The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-06
North Dakota Political Gossip

Bismarck Tribune: There was some
reference in the, Associated Press dis
patches few days ago to the maid
en- speech" of Senator Purcell of NORTH
Dakota, the second of the pass
around" democratic senators from
North Dakota. The speech was on the
subject of the administration railroad
bill, but it gradually drifted around t.
the tariff, and in the discussion of that
subject DOC" brought some remark
able arguments to bear on the senate
One of the statements made by SEN
ator Purcell was that prior TO 1907 the
farmers of North Dakota made little
if any money above their living. That
wasn't very good immigration argu-
ment for North Dakota, but it appears
in The Congressional Record of Mon
day, April 25, on page 1914. We have
been claiming out this way with what
we thought was a good deal of truth
that North Dakota has offered excep-
tional opportunities for intending set
tiers. But Senator Purcell declares
that prior to 1907 we have been just
scratching along and keeping soul and
body together.
This argument regarding the hard
lot of the farmer was made, of course,
to show that the tariff nd the trusts
had combined to make the farmer poor.
1t was a typical democratic argument.
But how does it bear analysis? In
Vol. III of the public documents of
North Dakota, for the years 1905-6, in
the report of the commissioner Of ag-
rio lob an Eel
ing opening paragraph:
1.-THE prosperity of the farmer of
North Dakota is a source of general
rejoicing to every person who is in
trested in the future welfare of this
great commonwealth. Upon his sue
cess mainly depends the wealth and
development of this state. 1t is, there
fore, extremely gratifying to present
for your consideration evidences of
the substantial growth and unprece-
dented success which have attended
the eultivators of the soil, the stock
men and those engaged in industrial
pursuits"
This statement from an official re-
port filed by an officer of the state
does not seem to bear out the state
AAAGhL Va 5CAAc1NOA AA SEAA cAS W NLS
beridden condition of the
farmers in this state prior to 1907.
But let US go further into the report
of the commissioner of agriculture,
and we find this second paragraph:
"The accompanying report embraces
a period of four years 1892 to 19o5),
which have been marked by unsur-
passed financial profits and abundant
harvests for those who have used the
soil for cuItivatins or grazing pur-
poses. Production during that four
years has been unequaled by any pre-
vious four years since North Dakota
entered statehood, the coming of set
tiers, the introduction of new and i'm
proved methods of cultivation, as we'll
as the raising of different kinds of
grains, have conduced to making
farming not only profitable, but the
basis of wealth in this state"
Now according to the report of the
of agriculture and labor,
all this happened for five years prior
to the first year that Purcell says the
farmers in North Dakota made any
And the evidence would
Seem to be in favor of the accuracy
Of the report of the commissioner, for
the wonderful growth and develop
ment of North Dakota-beginning at
the end of the democratic panic and
hard times Of the nineties--is abund-
ant proof that the farmers of North
Dakota did make some money, and
ay the foundation for the remarkable
growth of the state in the decade from
1900 to 1910.
So this statement of Senator Pur-
eell would seem to ID highly exagger-
ated, to put the case mildly But let
us go on into the speech. Let us quote
from a colIoquy between Senator Pur-
cell and Senator Hepburn, that was an
incident of the maiden speech"
Mr.. Hepburn: Did understand the
senator correctly to say that notwith
standing this the farmers of his state
Ire prosperous at this timer
Mr.. Purcell: No. sir; said that our
people made no money prior to 1907.
Mr. Hepburn: Are they making
money now?
Mr.. Purcell: I win say to the sena-
tor that in 1904 we had no crop at all
n our country.
Mr.. Hepburn: How is 1t this year
Are the farmers prosperous?
Mr.. Purcell: Last year, am free
to say, the farmers made some money.
Mr.. Hepburn: How Is 1t this year?
Mr.. Purcell: AS to this year, OF
course, we are just sowing the crop
now.
Mr., Hepburn Is there any condi-
lion OF hard times or depression III
North Dakota at present among the
farmers?