The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-06-13

ZION gave DanQu at the Auditorium
in Chicago recently, at which Mr.. j.
j. Hill was the guest of honor and
made a lengthy and very important
speech, devoted to the consideration
of the railroad problem generally,
manufacturing and business interests,
and, incidentally, to trusts. While
the speech is too lengthy to produce in
full, we append it's salient features:
Commerce is the exchange of commodi-
ties, and the term is generally understood
TO include the buying and selling between
individuals and, in q wider sense, be-
and nations
civilization and Christianity to the re-
hottest parts of the world. The CONNER
n OF the ihe world have at a
for good among the nations of the earth.
. The development of commerce is the ef-
fort by country to find market for its
own productions, or to supply itself with
material for its necessities, or to further
increase its means of commercial ex-
pansion. The commercial expansion of a
nation 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 1865, the enormous territory
west OF the Mississippi has grown from
frontier settlements into great, populous
and wealthy states. The population of
the United States in 1865 was about thir-
ty-four millions. The succeeding thirty
five years ending in 1900, carried it to
seventy-six millions, and, today, we are
increasing at The rate. of million and a
half year. The various census reports
show that the population of the United
States about doubles every thirty years
so that by 1880 we would, at this ratio;
fifty millions of people.
In the past the public domain suited to
cultivation of the soil producing every
multiplying population; Today we have
about reached the limit of our public do
main Which can be made AIDE to furnish
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.
full harvest is equal to twice that area
where the land is subject to the natural
tie rainfall. One-half of the population
of the United States is occupied directly
or indirectly in the cultivation of the
land, and l think fully one-half of the
in farms and their belongings. and when
we come to the questions of intelligence,
patriotism and good citizenship the agri-
cultural population stands out today as
it 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
and all the other valuable mineral pro-
auctions, with magnificent forests of use
full timber, still the farm has, from the
beginning, been the foundation of our
growing wealth and grea tness. During
the last three years the balance of our
trade with other nations, that is, the
how .n16 in of hot
we have bought, has averaged about
seven hundred millions of dollars an
nualy and two thirds Of this s., has come
of the soil l do not wish in any manner
to belittle the Importance of our growing
manufactures or their relative value in
scurity of their foundations has always
rested upon the agricultural growth of
continue to rest there. Every manufac-
turer, every merchant, every business
man throughout the land is most deeply
interested in maintaining the growth
sources.
In the past we have, been in the habit
enough to give US all a farm" but to-
day, as l said before the arabic land
suitable for agriculture, without an ar
tificial supply of moisture, is practically
all occupied.
In a few limited communities of the
West irrigation has been commenced by
Owing to diverse laws, made to suit par
ticular interests, the irrigation of large
areas is attended by greater difficulties
,dividual effort. The policy of a broad,
comprehensive, national plan of irriga-
ton has been urged upon congress with
but little success in the past. However.
an enterprise of such magnitude and i'm
pcTtance to the nation whole. which
importance will grow as our population
grows, cannot be turned aside or lost
sight of, for the reason that every citizen
of every state in the Union is
Deeply and vitality Interested
in the question. President Roosevelt, who
has spent some of his time in the semi
active interest in this subject and if his
efforts and those Of others who are work.
ing for the same end, result in success.
future generations will rejoice in the
memory of his work while they build for
themselves comfortable homes in the
thousand valleys covering that portion of
grazing ranches for cattle and sheep.
With proper irrigation these valleys will
furnish homes for intelligent and in
dustrious people. and the number of cat
crease many fold.
For the first time in tile history of this
country thousands of our farmers from
states like Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mich
}igan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, are seek
ing. homes, in the Canadian Northwest,
country, and the difficulty of securing
such lands in the United States. wise
system of irrigation by the general gov
eminent can be made not only self-Sus-
tanning, but a source of income. Lands
that without irrigation are given away or
sold at a nominal price, can be sold as
fast as they are furnished with water, at
ten dollars an acre or upwards, and the
cost would be little, if anything, more
than half that sum.
I cannot urge too strongly on the part
of every man who wishes his country
WELL and who desires that all shall be
prosperous in order that he himself may
be prosperous with them. the importance
and the growing necessity Of taking care
of our public domain in such a way as
to preserve it for generations now I'M
born.
1 feel sure that no one here tonight
ever expected to see the time when farm
ers and farmers sons from the best
states of the West would be forced 10
leave their country and their flag to seek
homes in a foreign country.
The United States has many social
questions to settle in the near future,
and nothing in this connection will take
the place of its ability to provide good
homes for those who desire to sit under
their own vine and fig tree.
Land without population is a wilder
ness and population without land is a
mob,
Railway Importance.
Considering the question from a broad
national standpoint, the next interest in
Importance to agriculture is the railway
way growth is within the memory of
mar, living Tweptv-fiVa vaarc 90 ir 6