Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-10
CONVENTION AFTERMATH
Continued from page ~

or the other members is, as to that,
but I would like to hear from some
OF the men present here who are
pioneers in the work of immigration
to the northwest (Applause.)
Mr.. Gilbreath remarked, "As chair
man I will state that this convention
has appointed committee Of eleven
to formulate resolutions. The duties
of that committee are to frame plans
and submit them to this body tomor-
TOW morning for your consideration
and action. This present time Is an
excellent opportunity to propose ideas
and suggestions to that committee to
consider and which II they deem best,
they can embody in the resolutions to
he prepared by them"
Mr.. Patterson said: II would like
to hear from Mr.. Max Bass, whom we
all know and who is an experienced
and very able man in the business of
immigration, that we may get ideas
from a man who knows them"
Max Bass.
Mr.. Max Bass, general immigration
agent for the Great Northern railway
company, addressed the convention,
and spoke. as follows:
Mr.. Chairman: 1t is true that the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
railway companies, through their
representatives, Colonel Mott and
myself, were the pioneers in the
immigration movement to this state.
The Northern Pacific, as you all
know, had a land grant, while the
Great Northern did not have.
When We first went down into
Indiana, at the time we first COM
menced the campaign for immigra-
ton, we received a chilly reception at
first from the people whom we tried
to induce to come to this country.
They thought the country we were
trying to settle was the north pole.
That is the condition we had to work
with: those are the ideas we en-
deavored to change by devoting our
selves to the education of the people.
), Now, must state that 1 am pretty
blunt In my remarks, and you will
consider that when I say that great
deal depends on the real estate men
to keep the people in the state after
the railroad companies Bring them
here. To give you a little illustra.
ton: In 1894, we brought into North
Dakota the first colony Of Dunkards.
You see we commenced with people
who were oppressed from a financial
standpoint in their own land We
had 10 demonstrate by these poor
people whom we brought here that,
the advantages, resources and posi-.
bflities Of North Dakota as described
by the immigration agent, were really
existent. So we finally succeeded in
bringing an advance guard of these
people into the state. But what did
the real estate men do? The first
thing heard was that some OF the
prominent real estate people of the
state went to Mr.. Hill, the president
Of the Great Northern railway, and
said to him, "Why has this been
done; these people are not good foe
anything" In other words, a certain
gentleman, whose name I do not wish
to mention, but who was then and Is
today one OF the prominent men OF
the state, was throwing cold water on
the work at its beginning, because
he could not get the last drop OF blood
out Of those people by selling land
to them.
In 1894, when I landed the first
colony OF immigrants at Devils Lake
a gentleman from Pierre, South Da
kota, by the name II think of Suther
land, offered me a quarter section
there for six hundred dollars. The
vaIue OF this land at that time was
based on the laws OF demand and sup
ply. At that time there were mil
, lions and millions of acres of govern.
ment lands which nobody wanted.
Now, then, as have remarked be.
fore, in proportion to the population
Of your state, the values Of land have
advanced, today. lnreasonably. They
are prohibitive to the man who is to.
day seeking new location. He
comes to you real estate men, you
know he Is brought here by an immi.
grafton agency and that he wants to
become settler here and a citizen
OF your state, and you ask him
twenty dollars an acre for land. Now,
1t is true, that according to the pro.
ductiVeness OF the ground that it is
not worth any less than Iowa, Illinois
or Ohio land. But you must remem.
Der that the value Of land is based
upon the population Of the country,
4 you must remember also that the
farmer kere is controlling one or two
sections or more OF land without a