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. csss .:s
The movement for North Dakota
was instituted and we'll developed by
several years of hard work and law
ish 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 a 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 in 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.1 ..
1t is rather discouraging to me, af-
ter twelve years of faithful and hard
work, driving from schoolh ,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, 10 have
a gentleman stand up before this, con
ventdon 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-
ouse that the long haul was the reason
and cause. When we are hauling peo-
pie on immigrant rates, sometimes at
less than cent 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 such a
tariff proposition as that. Applause
The Canadian lands movement has
been made success BY a lavish ex-
penditure 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 fhe>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, q
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 81
that Canadian land among even the set.
tiers that the railroad company had
spent millions of dollars to bring &c
North Dakota. They also erected a
prohibitive wall in the shape OF die
greatly advanced price Of North Da.
kota lands The advance in the price rice
OF lands was SO great in North Da.
kota that It was an easy problem to sell
Canadian land for FIVE and six dollar.
an acre when they were asking from
fifteen to twenty-five dollars for Norti
Dakota land, which had not cost The
original purchaser more than $3.50 to ST
/ per acre.
do not believe that the railroad
companies desire any unmerited praise,
but they do believe that fair treatnen,
should be extended to them and I'm.
worthy criticism be cut out. The words
Of my friend, Professor Gaines, seen
to touch me possibly in personal way
| Knowing as know what work has beer
done, and what efforts have been pu1
forth, and seeing the proof of the value
of this work in the large settlement.
that we have made in this state and
the local business that we have estab.
lished and the placing Of so many vaIu-
able and worthy people in the state
Of North Dakota, ti1is criticism seem:
to come to me as entirely out Of place
4 thank you for your attention
At the conclusion of Colonel Mott's
address,
MIR. Hanley Of Mandan
moved that the meeting extend t
/ Colonel C. w. Mott and to Mr.. MAJ
Bass q vote Of thanks for the time,
Ipains and kindness they have shown ii