The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-11
Closing Day of the Tri-State Grain
and Cattle Growers Conven-
tion a Notable One.
TALKED R:GHT ON
rlr. Hill rIade No Effort
for OratoricaI Dis
play in His Hours
Speech.
Special to The Globe

| Special to The Globe
| FARGO, N. D., Jan. 10-After the ap-
| plause which greeted the introduction Of
Mr. Hill had subsidized, he addressed tha
audience as follows:
I want to present tc you TODAY some
| important figures which, I think, will
| establish many facts that are of great
interest to all the people of this coun-
| try, and more especially to the people Of
| the Northwest
An advance in the material prosperity
| OF our country has always marked an
| Improvement in the condition Of the peo-
| pie. Every United States census from
| 1850 to 1900, shows an average growth
which has practically doubled the pop
ulation of the country about every thirty
years. At the close Of the Civil war
| this country contained, say 34,OOO,O00 Of
people. At the average rate of the in
| crease Of the past 100 years we should
| have at least $50, ,0G0 600 of people by
1880. The present increase is more than
| 100000 annually.
/ The all-important question presenting
| itself to every individual and to every
| community is: Where will they go
| and what will they do to secure for
| themselves comfortable 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
| Republic?
At the close of the war large portion
| of the states of Iowa, Wisconsin and
Minnesota were government lands, open
1 for homesteads, and practically all the
| country west of these states to the Pa
| c1t1c ocean was open to settlement. The
census reports show that a large portion
! of the increased population has gone in
to this new country, and built up cities
and states, opened up prosperous farm
/ ing communities and dotted the land
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
| country is invested in agricultural lands,
and what goes with it for the purpose
of making it productive. Nearly one
half Of the poplation Of the country is
directly or indirectly connected with the
cultivation of the soil, and If we judge
! from all the experiences of the past,
| the agricultural half of the population
| has done more than its share in every
/ thing that goes to benefit the country as
a whole. That half has always shown
itself more intelligent, more patriotic,
! and, in every way, the sheet-anchor Of
the nation. When men have been call
/ ed to defend the flag of our country the
farmers sons have always been ready
/
While the farmers are ready to go ten
miles on election day to cast their votes,
others hang around the polls IN the cit
! les waiting to sell their votes From
the farmers sons in New England and
the Middle and Western states are con-
stantly recruited the numbers Of those
who engage in the professions and the
various walks Of business, and their In
| diyidual successes clearly establish their
! right to be placed in the front rank
wherever they have been called. Ny
| observation leads me to believe that the
nation at large has more to expect from
those who cultivate the SOIL than from
/ all others combined.
/ The largest area of unoccuped land
| where green trees and green grass
| grows and where clear water runs, lies
/ in the zone between Lake Superior and
| the Pacific 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
rapidly increasing population? Most Of
] the lands that will produce crops every
year and are susceptible Of cultivation
/ are already occupied. The important
question today before the statesmen of
| the nation is: How can the remaining
| lands best be made to furnish homes for
! the rapidly growing population? A lit
! tie reflection will show every individual
man that it is only by the wisest action on
J the part of the general government, by
| we'll matured plans for irrigation, and
| 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 a few
0f CT fnG fO
| some localities in the West this move
nent 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 dis
| posed of by them. This latter movement
! can only end in failure. The lands would
| be frittered away, or practically given
| away, or appropriated without benefit
/ ing any considerable number of people.
| l consider the future welfare of the coun-
| try depends more upon the wise DISPOSE
| ton of the public domain, so as to secure
| homes for the people, than upon any
| other single condition in THE nation. Our
/ country is large; our population and oc-
cupations differ as widely as the climatic
and natural conditions differ. Every
| congress shows an active effort being
| made to secure some advantage to some
/ local district overlooking as think, the
| broad general fact that the nation should
| and must prosper as a whole.
In 1896 this country settled the ques-
/ ton 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 hundred-cent dollar they
would be compelled to take a ffty-cent
dollar In return, and now the business of
the country is marching forward at a