The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-31

BOOSTING THE STATE.
The interest being manifested in
North Dakota Just now in the way Of
publicity Indicates the tendency Of
both the press and the public to give
attention to other things than poll
tics. The great industrial exposition
1t Bismarck was the most ~stupendous
undertaking ever attempted in the
state, and for that matter in any
state. Its good effects will be felt
by the state for the next ten years.
It brought the wonderful Of
the state to the attention Of outside
people who will not be afraid to in
vest their none in our lands.
The Lake region. the Red river
valley and the slope are all engaged
just now in carrying wi special adj
vertising schemes to bring these par
ticular sections of the state to the
notice of the outside world. The or
CARNATIONS behind those publicity an
terprises IRE composed of men of all
political parties. In fact, the poll
tics of a member is eve thought OF.
The only requisite is that he shall be
a booster for his state. The press,
with commendable judgment, has Civ
en- more attention to those publicity
campaigns than 1t has to political
ones. And when the press unites in
a common cause, results must inevi-
tably follow. Politics have their
place in public discussions but to dish
them out morning, noon and night
produced a %nauseating staleness.
An Ohio spellbinder once declared
that in that state the people planted
politics and raised Cain. The time
was when the application could be
made to this state. Not so now. The
development of the state. the prosper
ity Of the people, h increase in farm
land values. the better cultivation OF
the soil, the Introduction Of new crops
and the Investigation Of agricultural
industries now hold first place in the
public mind. Politics con
plished one of these things. Governor
Burke was elected on the belief that
he would better conditions in the
state. He cut the farmers out of the
advantages of their institutes by
which the means of making North
Dakota a better state were presented
to the people. The work of either
the Red river valley boosters, the
Lake region boosters or the slope
boosters is worth more to the state
than all that Governor Burke mas ac-
complished in five years. We need
a governor, but he is not as important
as the prosperity of the people.
The real need of the people in
boosting the state is to get together.
So long as Grand Forks gave more
attention to politics than prosperity,
its streets went unpaved, its lighting
system was inadequate, its civic pride
nil. But when the people got togeth-
or and in a large measu made the
city's prosperity the paramount is
u 1t went forward by leaps and
bounds until now it has the proud dis
tinction of being the most up-to-date
city of its size in the whole country.
1t was unity Of purpose that did it.
There are still politics and politicians,
but they are mere incidentals of the
city's progress. The same reasoning
applies to the state. When the pub
lie talks prosperity instead OF poll
tics; when the press discussed oppor-
tunities instead of office, n when
our watchword becomes progress in
stead Of party, the results will be SO
great as they have been In the city
Of Grand Forks during the last four
years.
We do not mean that politics and
political discussions lave no place in
public life. What we mean is that
they should not usurp the entire pub
lie attention. We believe the people
of North Dakota are intelligent
enough to know what they desire
politically without newspaper discus
sions drawn out over months. which
not only usurp public attention but
develop personal antagonism that in
~terfere with the work of state boost
ing.
The time will come when the price
Of land in this state will b. 800 per
acre. That condition is dependent on
two things-getting the outside peo-
pie to realize the producing power of
the soil. and getting enough people
into the state so hat the available
land area will be smaller. So long
rs there are thousands Of rich farms
without tenant-owners. SO long will
the price be kept down because of
the larger available supply than de-
mand. This supply can only be re-
duced by presenting the merits Of our
opportunities to prospective buyers
elsewhere. That is just what the va
rious boosting organizations are do
ing, and when politics are sidetrack-
ed for such enterprises. success is as