Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-01-06
nltsf' !Mulphy's Plan for List.
llg Farms Ind0rsed by
Hearers
lelI Estate nep. Get Behind
neve TO Increase
Pep0laiI0n
ss ----.. ---.-- -:
Actual Farmers Wanted 10
Make State Rank in
Stock Raising
Speakers Discuss Schemes
TO Attract Actual
Bomesteaders

An enthusiastic meeting was held
at the Commercial club last evening,
attended by fully one hundred of the
business men o: %he city.
J. s. Murphy, immigration agent for
the 500 road ana John G. Bates, as.
sistant immigration agent, were the
speakers Of the evening. That every
one present was interested in the
message these gentlemen had to give
them was shown by the fact that not
a man left the hall during the meet.
ing and afterwards groups were in
the rooms for an hour discussing the
business of the evening.
Mr.. Bates made the first talk and
dilatedr on, the splendid climate, soil,
coal deposits and transportation facili.
tiles sf.ssthe q lissoafia a@slope country,
which we're especially good in Bur
leigh county. But with all these ad-
vantages he deplored the fact that
all over the state, including this part
of it, people were going out. How.
ever, he called attention to the fact
that this was the case with all com
paratively new countries. The gov
errment had been 80 liberal with its
raw lands that when man settled
on a quarter section as ahomestead the
government asked no questions as to
his ability as farmer.
As q: result the homesteads were
taken up by doctors lawyers, clerks
and others who had no knowledge of
farming, with an occasional good far
mer. Those who were not farmers
gave up the land when they had prov
en- up. AS the state had been so lit
tie advertised there have not been the
sdttlers coming that should. Real
estate men have brought in some and
others have come of their own voli-
ton, but not in the number that
should. ..
The 500 road has been investigat-
ing conditions and have decided to
advertise the country tributary to its
lines more thoroughly than has ever
been done before. The road has many
eastern agents who will be set to
work to bring in settlers. The road
Is having listed with it all the vacant
and unimproved land it can, get and
will pay these agents a flat commits
sion Of $1.00 per acre. The road does
not intend going into the real estate
business nor does it want to eliminate
the real estate agent. It wants to
work hand in hand with the local real
estate dealers and believes that if it
car get people, started to North Da-
kota and can get inquiries coming in
regarding our land, ihss the local
agents will again come in their own.
Major Murphy was introduced and
stated that twenty-five years ago he
first came to Bismarck and had lived
in the western part of the state ever
since. He spoke of Bismarck's beau
tiful physical location and prophecied
that it would before long be the pref
tiest city between the Twin Cities and
the Rocky Mountains. Also, that it's
geographical location was superb and
had the makings of gerat city as
we'll as of beautiful city.
He also called attention to the fact
that Burleigh county was raising more
corn than any county on the Missouri
slope and predicted tina. If our farm
ora w! Id raise still more corn ana
stock and plow deep, we would, with
our splendid soil, climatic conditions,
transportation facilities and other ad.
vantages have ore Of the fines: agri
cultural communities in the country
He said this should not he advc1t:s.
ed as a small grain country but should
rather be- advertised as q corn and
stock country; that stock could be
raised here to better advantage than
in any other section.
He also stated that the 500 road
was not going into the real estate
business, that it only wanted to get
things started. He called attention to
the fact that when the 500 road ac-
quired the Wisconsin Central few
years ago they found hundreds of
thousands of acres of unpeopled cut
over lands along that road;. that they
had organized a bureau to sell these
lands to settlers and that within the
Continued on page seven.)