River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-06-12

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, pc
tween communities and nations. Benlh0
it's adventurous leadership has followed
civilization and Christianity to the re-
hottest parts of the world. The CONNER
cial nations of the world have, at all
times, exercised the strongest influence
for good among the nations OF the eartn
The development OF commerce Is the 81
fort by q country to find q market for It's
own productions, or, to supply itself with
material for it's necessities, or to furtnef
increase its means of commercial ex-
pansiOn. The commercial expansion OF a
nation is the best index of its growth
Commercial growth is both domestic and
foreign. Following the Civil war came a
period in the history of our country Of
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 thlr-
ty-four millions. The succeeding thirty
five years ending in 1900, carried it tC
seventy-siX millions. and, today, we are
increasing at the rate of a million and a
half q year. The various census reports
show that the population Of the Unlted
States about doubles every thlry years
so that by 1890 we would, at this ratio;
have a population of one hundred ana
fifty millions Of people.
In the past the public domain suited 70
Tqiy
useful crop, has furnished homes for the
multiplying population. Today we nave
about reached the limit of our pubic 90
main which can be made 70 IuLnisn
homes for an intelligent and enterprislng
population. In many OF the western
states are enormous areas OF the pest
land which, with irrigation can De mace
Productive In the Highest Degree.
One hundred and sixty acres of land,
with a certain supply of water, which
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-haf of the population
of the United States is occupied directly
or indirectly in the cultivation of the
land and / think fully one-haf 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 agrl-
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 witt
wonderful mines of coal, iron, gold, silver
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 oul
the last three years the balance of oul
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
to US through the export of the produce
Of the soil. / do not wish in any manner
to belittle the Importance OF our growing
manufactures, or their relative value In
the commerce of the country. The Sc
curity of their foundations has always
rested upon the agricultural growth OF
the nation and in the future 1T must
continue to rest there. Every manufac-
turer, every merchant, every business
man throughout the land is most deeply
interested in maintaining the growth
and development of our agricultural re-
sources.
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-
day, as l said before, the arabic lane
suitable for agriculture without ar
tificial supply of moisture, is practically
all occupied.
In a few limited communities of the
West irrigation has been commenced b!
what may be called individual Effort.
Owing to diverse laws, made to suit par
areas is attended by greater difficultie
than can be well surmounted by in
dividual effort. The policy of q broad
comprehensive, national plan of irrlga.
ton has been urged upon congress witt
but little success in the past. However
an enterprise of such magnitude and i'm
portanCe to the nation as whole which
Importance will grow as our population
grows cannot be turned aside or los
sight Of for the reason that every either
of every state in the Union is
Deeply and vitality Interested
in the question President Roosevelt whC
arid regions of the West has taken al
active interest in this subject, and if hi
ing for the same end, result in success
future generations will rejoice in thu
memory IF his work while they build TO
themselves comfortable homes in the
the country which is now given up a!
grazing ranches for cattle and sheep
With proper irrigation these valleys viii
furnish homes for intelligent and in
dustriOus people. and the number of cat
tie and sheep raised on the land will in
crease many fold.
country thousands of our farmers from
states like Iowa, Kansas, Missouri Mich
igan. Wisconsin and Minnesota. are seek
ing homes in the Canadian Northwest
owing to the cheap lands offered in tina
country, and the difficulty of securin,
such lands in the United States A wis
system of irrigation by the general gov
eminent can be made not only Self-SuS
tanning, but source of income. Lands
that without irrigation are given away o
sold at a nominal price. can be sold a
fast as they are furnished with water, a
ten dollars an acre or upwards, and tn
cost would be little, if anything, NOR
The United States has many sncia
questions to settle in the near future
and nothing in this connection will TAX
the place of its ability to provide goo
homes for those who desire to sit unde
their own vine and fig tree
ness and population without land is
Railway Importance.
Considering the question from a broa
national standpoint. the next interest il
Importance to agriculture is the railwa
interest of the country. The entire rail
way growth is within the memory o
not supposed possible that railway
would ever be able to carry heavy an
cheap commodities. which We're up I
that time almost exclusively shipped b.
water Great elevators were built i
Chicago, milwaukee and other lake ports
to hold the grain for the season of ope
market at a fair rate. Early builders o
railways never realized the service to b
rendered to the country by railways
I think 1 am safe in saying that next t
the Christian religion and the common
schools. no other single work enters int
the welfare, and happiness of the peopl
of the whole country to the same eXten
as the railway; no other work could hav
made il possible to occupy the senormou
stretches through the interior of on
Lountry and people them with cities
towns and villages.
While the railways have to answer 70
MANY mistakes OF judgment, or of in
tent on the whole the result has been I
create the most effective, useful and, b
far the cheapest system of land trans
norta ton in the world. In England tn
average amount paid by the shipper 70
moving a ton OF freight one hundre
miles is $2.S5; in France $2.10; in Aus
tria. $3.50: in Germany, where most G
the railways are owned and operated b
the government. $1.S4: in Russia ais