Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-02-14
Who produces more than he consumes

ready, eager market for his surplus,
/ whether it be of labor or of commod-
ity or production. But to keep the
American market the best market in
the world, we have got to do some.
thing else besides building tariff
4 best market in the world because it
is made up Of the best people in the
world, people who have higher stan
/ dards of living, whose walks are Gull
tivated to higher plane, and use
more and demand more than any 9th
er people in the world, then we must
provide the facilities or have the ia
4 cilities for the interchange of our
products between communities, states
and between sections of our country.
Now what has been the situation?
4 How long has this great production
that have undertaken to measure to
you extend? Why, it has grown up
like your population in North Dako-
ia in the last two, three or FIVE years,
by leaps nd bounds.
4 We have been increasing our pro-
ductions in this country during the
last ten years at the rate of 1875 per
cent per annum. What have we been
doing in regard to facilities for hand
ling these great productions? Why,
we have increased them during the
whole ten years and aggregate of
only 26 per cent. Those are the fig
ures given us by those who are COM
petent authority, and it. is not dis
| puted in any quarter of the country.
That is the situation today, while
our productions have increased and
promise to increase In the future, and
! the facilities for handling 1t have in
creased only, about fraction of q
fifth as fast as the production has
increased. How are. we going to rem
edy that? want this afternoon, in
the first place, to make this along
the line of the, suggestion of the
mayor Of this city who welcomed this
convention, a broad consideration to
take in this whole great question,
both because it is a question that con-
Germs you and because your hope
locally depends upon this great ma
tion-wide movement for the develop
| ment Of our waterways.
4 Dol dc Mo-
| James ]. Hill told us year ago
that If the railroads were ready to be-
gin the work of supplying the facili-
ties to meet present requirements, if
they had the money in the treasury
it would require ten years to extend
lines and provide terminal facilities
so that the railroads of the country
could meet;present requirements. He
did not figure on meeting future de-
velopments, anticipating conditions.
but to meet present requirements.
Ten years! That it would cost five
billion dollars to do the work, and
few days ago I heard him in an adj
dress, say that his prediction had
held good and that during the last
year the railroads of this country had
put in about a billion dollars in i'm
provements and betterment: and in
doing that had just about been able
to hold their own. That is the situa-
ton and. that is the prospect so far
as railroad development is concerned.
But SO far as the promise of railroad
development is concerned as meeting
the requirements of our case, how
are we going to do it? Why, the
answer made by Mr.. Hill himself is
the obvious answer. We have got
to turn to something else besides the
railroads and there is but one other
thing to do. and that is the develop
ment of our waterways. We had a.
notion two or three years ago that if
we could just regulate railroads, we
could settle this whole question.
Awakening to Appreciation Of Rivers.
! was present in the house the first
session Of the 59th congress and heard
the debates upon the transportation
situation in this country. I heard the
speeches describing the methods Of
settling this great question, and l
heard Just two speeches in that ses-
sion that recommended the develop
ment Of our waterways as the means
OF the solution Of the problem and I
happened to make one of the speech-
es myself.
] President Roosevelt at the Memphis
convention said that railroad build.
ling in this country had taken the
people OF their feet Why, it not on
ny took us of our feet, but it had mt
I'us to bed and asleep. The indiffer-
|ence, the lack OF appreciation OF this
great rivers value two years ago was
SO thick thatfyou could cut it with d
knife We were canvassing this great
question gof the control of railroads
through boards and commissions and