The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1902-01-17
JAS. J. HILLS SPEECH
Delivered Before the Tri-State
Grain Growers Convention.

He Covers Vast Amount of Ground Re-
lating to the Progress of the Farm
ers and Railroads of the
Northwest.
Fargo, N. D., Jan. 11.-After the ap-
plause which greeted the introduction
of Mr.. j. J. Hill to the Tri-state Grain
Growers association had subsidized, he
addressed the audience as follows:
Il want to present to you today some
important figures which, I think, will
establish many. facts that are Of great
interest to all the people of this country,
and more especially to the people of the
IAN advance in the material prosperity
Of country has
pie Every United States census from
1850 to 1900, shows an average growth
which has doubled the
years. At the close of the civil war
this country contained. say $4,000 600 OF
people At the rag rate 1f
have at least $50 100000 Of people by
1890; The present increase is more than
i? %Se a ahansy question presenting
Community is: Where viii they go
Themselves a yves c ci bic homes and the
ability to educate their children and to
bring them up in such a manner as will
make them good, useful citizens OF the
AT the close Of the war large portion
OF the states Of Iowa, Wisconsin and
for homesteads,. and practically all the
country west of these states to the Pa
cific ocean was open to settlement. The
OF the increased population has gone in
to this new country, and built up cities
and states opened up 9ps farms smd
with schools and churches-every evil
dence Of American enterprise and prog
ress.
Agriculturists Are Nations Sheet Anchor.
Nearly one-half Of the capital Of the
eo%ntrX Is tn for 5a panose
half Of the population Of the country is
dGeSt IN rec syo Weh
the agricultural half Of the population
has done more than Its share 1ne IN
a whole. That half has always shown
itself more intelligent. more. patriotic
ahs nao sver have been ead
to defend the flag Of our country the
farmers sons have always been ready
to step to the front and answer 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
farmers s. sons ss' in a New England and the
middle and western states are constant
ly recruited the numbers of those who
GUS walks Of business and their indiyid-
ual successes clearly establish their right
to be placed in the front rank wherever
leads me to believe that the nation at
large has more to expect from those who
cultivate. the soil than from all others
:"fhe largest area of unoccupied land
where green trees and green grass grows,
and where clear water runs, lies In the
cifc ocean, OCEAN, and to the settlement and
development of this country we must
look for the increase of our traffic and
the future value Of our investment IN
railways
Homes Must Be Literally Provided.
''How are we to. provide homes for our
year and are susceptiole Sf
question today before the statesmen Of
the nation is: How can the remaining
lands best be made to furnish homes Tor
tie reflection y viii show every individual
on the part Of the general government;
every other means which will make avail
able every portion Of the country that Is
or can be made susceptible of cultiva-
ton. There is movement among few
Of our statesmen to secure this end. In
some localities In the west this move
ment is opposed by cattle and sheep men,
who desire to retain these lands for their
own purposes. In some cases an effort IS
being made to induce congress to convey
the lands to the several states to be as u.s.
can only end in failure. The lands would
be frittered away or practically gysn
away, or appropriated w,tnout. 1e aon1e
I consider the future welfare Of the coun-
try depends more upon. the wise DISPOSE
ton Of the pablc domain SO to secure SmS
other single condition in the nation. Our
c cupations differ as Widely as the Climatic
com a'' Shows an active effort being
local district overlooking as think 1So the
I'm 1896 this country settled the ques;;
ton Of geld Standard the Uni Sntvf f{a
to invest were no longer afraid that If
they put out hundred-cent dollar they
dollar in return, and now the business Of
the country is marching forward at q
rate greater than has ever been known In
world. Our attention is frequently called
to the enormous 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 making our country rich be-
yond ali precedent. If we carefully in
1uire into the source from which this
enormous balance of trade comes, we
find that about three-fourths OF our ex-
ports are furnished, directly and indt-
rectly, from the cultivation Of the land:
The farmers have done the work and
have benefited the nation.
No Intelligent Effort to Get New Markets.
Nov let us consider what the nation
has done in return for the farmers, or
what it can do in their behalf. The first
and great object is to provide them
means to sell the product Of their land
and their labor at the highest possible
prices It will bring. l. viii ask you to
look over the statute books Of the ma
ton and the different states, and find,
If YOU can, any intelligent step that has
been taken to find new markets for our
agricultural exports. I have examined
p rTese time I do not and one Intelligent
Sentence or line, the object of which has
heen to find new markets for the prod
nets of the land, except as to southern
sugar and rice, and some WOOL.
I'm order to advance the price Of every
commodity the first step IS to, increase
The demand for it; as long as there is a
49, rIo% a