The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-05-26
THE VIEWS OF A MAN.

try has not been sudden in arriving
at this conclusion II has been ap-
parent for some years that the chair.
man OF the board of directors Of
the Great Northern railway possess
ed a large amount Of gray matter
within the space OF his yoluminous
head Had this not been so. the |
Great Northern could not have push |
"a into a wilderness Of Wild prairie /
and drawn therefrom maintenance |
and prcdt. Jim Hll had foresight |
which is one OF the attributes OF
greatness He foresaw farms where
prairie grass abounded. Farms
meant crops. and crops, when trans
lated. meant tonnage. Tonnage was
but another name for railway profits.
So. when Jim Hill drew upon the
treasury Of the Great Northern for
funds with which to purchase register.
ed breeding swine and cattle and
distributed them free among the farm.
ers along the line. he was laying the
foundation for livestock tonnage to
seek a market over the road he con.
trolled.
For years the Great Northern has
furnished the best material for rail.
way management to be found any.
where In the United States, and this
was due TO the system set in motion
and pushed to completion by Jim
Hill The Northern Pacific and Bur.
lington merger was a child OF the
| brain OF Jim Hill, and the fact that
/ its workings were outside the pale
of the law in no way detracts from
the greatness of the man. The
scheme was vast in itself
James J. Hill delivered an address
before the conference Of governors
and the president of the United
States at Washington last week The
substance thereof shows the grasp
Of the mind of the man upon the
resources Of the country and the
views he holds regarding the solu-
ton of the problems growing there.
from.
According TO the Hill view there are
but four sources from which the
denizens Of the earth can draw sup.
plies for substance and wealth-the
sea, the mine the forest and the soil.
When these are exhausted man must
cease to exist Hence the conser
walton Of the treasures of the sea and
earth must be regarded as of chiefest
importance. Hitherto, in all parts
; of the world no less than in Ameri.
ca, the chief concern Of mankind ap.
pears to have been how best to waste
} these resources, until the world Is
confronted with the near approach
, of the time Of exhaustion, when the
race must perish from lack OF Sis.
tenance. The sea can furnish but
about per cent of the food supply
The rate of population has reached
and passed the available acreage un.
der present conditions OF production.
, The supply OF timber is becoming
so exhausted that in less than fifty
years, without reforestization there
will be none obtainable for merchan
table purposes. by the end of the
century the coal deposits of this couu
try will have become exhausted al
the present rate Of depletion, and the
same is true of the supply of iron
ore.
. Wherefore, confronted with these
4 conditions it is incumbent upon the
! people of this country according Ia
. the conclusion arrived at by Mr.. Hill
r 10 revive the spirit Of the days that
carried US through civil conflict, the
r spirit in which all our enduring WORK
has been wrought, so that new
= meaning shall be given to our future
2 new shape be given to the fortune,
of this country and enlargement be
, given to the borders of hope for al
, mankind.-Record