The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-06-13

In, LINN of June ), Mr.. j. ]. Hill made
ene Of the most notable speeches OF his
ne ny 'ownership and management very ex-
Mns,stivelv and also talked of general
BUSINESS interests and trusts. The speech
"a very lengthy. but below Will be found
-. most important features:
Commerce is the exchange OF commodi-
t,es and the term Is generally understood
20 include the buying and selling between
tndiyiduals, and, in a wider sense, be-
queen communities and nations. BEHIND
80 adventurous leadership has followed
riyilization and Christianity to the re-
risi nations of the world have, at all
times. exercised the strongest influence
for good among the nations OF the earth.
The development OF commerce is the et-
own productions, or to supply itself with
material for it's necessities, or to further
increase it's means of commercial ex-
MANSION. The commercial expansion of a
ration is the best index of it's growth.
commercial growth is both domestic and
foreign. Following the Civil war came a
Internal development, which has been the
wonder of the world. Since the close Of
the war in 1861, the enormous territory
west of the Mississippi has grown from
and wealthy states. The population of
the United States in 1863 was about thir-
ty-four millions. The succeeding thirty
five years ending in 1900, carried 1T to
seventy-six millions. and to-day, We are
increasing at the rate of a million and a
half a year. The various census reports
show that the population OF the United
States about doubles every thirty years,
SO that by 1890 we would. at this ratio.
have a population of one hundred and
fifty millions of people.
a the past the public domain suited to
cultivation of the soil, producing every
useful crop, has furnished homes for the
multiplying population. To-day we have
about reached the limit of our public do
main which can no made TO turnlSh
homes for an intelligent and enterprising
population. In many of the Western
states are enormous areas of the best
land which, with irrigation, can be made
Productive in the Highest Degree.
One hundred and sixty acres of land.
with a certain supply of water, which
will insure to the h"usbandman a bounti-
full harvest, is equal to twice that area
where the land is subject to the natural
conditions of either too much or too lit
tie rainfall. One-half of the population
of the United States is occupied directly
or indirectly in the cultivation OF the
land, and | think fully one-half of the
entire capital of the country is invested
In farms and their belongings, and when
we come to the questions of intelligence,
patriotism and good citizenship, the agri-
cultural population stands out to-day as
1t has in the past, as the great
Sheet Anchor of the Nation.
The wealth of the world comes from the
farm, the forest, the mine and the sea.
While our country has been blest with
wonderful mines of coal, iron, gold, silver
and all the other valuable mineral pro-
auctions, with magnificent forests Of use
tul timber. still the farm has. from the
beginning, been the foundation of our
growing wealth and greatness. During
the last three years the balance of our
trade with other nations, that is, the
amount We have sold in excess of what
We have bought, has averaged about
seven hundred millions of dollars an
nually, and two-thirds of this has come
10 lis through the pYnorf of the nrnHnCp
OF the soil. l do not wish in any manner
TO oehttle the Importance of our own
manufactures, or their relative value in
the commerce of the country. The Sc
curlty OF their foundations has always
rested upon the agricultural growth Of
tne nation, and IN the future it must
turer, every merchant, every business
man throughout the land is most deeply
interested in maintaining the growth and
development of our agricultural re-
In the past we have been in the habit
OF feeling that Uncle Sam was rich
enough to give US all a farm but to-
uay, as said before, the arabic land
SUITABLE for agriculture, without an ar
s sn supply OF moisture. is practically
In a few limited communities of the
west irrigation has been commenced by
WWhat may be called individual Effort
living to diverse laws, made to suit par
tlcular interests, the irrigation of large
areas is attended by greater difficulties
lnan can be well surmounted by in
ulvlduai effort. The policy of a broad,
comprehensive national plan of irriga-
ton mas been urged upon congress with
out little success in the past. However,
an enterprise OF such magnitude and i'm
Portance to the nation as a whole, which
Ilportance will grow as our population
sa cannot be turned aside or lost
sight of, for the reason that every citizen
VI every state in the Union is
deeply and vitality Interested
n the question. President Roosevelt, who
mas spent some of his time in the semi
al1a regions of the West, has taken an
astlve interest in this subject, and if his
efnorts' and of others who are working
rueure generations will rejoice in the
memory of this work, while they build
Ut themselves comfortable homes In the
th the and valleys covering that portion OF
me country which Is now given up as
eSraaImg ranches for cattle and sheep.
WIN proper irrigation these valleys will
dduu s II homes for intelligent and in
utustrlous people, and the number of cat
ere ce ana sheep raised on the land will in
crease many fold.
FOR the first time in the history of this
Irales ike Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mich
;san' Wisconsin and Minnesota. are seek
ing homes in the Canadian Northwest,
oWlng to the cheap lands Offered in that
country, and to the difficulty of securing
such lands in the United States. A wise
oys.em OF irrigation by the genral gov
th' can De maze not only SelI-SuS-
Etallihs put a source of income. Lands,
s sn without irrigation are given away or
ssnoru AT a nominal price, can be sold as
tasl as they are furnished with water, at
- uollars an acre or upwards, and the
t tbst would be little, If anything, more
man half that sum-.
oi cannot urge too strongly on the part
~ every man who wishes his country
VII, and who desires that all shall be
hosperous, In order that he himself may
os prosperous with them, the Importance
NJ o tne growing necessity of taking care
nour public domain in UGH a way as to
p1Ieserve 1t for generations now unborn:
leel sure that no one here tonight
sse[ expected to see the time when farm
90 ana armer sons from the best
iHa.es or the West would be forced to
ho"mne tnelr country and their flag to seek
VTnhees IN a foreign country.
cne United States has many social
ppotSStlons to settle in the near future, and
for ng In this connection will take the
ou,, nose who desire to sit Under their
" VINE and fig tree.
Land without population is a wilderness
~Au population without land is a mob.
Hallway Importance.
ndonsldering the question from a broad
nntional standpoint, the next interest in
intpoltahce to agriculture is the railway
u,asvrest OF the country. The entire rail-
ny growth is within the memory OF
not living. Twenty-Five years ago 1t was
chouni ever be able to carry heavy and
~fNdD. I'M m Nj wrhs1h NOVA ln IN