Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1905-03-24

manly brow. For, with all your farm
ing, remember the universal forgive
ness and benedcence Of grass" and
that grass is still the worlds greatest
crop, and, planning to utilize that
crop, do not forget that the helpless
sheep, so entirely dependent upon
man for protection, will repay you
most bountifully for thoughtful care
and attention.
1t takes no prophetic gift to look
forward few more years and see our
lands farther west all fenced and
farmed, and to imagine your grain
growers in the eastern parts of our
states prepared to finish for market
the cattle and sheep that we general
ly can only "raise," not fatten.
In this connection, the railroad
problem is very pertinent to our
subject, for, with easy and cheap
transportation Of stock, see how our
rolling, grassy prairies would be the
natural complement to your fat and
fertile fields. At present, with
our railroads operated by steam and
largely controlled by Standard Oil,
transportation of stock is neither
cheap, easy nor safe. Those crowded
cabooses and inconvenient double
decked sheep-cars belong to the mid
die ages, and know of no accident
insurance company that will insure
you or me while riding on stock
train.
II you 20 out west to buy a car
Of cattle or sheep to fattcn in winter
you'll be fined five dollars car for
unloading, and your agent will have
orders to inform you that you have to
hurry up and get out inside of ninety
days or your next rate will show a
much heavier fine.
But electricity and the people are
beginning to take hand, and the day
is not so very far distant when live
stock will be carried in vestibuled
cars, lighted up at night by electricity,
and those in charge will not be packed
like preserved sardines into unsanitary
cabooses.
In the meantime, while continuing
to protest against shortsightedness
and injustice, do not let us make life
a burden to the men who actually run
our railroads. With few exceptions,
they would rather help than hinder
US. But they, themselves, are work.
Ing under rules as rigid as the laws Of
the Medes and the ,Persians, and are
indeed between the devil and the
deep sea-we, the public, being the
deep sea; the controlling director, the
devil.
Still, with all our troubles and our
wrongs-and they are neither few nor
fancied-there is much to make US
hopeful regarding the future of the
sheep-raising industry, under chang
ing conditions. and also the future oil
our adopted states.
Is not meeting such as this enough
to make one optimistic? Here we
are, nearly thousand men, gathered
from three states-n0t for graft or tc
make a dollar out of one another-but
solely to help and be helped in making
the best Of the bit Of Gods green eartl
we each call home. Here in your
city Of Fargo is that grand institu.
tion, the agricultural college, which
as citizens it BELTS us to help and en-
courage in its good work of training
and equipping our youth to become
more capable and more intelligent
workers. Prominent in that good
work there is one who should receive
the republics cross of the Legion Of
Honor, who should be decorated with
our grateful thanks for the splendid
fight he has made against dishonesty
and to protect our homes and our
children against masked poison. I
refer to Edwin f. Ladd.
'Then let US pray that come 1t may,
As come it will for a. that,
That man to man. the warld o'er,
Shall brothers be for u that.