Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-08
GREAT Interest SHOWN


/ we have been benefited and pleased
! by the remarks which have been very
aptly put. And we are glad we are
here.
| But, now we are going to get to
the essential part of this meeting.
1t seems to me that we are here for
business and these speeches are very
good as an Introduction. Without
going further and without taking
any of your time to place before you
the good points of North Dakota, we
all know them, all of us who have
had any experience here know that
no other state in the Union has the
future that North Dakota has, and
without going into set speech, be-
cause that is not my purpose here, I
will try to bring before you some
points for our consideration at this
time. n
| We have not come here as kickers.
That has been well brought out by
the former speakers. We want to be
united in this effort and it needs the
support of every man to carry out the
work we have before us. We have
1 got the southwest to contend with,
and there are strong forces taking
men to the southwest. There are
strong companies engaged in getting
men to the west coast also. But the
strongest opponent that we have
against us in the field is to the north
of us, the Canadian northwest. 1t
is hoped that at this meeting some
thing will be done in this state to
unite our forces in this state to meet
those forces we have to contend with.
| Very few of us realize anything of
the work that has been going on.
Only those that have actually run up
| against this tremendous force can
realize anything about the immense
force at work against the immigra-
tion to North Dakota. 1t is, there
fore, essential that we make some
such effort on our part here in North
Dakota as the commercial club
makes for the interests of the city
to fight for our rights as a state. 1t
has been pretty we'll brought up this
afternoon that it is the duty of every
citizen of the state to let his friends
and his relatives know what the ad-
vantages of North Dakota are, and
to exert an influence to bring the
people to this state. I will not touch
upon that point, however, because
that is we'll understood.
1t has been presented to you that
every citizen has value to the state
and I would place an even higher
value upon the good citizen than has
already been given him. He is worth
more and produces more than has
been represented, and in many way:
is worth more than has been repre-
sented. He is the support of on,
schools and is a producer of wealth
and an aid to civilization and pros
perity in every way. This being thu
; case, we need the support of ever,
man that is interested in the welfare
of the state to get him here. Then
when we have organized ourselve!
properly and on the right kind of {
basis, we can reach out into othel
fields
AS have said, we have these con.
tending forces to meet, and we wish
here to devise some plan of meeting
I them. If we had had what really
: belonged to us during the last five
. years, without other forces coming in
Ito interfere, if the natural forces
. could have been left to themselves
r our population would have been
twice what it is at the present time
, And those are strong statements, but
/ have no doubt about it. When you
: consider, the great number of people
that would have come to this state il
. certain railroads and railroad com
J., panies would have walked to the stu.
. alton, cannot help thinking that the
opposing forces would have been
defeated. With the railroads con.
/, sidering the long haul and the pur.
, pose of the railroads to send men tc
. the coast, have been sometimes an
noyed to see how much they were
{ and are doing for the coast and how
l little for this state, but their answer
, is that this state will take care OF
{ itself They had other reasons