The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-04

thirty years. we nave mad our ups
anu downs the same as has every
state, but the bad years of North
Dakota have been no worse than the
bad years of the states of Illinois,
Indiana or Ohio were when they saw
their worst years. People adapt
themselves to the conditions they find
themselves in. They grow wiser as
they grow older. The things that did
real ruin in the first years of the
states growth, the knowledge Of them
is beneficial in its ultimate outcome.
There is one thing that believe
it would be wise to mention here,
particularly to real estate men and
it applies to every citizen. Mixing
up as I am with gentlemen who come
from all parts of the state, l find,
particularly when it comes to the dis
tribution of representation. You find
Il lot of those that initiate against
the good of the state and that is
shameful. l travel a good deal and
l often am on the train and l notice
many land agents, new settlers and
those coming here to look for work
and | have sat and listened as We
went across the southern part of Cass
county where the land is as good as
God ever made, although during the
last few years. conditions have been
bad, and these gentlemen with no
thought but to make sale have call
ed attention to the defects of that
country and have told no end of mis-
cradle stories of what miserable
country it was; and then we have
ridden across the southwestern part
of the state. where you find fields of
the finest building sand in the world
and they say: Now YOU are in Gods
country" Why l can remember
when We thought in our country that
there wasn't anything west of Wheat
land. We used to believe that when
man started out with team west
that he would never come back. And
not many ever did come back and you
out in the western portion ought to
feel that you have been especially
favored.
Don't believe that the Red River
valley is going to be depopulatei.
That is where the greatest land val
ues will be, there is the densest pop
ulation and it will be there as long
as the sun shines and the state of
North Dakota will be the strongest
and the biggest star in the diadem
hundred years from now. And it
will be because the land is most ia
vored and it is land that will make
returns.
You can take it under conditions
that have existed during the last three
years and l will admit that it is a
| good deal of a chore to farm, but
that is something to be remedied and
you will find when you go into the
cost that it can be done for from
$3.50 to $3.50 per acre. This will take
the land and l speak of the lowest
| portions, and make it as good as any
land in any country; and l want to
say to you this: you can talk about
its disadvantages, but the things that
enter into the building up of coun-
try. the first thing is soil and the
best defect it can have is to be too
wet. Men can remedy that. 1t is
only small chore. It only takes
little thinking and you in the west
ern part Of the state when talking
OF the valley, don't say we are going
to be depopulated.
There is no part of North Dakota
that can't be made and won't be a
country of homes. l don't want to
take any more of your time. 1 sim
ply want to say in closing that you
be a little more moderate on that
proposition. Don't advertise any part
Of the country bad. Write equally
we'll about all of it. There should not
be any bad in North Dakota. You
don't make the good look any better
by telling something worse than it is.
You real estate men, you are mission
aries and missionary has to be a
peculiar class of fellow and l admit
that is the kind of fellows We are
You have kind of work to do that
makes you one of the great factors
and really the most important factor
In building up the state. North Da-
kota cannot come into the full meas
ure of what it should be without
population, and the more people
North Dakota has, the better will be
her condition. I don't care where
you go, no matter how populous a
state, it has too few people and what
ever you do tell everybody wherever
you go that there is nothing that is
bad in North Dakota. Everything
here is good, and you will run very
few chances, particularly out of the
state, because 1 never have seen,
never have noticed such a unanimity
in opinion as there is about a North
Dakotan when he gets out Of the
state. They are absolutely the best
liars about their state of any lot of
people l have ever seen. And North
Dakota will never get a bad reputa-
ton from the tales that are told of
1t by the people who live here.
thank you.
The Oldest Wheelnan Found,
An item has been going about the