Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-10-05

The wonderful variety of resources
in different portions Of the valley
make the demand for transportation
altogether exceptional. Coal, lum-
her, torn, wheat, cotton, cattle on
the surface of the soil and beneath
the soil the riches are great. There
are already evident strong tenden
cies to increase the carrying of freight
from the northern part Of the valley
to the gulf. Through the valley
the land is so fertile as to make the
field for the farmer peculiarly at
tractive; and where in the west the
climate becomes dryer we enter pom
the ranching country; while in adj
dition to the products Of s. the soil
there are also the manufactures sup
piled in innumerable manufacturing
centers, great and small. Cities of
astonishing growth are found every
where from the gulf to the Great
Lakes, from the Alleghenies to the.
Rockies; most of them being situat-
ed on the great river which flows by
your doors or upon some of its num-
erons navigable tributaries. New
mineral fields are discovered every
year, and the constantly increasing
use of all the devices of intensive cul-
tivation steadily adds to the produc-
| tive power of the farms. Above all,
the average man is honest. intelli-
gent, self-reliant and orderly, and
therefore good citizen; and farmer
! and e-earnera1ike- the last an
alysis the two most important MEN
in the community enjoy a standard
of living, and have developed a stand
ard of self-respecting, self-reliant
manhood, which are of good augury
for the future of the entire republic.
No man can forsee the limit of the
possibilities of development in the
Mississippi valley.
Such being the case, and this val
ley being literally the heart of the
United States, all that concerns its
welfare must concern likewise the
whole country. Therefore, the Mis-
sissippi river and it's tributaries
ought by all means to be utilized
to their utmost possibility. Facili-
ties of cheap transportation is an es-
sential in our modern civilization,
and we cannot afford any longer to
neglect the great highways which ma
ture has provided for us. These nat
ural highways, the waterways, can
never be monopolized by any corpor-
alton. They belong to all the peo-
pie, and it is in the power of no one
to take them away. Wherever a nav
igable river runs beside railroads the
problem of regulating the rates on
the railroads becomes for easier, be-
cause river regulation is rate regu-
lation. When the. water rate sinks,
| the land rate cannot be kept at an
excessive height. Therefore it is of
national Importance to develop these
| streams as highways to the fullest
| extent which is genuinely profitable.
Year by year transportation prob
Hens become more acute, and the
time has come when the rivers real
lily fit to serve are arteries of trade
should be provided with channels
deep enough and wide enough to
make the investment of the neces-
sary money profitable to the public.
The national government should un-
| dertake this work. Where the i'm
mediately abutting land is markedly
benefited and this benefit can be
definitely localized, trust that there
Twill be careful investigation to see
whether some way can be devised by
which the immediate beneficiaries
may pay a portion of the expense
as is now the custom as regards GER
1 tain classes OF improvements In our
municipalities; and measures should
be taken to secure from the locali-
ties specially benefited proper terrnin-
al facilities.
Irrigation
| While thus the Improvement of In
land navigation Is d vital problem,
there are other questions OF no less
consequence connected with eur wat
arways. One Of these relates to the
purity Of waters used for the supply
OF towns and cities. to the praven-
tion Of pollution by manufacturing