The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-06-23
tls IT REALLY sENEFlctALi

A peculiar proposition confronts the;
people OF North Dakota. We have been
carefully watching the progress Of
railroad building in the state, and the
thought occurs that there is danger in
all this talk of proposed lines to be
built and the attempt to secure to the
people of North Dakota a socalled
in transportation.
Let us view this matter in an i'm.
partial manner. In the first place,
the settlement Of North Dakota. while
it has been rapid, is far from being,
complete. The towns and cities al
ready builded must necessarily have
a larger territory to draw from than
the towns and cities in the older
states, where the dependence for indi-
vidual and collective prosperity does
not depend entirely upon the agricul-
tural resources of the tributary coun.
try. When one looks back over the
past few years and realizes the strug.
gle for existence made by some of the
towns and cities along the line of rail-
ways already builded, one can appre
ciate at once now that the beginning
of a substantial growth has begun
among the towns and cities along the
line, in the sense of self-protection as
we'll as for the interest of the sur
rounding country, the exciting of pub
lie opinion into the belief that greater
transportation facilities are needed
should be carefully considered. While
not in the least decrying the resultant
benefits from legitimate competition,
let us consider whether there is an
absolute need of this competition.
North Dakota is distinctly an agri
cultural state. Her towns and cities
are entirely dependent upon this re.
source for their prosperity. The law
of supply and demand exerts to a
greater degree an influence over the
welfare of an agricultural state than
it does anywhere else, and the law OF
supply and demand in the building OF
new towns has just as much bearing
upon the prosperity OF 4 community or
section as the law covering products
or manufactures. Towns must be
builded: they must grow in importance
and into cities as the development OF
the country grows apace, and while 1t
is technically true that the greater the
transportation facilities the greater the
chance for growth, we must confess
that unless the section tributary to
such town can support, all the railroad
lines in the country cannot make it a
city. 1t must have something more
behind it than the mere means Of
transportation. 1t must have terri
tory sufficiently large to supply its
residents with the chance to make a
living, its merchants to make a reason.
able profit, and it's other interests to
show pm adequate return from their
investment. Let us assume a case:
We have a thriving little town on the
main liae of railroad, one of the
branch lines radiating from it.; we
have a country that at present is able
to guarantee sufficient market al
these towns, but not sufficiently set
tied to take care of another town
builded within few miles of it. In a
territory which at present is rightfully
the territory of the older town. But
notwithstanding this, the new town Ia
builded. There is an immediate cessa.
ton in the growth of the older
town and no material growth OF
the new town. The territory il
divided up before its time, and
instead OF it's helping, it has
stunted and retarded the growth, and
the consequent lessening to the farm
er of greater market for his product
1t is an essential fact that if the farm.
err can find home market he is bene-
fitted to a greater extent than if he
must ship out of the state or let his
profit be divided by middle man.
We have, then, the case Of country
that. in sense, is divided against
itself. Take the numberless instances
where the building OF additional rail-
roads. before the country needed it
brought virtual bankruptcy to towns
duu ClIlCo. we navy Ill 1u1llu oil III
stance of this kind where a little city
in a new country, on the main line OF
railway, was growing in Importance
as the development of the country
grew apace. But intoxicated with
their prosperity, in a moment of men.
tai ALTERATION, it's citizens listened to
the honeyed words of a so-called COM
peting railway which promised great
things on paper. The citizens of this
little city gave to the new road SUBJ
stantial bonus and in due course of
time branch line was builded into
the city. The result was that instead
of bringing additional trade to the
city, it drew from it and its rightful
territory the trade to new town
which the railroad company builded.
and tho Growth IF tho Othor citv uo q