The Dickinson press., 1915-10-09

els himself, living just inside n Az
mile railroad land grant limit, in a
sod hut with his stock in one end of
the same hut, knows from actual ex-
perience whereof he speaks; and if
the gentleman from Dickinson will
take a day or two off, I will furnish
free of charge and pay all expense
with some more 70 cent wheat and
| show him dozens of his so-called sod
huts still inhabited by some of the
most enterprising, Industrious, re-
| spectacle citizens this or any other
country ever saw or could be most
proud of. And now why are we liv-
ing there? Not because we enjoy it.
Simply because we cannot afford any
thing better. The writer hauled cot
tonwood logs % miles to build a
granary and hired money at 10 per
cent on his 1912 crop and held it until
in January of the present year before
he could sell it at a small profit.
Others less fortunate had to take the
losses to settle their accounts and
got setbacks that will require several
years to recover.
You boast of your city, well enough
you should. But who built it? Show
me the business man in Dickinson to-
day that came there with real money
and I will show you ten that came
there with the same dope us farmers
did-hog determination and grit to
win with the squealing end Of the hog
on the Dickinson end. We have no
more ill feeling against Dickinson
than any other town along the whole
N. P. system. You took all you could
get and took it as long as it was in
sight, now don't get sore because we
filled your banks, built your brick
blocks, helped you on the great white
way and now because it's inconveni-
ent to come your way and we are try
ing to help ourselves to better con-
ditions, don't butt in. We paved you
a profit ranging from 20 to 40 per
cent in cash for everything we
bought and when we didn't have TIE
cash we payed 10 and II per cent in
terest on. top Of that and if you
doubt my word about these profits
and really want to know the items, I
will gladly give them to you. Re-
member Dickinson is an old town but
really it has only been built in the
past Is years since the eastern farm
er came. Think this over Mr.. Secre-
tary, and ask your neighbors, if you do
not know, what you really did to bet
ter our condition. When we brought
our grain you said so much and no
more and when we bought, it was so
much and no less. You figured the
cost of your goods, overhead expense,
shrinkage and profit, liberal to ex-
IRENE, but when we came with u
farm produce, it's just so much re-
gardless of cost Of production. But
bear this in mind, the farmer will
some day come into his own. He
has gone into this fight to win. The
great grain and farm produce mo-
%nopolies have forced him to it. There
are many things I nigh say to re-
pudiate Mr.. Secretary's article, but
what's the use, no farmer but knows
it's a%bsurdity.
And just a word in regard to Col.
Foley's "sound, reasoning article" AS
to his suggestion about starting at
thetbottom Of the ladder that is just
where we farmers have been camp
ing for the last so years, going up
rung by rung; and, if the fellow on
top, the grain trust, meat trust, har-
vester trust, had not knocked out
the rungs between US, we would have
been up there before this. But we
are putting them in n by n and
it won't be many years before we
will push them off over the top rung.
Perhaps Col. Foley belongs to the
top ladder class. If he does, l fear
for his position. Of course our farm
ers that came. here Is to 20 years ago
are better off than when they came.
At that time if you wanted an adj
ditional 100 acres or half a section
and YOU showed a desire to make
good, you could buy it for SIPS to
49, so Der acre on easy terms at that,
and the advance in land values alone
is about the extent of the farmers
increased resource. Did Col. Foley
ask his Austrian friend who told him
he was still a poor man and had to
work hard whether his GAO acres were
| clear Of incumbrance? Many a farm
err owns that amount in this western
country, but the other fellow on the
ton Of the. ladder collects the profits
from his labor in interest. You quote
observations since 1878 west of the
river. I could write a whole history
or the hardshibs of the early settle
ment Of this country and then tell
onlv half Of It on just how much such
fellows as Col. Foley did for the bet
torment. Of the farmers conditions I'M
less he is a heap different DISPOSE
toned chap than the average old
timer have had the pleasure Of
meeting. They claimed everything
as far as the naked eye could see and
made the progress of the farmers
route as near impossible as possible.
It Isl not so many years ago, but what
every Dunn county settler can re.
member when three coW-punching,
rancher county commissioners threw
a farmers petition with 500 names on
If. nraying for a voice in the. admin