Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-09-01
king OF TRANSPORTATION
Old Settlers at State Fair at Grand Forks Honor
President James ]. Hill
He IS Given Banquet and Makes Characteristic
Speech TO North DakOtanS

n Wednesday was Fargo day at the
state fair at Grand Forks. It was
likewise Jim Hill day" for this mod
ern master Of transportation was
there, with his usual fund of informa-
ton and admiration for the North Da-
kota farmer. MIR. Hill is an old
pioneer of North Dakota--one of its
first citizensand he always delights
in mingling with the old settlers,
especially in Grand Forks, at the
birth Of which he was present away
back~in the '7O's. s.
r Mr.. Hills Address.
At the fair grounds Mr.. Hill spoke
as followsso interestingly it is here
reproduced in full for the benefit Of
the farmer readers, and others, Of the
Tribune: .sEs5 q s: ss s3
1T is to- me an unusual pleasure, one
of the happiest days of my whole life, tc
be with You here today Mr.. Hill said. 81
have seen more faces of old friends than
have met before in any day of the year
and assure you that it has given me more
pleasure to come here and see with my owr
eyes the friends of the years that are gon.
years that have brought to you and t.
all of US the good and bad as it should come
to us. And let me say to you people Of
North Dakota that there is no part of the
american continent that has warmer place
in my heart than your state Ny active
business life commenced practically in open
ing transportation facilities in the Red rive,
valley; so that North Dakota may be con
sidered my eldest child. For that reason ]
must also feel the greatest interest in you,
growth and your development. This city OF
Grand Forks-beautiful city as it is today
and the wonder of it grows away out in the
heart of the continent, l remember my
first sight of where Grand Forks stands. II
was thirty-fve years ago on the Goth OF
March, and about o'clock in the morning
81 had travelled from Frog Point from mid
night until that time when / came to where
Grand Forks now stands. There wasn't a
house here-there was but one house, and
that was at Georgetown I might say two
because there was man named Hutch living
in the woods-two houses between here and
Fort Abercrombie. Now I have seen your
growth, -and man would be made of ice
whose heartstrings didn't throb and whose
gratitude didn't warm at the sight that we
see today. What I hope-and my hopes for
the future are based on what has occurred
in the past--what / hope for is that YOU
will go onward and upward in your march of
Improvement, taking advantage of the Oh.
l por'un ii that you have, and you have
Were All Mistaken.
The people of the valley used to-and my.
self with them-feel that the Red river val.
ley was all there was of it from an aeri-
cultural standpoint. remember when some
friends of mine when, we had built out to
Ojata and were spying the ground out to-.
wards where Larimore now is, said they had
been up on the hills and there was lust as
good country up on the hills as there was
in the valley. At any rate they knew it
was country that could be settled and was
susceptible of cultivation, and one that
would make farms and happy homes for future
multitudes. / thought that they were Lit.
tie enthusiastic, but I WAS willing that it
should be So Now, what is the result to.
day? might go back and say that it was
but a few years ago that Gen. Hazen, Of the
national weather bureau, fixed the hundredth
meridian as the western boundary Of success.
full cultivation. And when we built our road
through to the Pacific coast and it was fin.
ished, in passing over it I was hopeful that
we would be able to maintain population
along IFS lines for the entire distance, with
the exception of about thirty miles of sage
brush east of the Columbia river Today that
sage brush is being intelligenfls famed,
and they are getting thirty five bushels Of
wheat to the acre ~ 5s54 81
4 Now, you must pardon me il an old man
talks sonctirnes--and am in the habit Of
talking at mark if can--if 1 give adj
vice to the eldest son, you must take ii as
we'll meant. You have opportunities here in
North Dakota far beyond those of other parts
OF the country. You are doing well, but you
can do better, and want the time TO come
when YOU viii do better. Remember this,
that IN our country the natural increase is
about million and a half year il, popu.
lation. The ernigrants coming from other
countries is million more. Two millions and:
q half of new people coming into this country
every year. What are we going TO do with
them The old campaign song was Uncle
Sam is rich enough 10 give US all farm
Today he hasn't got il. Our pubic domain,
large as It IS. Is practically all occupied, sx.3
cent the acres that can be brought under
cultivation through irrigation. Seeing that
some Ave or six years ago, got two other
roads TO Join us and TO Put in an annual
contribution Of 50. 600 a year each. Later
we got two Others, 10 that We made ave,
making the combination SIS. 600 year for
q simple campaign Of education to get before
the people Of the country the necessity for
irrigation. The people who live on the land
In this country win b.. Is they always have