The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-03-19

IL VIII open the gates OF opportunity
to thousands for a life of usefulness
and happiness"
Archbishop Ireland, who was presid-
ing officer of the first session, closed
an interesting address as follows:
Il need not enter into details as to
what we may and should do to further
the interests of agriculture in Mime
sofa. This will be amply done by the
speakers chosen to address the con.
gress, all of them men of thought and
vast cXperience-eXperts each one in
the subject matter of his discourse. Il
draw the mercst outlines.
minnesota should be widely adver-
tlsed both in America and in Europe.
Much in this direction is being done by
the state board of immigration; more
vet may be done if sufficient means to
do it We're within reach. Our next leg
islature should be generous to the
board of immigration. Now is the pro-
pitious moment. AS never before the
stood at home and abroad AS never
before there is a rush to the land. All
that is needed to turn the current to
Minnesota is to make known far and
wide the advantages it offers to the
home seeker. With an area of 1000
square miles we have scarcely today q
population of 100000. We should
quickly, at least double this figure. An
Immense acreage of our arabic lands is
yet untouched by pillow and harrow.
We are sure that none whom we bring
hither will be disappointed or will fail
in their venture. 1t is our shame that
every year tens of thousands pass
through our gateways bound for other
regions, less likely to satisfy them, SIM
ply because we allow them to be ignor-
ant Of conditions in our own state. We
count too much on the attractiveness of
Minnesota. This Is the mistake. The
fairest must be known that 1t be sought
out. Make Minnesota known far and
wide and soon there will be few I'M
titled fields within it's borders.
"And by all means let us give the
farmers. and teach them to give to
themselves good roads, allowing them
easy communication with one another
and easy access to market towns; and
let us increase for them as far as pos
sible those market towns and put them
in speedy relations with larger GEN.
tiers Of commerce by multiplying tho
railroads, whether these be run by
steam or electricity The sociabilty,
of which I have been speaking as 60
necessary to farm life and the con-
venence in buying and selling without
which farming is labor in the desert,
depend so much upon good roads. that
those become prime question with all
who busy themselves in the interests
of agriculture. The newness of the
country is one explanation of the miser-
able roadways; the lack of enterprise
in the farmers themselves is the other
But whatever the explanation, the fact
is that our country roads are miserably
constructed and miserably maintained.
I speak from experience; often I must
travel over country roads, and such
they are that only the sternest sense of
duty induces me ever to make use of
them. Thus surely must be result of
the congress-the fastening of good
roads throughout the length and
breadth of Minnesota. And then let
us do our best to encourage the con-
struction, more and more, of railroads.
steam or electric. Already we have
numerous lines of railroads; we should
have more, and I believe we would soon
have more were our farmers to relent
q little in their fights with railroad
companies. The farmer must have rail-
roads-else their lands are titled to no
purpose. But l am not sure that this
declaration of mine is one to be popu-
lar-it looks somewhat to me from the
hurry each year Of our legislators, par
ticularly those from country districts,
to enact into laws proposals to investi-
gate railroad corporations, to restrict
them in their operations, as if our
farmers We're bent on eliminating rail-
roads from the state, rather than en-
larging their number. For the sake of
our farming interests we might with
profit, 1 believe, relent in our war on
railroads. An important feature in tho
deliberations of the congress will be the
due conservation of our forests, our
natural waterpower. We should waste
nothing of the bounties of the state;
nor in our haste for immediate profit
forget it's future destinies and those of
the populations who in coming years
will take our places in upbuilding Min
| nesota. No man lives for himself
alone, no generation of men lives for