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

nored North Dakota in the last ten
years, and accusing them of being more
liberal in their efforts to settle the
Pacific Coast states than they were to
settle North Dakota liz T.
The movement for North Dakota
was instituted and well developed by
several years of hard work and law.
isll expenditure of money before any
work of any character was done for the
western states. The very fact that the
population of the state has increased
fully fifty per cent in the last eight or
nine years is proof that somebody
must have done some work and work
of an intelligent character. The popu-
lation of North Dakota ten years ago
was largely from jamestown east. 1t
has gradually extended from the west
border of the Red river valley to the
Little Missouri river. This vast domain
west of the Missouri river at that time
hardly contained enough people for
county organization. Farming and ag-
ricultural pursuits were an unknown
quantity. 1t was given up almost ex-
clusively to the cattle and sheep men.
Real estate values have increased one
hundred per cent III the last decade.
This is easily explained by the fact that
the railroads brought buyers or home
seekers and those who were fortunate
enough to own property here have made
magnificent leaps and bounds in the
paths of prosperity. (Applause)
1t is rather discouraging to me, sf-
ter twelve years of faithful AMI hard
work, driving from schoolfl ,use to
schoolhouse in eastern states, educating
the people and washing away the pref,
udices against North Dakota. leading
the people out of the lands of want on
to the broad fields OF success, TO have
gentleman stand up before this con-
vention and say that the, Northern
Pacific and Great Northern have been
partial and unfair in their efforts to set
tie North Dakota, and that they have
sought other fields with only the ex-
cuse that the long haul was the reason
and cause. When we are hauling peo-s
pie on Immigrant rates, sometimes at
less than cent a mile, it does not seem
as though there was very much profit
or very much sweetening to put into
the tea after the performance of sud-, a
tariff proposition as that. (Applause.)
The Canadian lands movement has
been made a success by lavish ex-.
pendature of money on the part of the
Canadian government. A thorough or.
ganization has been in the field; all the
channels of publicity have been at
tackled and the great work of education
has been going on on their part for the
last seven or eight years. When the
movement started in that direction. a
great many real estate men and land
owners of North Dakota, who had sud-
denly become possessors of considerable
money by the advance of values in this
state, took the money they had made
and went into Canada and bought the
lands there for the purpose Of specula-
ton, and then came back here and
acted as missionaries for the sale of
that Canadian land among even the set
tiers that the railroad company had
spent millions of dollars to bring to
North Dakota. They also erected a
prohibitive wall in the shape of the
greatly advanced price of North Da-s
kota lands. The advance in the price
OF lands was so great in North Da-
kota that it was an easy problem to sell
Canadian land for FIVE and six dollars
an acre when they were asking from
fifteen to twenty-five dollars for North
Dakota land, which had not cost the
original purchaser more than $3.50 to SIS
per acre. Ss5
] do not believe that the railroad
companies desire any unmerited praise,
but they do believe that fair treatment
Ao~ASh ~ S<NlSA10Sa 5tlCII f1ltQ uIl-
worthy criticism be cut out. Tie words
Of my friend, Professor Gaines, seem
to touch me possibly in personal way.
Knowing as | know what work has been
done, and what efforts have been put
forth, and seeing the proof OF. the value
of this work in the large settlements
that we have made in this state, and
the local business that we have estab-
lished and the placing of so many va1u-
able and worthy people in the state
of North Dakota, this criticism seems
to come to me as entirely out OF place.
thank you for your attention. 81
At the conclusion OF Colonel Motifs
address, rs.
/ Mr. Hanley OF Mandan 5
moved that the meeting extend to
Colonel G. w. Mott and to Mr.. Max
Bass vote Of thanks for the time
pains and kindness they have shown in