Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-01
farmers Of Ireland. and referred to hin
as q real progressive.
President Taft's Address
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He spoke as follows:

President Taft's Address
He spoke as follows:
In our workaday politics one some
times gets just a little bit tired Of the
use Of the term progressive by gentle
men who make no progres except IL its
ust for platform PURPOSES, and therefore
when you meet q man who has really
made the progress for his people that
we are all seeking, he is entitled to our
sincere tribute Of respect.
There is not anything that the South
ern Commercial o,lgress has done hat
shows the sincerity of its purpose more
than this honor to Sir Horace Plunkctt.
He has been engaged ina country in
which the Accommodations of mistaken leg
isjation had produced sue a condition
that il needed almost the surgeons knife
TO bring about a betterfnent, but the his
tory Of the land legislation Of Ireland Is
one that now, with its successful result,
we ought TO study for the purpose OF
enabling US to see whether We cannot
take something from that experience to
help us on. ..
1t is true they have no constitution
in england or in Ireland hat is written,
and parliament is absolute, and there
were a good many things done with re-
spect to land in Ireland that We could not
do here under our constitution, and that
would not nave been justified, except for
the evils that had grown out Of parlia-
mcntary legislation and Of d misstate-
mentor a misunderstanding certainly
of the necessities Of Ireland.
Achieves Great Success
"Now, Sir Horace Plunkett has work.
ed in that field, and he has made a great
success: and it is certain that the South
ern Commercial congress in looking to
the Improvement Of the south. and the
improvement Of the agricultural methods,
and the Improvement Of those methods
with relation to the Improvement of the
people engaged in agriculture, has done
something that can be Of great assist
ance 10 them. Now | came here to say
that, and that only.
''The subject of credits, and the nee
cssity for improving the method of tn"
securing Of better credit to the farmers,
il one that ! have discussed, taking much
Of it on credit. because ! haven't had the
personal experience that j~ustities me in
speaking with any authority. The results
that we have seen in Germany and in
France and in other countries-doubtIcsS
in lre~Iand-lnakc me think that We would
be without our usual Willingness to adapt
everything good that we see unless we
take up this subject, study it, as you
propose to study it. through your com
mission, n then adapt it through the
states in so far az t. may be adapted TO
our civilization and our people.
Confronted by Necessity r."
we used to think that we could not
learn anything about agriculture from
the other side; that we were SO rich and
that our crops were 50 big that really to
look over to England, where they had to
cultivate down to the last foot, was to
do something that indicated d rctrogres-
sion rather than q progression; but now
we are reaching i point where we can
calculate. that unless we do something
in the way Of improving our methods Of
VIC shall be at a point where
we shah have to import what we eat,
and we shall become dependent on other
countries, rather than to feel the indepen-
dencc which has swelled our heads to q
Doint-sometimes ] think to a point Of
danger. We have a great deal to learn,
doubt not that from such authority
as Sir Horace plunkctt we can learn Il
great deal.
'Thc south has a great deal to learn.
She is learning. She is learning rapidly
IL, 1,nr n SpI,, nyo ,f ,ntfnp fnV q, 1ty,ocui-
fled planting.
There is one thing 1 would like to
add by way of suggestion to your ON
mission, and that is that you study the
qpcstion&-unless you think it is too M
b%itlous--of how they unite wwater trans
portation by canal with other methods
Of transportation 80 that you can make
what seems to be an economical method
Of transporting foodstuffs really 50, so
the use Of your waterways, of which
you have so many in the south, may be
really practicar and not destroyed by,
the exorbitant cost Of %reshipment and Of
the terminals. ] think that might be a
that we could all study to great
purpose, and certainly the farmers. The
farmers of the south are much interested
In solving that question of terminals.
improvements and Economy I,
1T is all right to talk about making
waterways deep, but you have got to
give the business to be transported on
waterway" and you have got to
mako that transportation moro rconom-
icai than By railway. That is the prob