The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-10-11
TILLERs OF The SOL
HOLD KEYS TOFuIURE
They Must Unlock the Treas.
uries Tor the Support ct
Millions.
ADDREss eY J. j. HILL
Great Railroad Masnate and Student
OF Affairs Makes an
Interesting
cast.
ADDRESS BY !. ]. Hill

Chicago, Oct. 10.-JameS j. Hill, pres
dent of the Great Northern railroads
was the principal speaker Saturday
night at the banquet given at the audi
yorium hotel under the auspices of the
Commercial association. His theme was
The Development of the Northwest"
Ind his remarks were greeted with add
I'd attention, because of the great deal
n ore lands which he closed recently In
behalf of the Great Northern rail-
toad.
David r. Forgan. president Of the
Commercial association, presided ut the
banquet, which was attended by about
'50members of the ASSOCIATION and their
friends. Sir ThoIna Upton was ono
If the chief guests of the evening. 9th
u speakers were Congressman George
!. Foss and Ernest T. Bicknell. Mr..
3icknell represented the Chicago Com.
nercial association in the relief meas
Tres at San Francisco after the earth%
quake.
Must Plan for Future.
After reviewing the progress made In
he northwest in the past fifty years.
Mr.. Hill said:
The first business and the highest duty
f the northwest is to prepare for the bur-
len and heat of the coming day and to
postpone the lengthening of the shadows
hat must surely fall. Within certain linn
vs. VIC lIidy KNOW eNdCliy WIdI Is 10 lldpN
zen in this country and the northwest II
'orces now operating continue, and IL the
~cndencies now active are unchecked.
these. briefly, are the certainties of the
ext fifty years, supported by facts ascer-
aimed beyond possibility of error. BY tha
middle of this century,, within the lifetime
# f., thousands now living dod rg os our population ion
:hese people to find profitable occupation?
low are they to obtain the necessities of
Vie?
The r11actiop Ca o1raaav pracripp ,,nnrA
great cities like Chicago, where immigra-
ion concentrates. But the newcomers
annot be excluded. Labor was never as
caree, wages were never as high as at
he present day. We cannot stop the In
low or check the natural increases. We
aust determine. however. upon a national
economy different from the present when
ur population is approaching three times
What 1t was in 1900.
Striking as has been found the contrast
between 1850 and 1900, that between the
present and 1850 will reveal more serious
features.
Irrigation Will Help.
Practically speaking, our public lands
IRE ali occupied. The irrigation of land
w the general overnmen will do some
hing, but with all the present plans they
Will furnish land TOR fewer than 1900, coo
n small farms of forty acres each or for
population of 1850, 0eO OF 5000, 900 people,
our other natural resources have been
exploited with a lavish HAND. Our exports
u Which we love to boast consist mostly
l.. " inc ~ ouuClS OIL the SOIL. our IRON I1I
GOAL supplies will begin to show signs OF
.xhaustion before fifty years have passed.
The former at the present rate of increas-
ms 1ar p] fnraota will r1r,6 be greatly reduced,
lupply of mineral oil flows to the ends OF
he earth; we cannot continue to supply
he world and recruit our Owl resources;
by the methods of trade that now obtain
2 because the minerals stored in the GROUND
10 not recreate themselves. Once USED
!, hey are gone forever. We shall. witt
hpga coming mjllinnG tn Lrr0uihn. fNr 1s
thrown back upon the soil, the only re-
source of mankind that is capable of III
: mite renewal and that offers life fol
generation after generation.
The period of ransacking the nationa
itorehouse to see what can be sent ovel
teas and sold must 5a changed to an err
: lion and improvement of what is, funda
mentally, our chief maintenance. For up
m the cultivation of the sol! all varief
commercial activity, OF whatever intrinsi
,orm or interest is mainly built: an,
apon it depends the future of mankind AM
The nature and stability of its institutions
Are We Going Backward?
In some things we are gong backwards
The SOL of the country is being impoV
trished by careless treatment. Forests ar
.ut down that the sun may bake it an,
:he food scour it into the ocean. 1t Ia
been cropped with the same grain yea
lfter year until its productive power il
some of the richest portions of the com
Try has deteriorated fully SO per cent. Til
rtlSu5 ltluIllS SIOW III ACTUAL decrease l
arm values in a large number of tn
states. It IS easily demonstrate that
'eform of methods of cultivation woul
1ouble the agricultural products eac,
year. adding from IS 1900, 900. 900 to sc. coo. 900,
= b0 to the national wealth; white the resor
to small farms and the abortion of the in
additional Increment. These are possibilt
r ties to which necessity will lend a NOR
pertinent and compelling aspect with tn
voming years of the present century.
. The PpEtlieSt error will he n p1jppipv 1
r the delusion that we are to continue to in
crease our exports and to live upon tn
coming when we shall need our wheat Gro
for home consumption ard seed; when on
MINES will not yield except at increase
cost the iron and coal required for man,
n featured commodities consumed at home
g and when the cheap labor of the orien
q whose wages we cannot hone to NEE
is equipped with cur mach'rerv. and wit
n the patience and initiative instinct there $
~ highly developed. viii va anguish all con
p~etitors n every marker. Til ugh OF
trade was un~shackled from the 1ev;elati,
u bonds that now prevent i- natural growt
s. and free expansion, it would rot offer Z,
Ie for long any other reliance than a broke
> reed.
IL Every nation that enjoys prosperity az
=, that exhibits a healthy national vftali,
=. IS rooted in the soil: and all its other 4
> dustr'es are clustered about tillape as II
& that nourish them all. To tho realizatic
ii of our position, to a return to agricultur
i1- to q 1sllOuS care OIL our lanu resource
>, both as TO quantity and equality, and to
- mode of cultivation that shall at once mn,
- tiply the yield per acre and restore instes
Of de troying productive quTl et, we mu
7. come without delay If we are to oscar
te disaster.
Next in Importance to the productive
sr of the soil comes that of transportatto
- Already the growth of our commerce i
tween the Mississippi river and the Alta
u tic coast finds itself delayed and har
pered for want of additional railway lr
and of terminal facilities. And throug
out the whole country there is a rising C;
for more tracks, more engines, more ca
and more transportation facilities of
= kinds. To furnish what is required W
y call for the investment of many hundre
OF millions of dollars to be furnished fro
the savings of the people of all classes. a.
M without them the whole business of t
country must suffer. Money invested
railroads expects a fair return on the I
vestment, and it also expects the sar
measure OF protection before the law tn
o. is accorded To other property. The enorl
q Gus press'.~e of masses of people seems
crush out the hope and energy and pre-
g. perity of q large proportion of them; a
- the great problem of modern progress /:
- ter all Is hoy to deal with this tendenc,
20 how to prevent the forces of advancing
Tn cial evolution from beng destructive
well as creative This Is the problem
the nation, exactly stated. and 1t Is in
ty special sense the problem OF the mort
wcsI,