and nat
ural conditions differ. Every congress
shows an active effort being made to Sc
cure some advantage to some local dis
trict, overlooking, as l think, the broad
| general fact that the nation should and
| must prosper as a whole.
| In 1896 this country settled the question
| of a gold standard; the universal want Of
confidence prior to that time came to an
| end; people who had money to invest
were no longer afraid that If they put
| out a 1OO-cent dollar they would be
compelled to take 50-cent dollar in re-
! turn, and now the business Of the coun-
| try is marching forward at a rate greater
| than has ever been known in our history
or in the history of the world. Our at
| tention is frequently called to the enor-
| nous balance of trade in our favor; in
| other words. the amount of money we
| receive for what we sell is above that
| which we pay for what we buy, thus