Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-10-21

1t was shortly after two o'clock when
President Hill of the Great Northern
railway. escorted by Governor White,
State Auditor Holmes and State Exam
iner Tyler. ascended the aisle and
stepped upon the speakers platform
at the Atheneum There was ripple
of applause as Mr.. Hill walked up the
aisle, which deepened into an uproar
of handclapping as he stepped upon
the stage. Prominent men of the
state and of the Northwest occupied
seats in a semi circle about the stage.
Upon the speakers stand was bou-
quet of cut flowers. The stage was
draped artistically with flags and
bunting, and two excellent likenesses
of Mr.. Hill appeared at either end of
the stage
Mr.. Hill spoke earnestly. deliberate
ly and without oratorical flourish
Frequently he consulted the little red
book in which are collected statistics
with reference to the Great Northern
road and its traffic His particular re-
marks with reference to irrigation as
a scientific problem. he read from
manuscript His other remarks were
the freely flowing expressions of the
big thought and ideas for which he is
never at loss.
Mr.. Hill was introduced by Cover
nor White. in few we'll chosen words
and said:
Mr.. Hills Address.
Gentlemen of the convention, and
won't omit the ladies who have been
good enough to come:
1t is always a pleasant duty with me
to do anything within my power, on
very opportunity that offers itself. that
will advance the interests of the cOun-
try and particularly of the Northwest.
But it is a particular pleasure and
must confess to a soft spot in my heart
for North Dakota-to do anything to-
wards furthering the interests of this
state The best years of my life have
been given to the development of the
be left me hope will see continu-
ance of the growth that you have had
since first crossd the Red River. At
that time there were two houses in
the valley. and the nearest settler was
at the old wooden stockade at Pomme
de Terre. a place kept as frontier
stage station by man and his wife
by the name of Burns. My first trip
down the valley was made behind
three dogs-and one of them was a
yellow dog Naughter) At that
time | was not sure that l would ever
live to see the country occupied, but
within two years. when the snow was
gone. coming across the valley ! saw
where wagon had cut the sod, pull
verized it, and the grass which grew
in the ruts was foot higher than the
average prairie grass: and knew the
Almighty in his wisdom had made it
for a good purpose. Some of the peO-
ple who came in those wagons are here
today and l cannot let the occasion
pass without saying how much pleas
ure it gives me to meet the old friends
men who were on the frontier in the
time when the country was new
when everyone had to struggle hard to
get forward. l am glad to see that
your lines have fallen in pleasant pla-
ces and while new friends and new
acquaintances are good, we old people
are apt to turn to those whom We know
then-back to the friends Of that time
and go over the struggles we had then.
We had less to do with them then
than we have now. Now you have
in o1 ho n
you know: .
Wealth in the Soil.
North Dakota will never be a state
to carry on the larger manufacturing
industries of the country. You have
no iron and don't know that you have
what would make iron. Your native
coal is good substitute for straw. 1t
makes a coed warm fire-a great deal
better than nothing. but when 1t comes
to the question of making iron or
steel. or the higher uses to which fuel
is put, you have little to look for in
that direction. You can in fact, and
we hope you will develop the manufac-
ture of woolen goods and things that
can be made under a roof without
much expense. But your great source
of wealth is and always will be in
the soil. Your soil and your climate
make a rich gold mine that never
wears out, but which, cultivated. will
enrich the state and country in future
years. All the wealth in the world
comes from four sources: either the
farm, the forest. the mine. or the sea
Now you have got your share Of good
soil and your farms are productive