Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1906-09-28
A NOTABLE ADDRESS
James J. Hill Talks to the Farmers
at Minnesota State Fair.
TELLS SOME PLAIN TRUTHS
President Of the Great Northern Rail-
way Delivers an Interesting Ad-
dress On Ugricultuarl Question.

At the Minnesota state fair in
Minneapolis last week President
James J. Hill of the Great Northern
railway spoke to the Minnesota far
mers. Mr.. Hill is one Of the great
est fnanciers in the couatry and
one of the most observing men. He
has from the best vantage point
watched the agricultural growth OF
the west and no man is better quail
fed to discuss the development of
American agriculture. There is a
great deal of meat in Mr.. Hlll's ad-
dress. He said IN part:
notwithstanding the addition Of
more than million people a year
from abroad, nearly all of them
men and women who must work for
a living, labor outside of the cities
was never so scarce or wages so high
as that at the present time. I'M
migration fingers in the great cen
ters and adds to the difficulties at
tending employment. The farmers
stretch out there hands in vain.
Railroads in making extensions have
to get help at the highest market
price, and find a large percentage of
those whom they employ mere
hoboes who desert as soon as th, Y
have succeeded in getting transpor-
tation from one part of the country
to another.
Farmers besiege the employment
agencies in vain, aud offer the lazy
tramp sum for days work in the
field unheard of In anv other country
in the world. The situation grows
more embarrassing yearly. Hours
of labor are being reduced IN some
of the states for farm as well as shol
hands. Men are scareer as tht
movement of population to the cities
grows more pronounced. A con
siderable portion Of this year,
magnificent crop will be either re
duced in quality or altogether los
by reason of impossibll,ty of getting
labor to handle it properly.
q Discouraged small farmers nov
are selling their land to larger pro
prietors who can proftably substl
tute machinery for men. Th
country needs more workers on th
soil. Not to turn the strange
away. but to direct him to the farn
instead of the city; not to watc
81 with fear possible increase in th
birth rate, but to use every means t
keep the boys on the farms and t
seud youths from the city to swe'
b the depleted ranks Of agrlculturs
industry ~ the necessary task of
we'll advised political economy an
intelligent patriotism.
Within S0 years we must houf
and employ IN solae fashion So 900
900 Of additional population, an
;}by the middle of this century thel
Npl be approximately two and
half times as ma ~ people in tn
United States as there are toda,
No nation in history was ever co
fronted with sterner question tina
this certain prospect sets before II
" hat are a we to do with ou' brrothe
Khose keepers we ares How 2
Ke 70 pFeyide oAr children vi
y belteF AND their daily breads o
1fable public lands have almost d
ppearsd.
Our one resource, looking
amanity as something more tn
lie creature of day, is the pr
activity of the soil. The reckle
|Istribution of the public land;
:zision among all the greedy W
.a8se t9 ask fer it: tbs APP
III Riatlon of large areas for grazi
frposes, have absorbed much
national heritage. Only o.
of the land in private own