The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-03-02
The River Press.
Published eUery Wednesday Morning
by the River Press Publish
ing Company.
A TIMELY WARMING.

A TIMELY WARNJNG.
The rush of landseekers to Montana
may not prove Of advantage to the
state unless their snticipations are
realized. In timely comment upon this
feature of the situation, the Butte In
ter Mountain says:
There is food for reflection in the
warning expressed by q railroad man
who says that many homeseekers are
being located on lands in this state
under conditions that spell distress
and ruin. More than a year ago the
then state commissioners of agricul-
ture, labor and industry pronounced
the same warning in this newspaper
and later the director of the govern
ment experiment station at Bozeman,
who should be particularly qualified
to give an opininn, said much the
same thing. These two officials agreed
that the greatest need of the state was
not more settlers in the sense that every
section of semi arid land should be
taken up, but better instruction for
those already located so that they
make q success of their enter.
prises. 1t was urged that the condi.
tions upon which the success of dry.
farming depends are peculiar and that
without knowledge OF those conditions
the ordinary settler would fail. Such
failures, it was commended, would do
infinite harm to the state and eventu-
ally retard the development to which
we have q right to look forward.
Under favorable conditions, the dry
land farmer will make q success of his
work. But without doubt many per-
sons are being induced to take up dry
lands In this state who are without
sufficient knowledge of conditions and
who lack the necessary capital to in
sure the ful6llment of their plans.
These men and their families have
much suffering before them; perhaps
they will be forced to admit failure in
end and give way to others better
equipped who will succeed where they
failed. This was the experience of
North Dakota and it has heen the ex.
perience of every other ''dry" coun-
try at the beginning of settlement. If
we could profit by the experience of
other states, We would not attempt to
hasten the development OF Montana in
this way.
The hunger for land is spreading
all over the country, yet it obviously
is impractical for all ~impecunious city
dwellers who feel the pinch Of high
prices Of food products to attempt to
farm. Men of skilled trades and those
who are employed in the conduct oil
business Enterprises ought to continue
in their present employment unless
properly equipped by training and
capital to take to the farms. To grow
things on a commercial scale. to be q
producer of food products, is a laud a.
BILE ambition and one that should be
encouraged but no one can make a
snccess of such ventures without some
training and capital. With the latter,
a mar can secure his training in vari-
Gus ways and success will come to
him in the end, but without means,
the settler faces ruin with his first
crop failure. Those Of the latter class
should not be led to barren tracts with
the assurance that all he has to do IL
to plant his grain to insure a bounti
full harvest. Too many locators ir
this state. lmpelled by the golden re
ward that follows effort, are misrep
%resenting conditions or allowing theil
clients to deceive themselves as to tn
chances of ultimate access.
AT the same time, the cry Of "bacl
to the land" ia not without it's potenc.
and the demand for more farmers ant
better farmers is the sure and onl,
permanent solution ofthe troubles tina
come of under. production. Montan;
is indeed the land of opportunity TO
real farmers with sufficient energy an
capital to develop the waiting land
For such the rewards are sure an
immense. and the field as wide as it /
inviting.