The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-01-18
ADVOCATES PLANTS LOCATED
ON THE MISSOURI RIVER
Points on Muddy Logical for State
Elevators and Many Other
Plants

Bismarck, N. d., Dec. IL ne Pio-
posed terminal elevator and the state,
owned packing plant should be located
on the Missouri river, at the Bismarck
and Mandan side, respectively, in the
opinion Of John Bloodgood OF New
Salem, who says:
"The terminal elevator recently died.
icated by the Society of Equity will
be great help to the city OF St. Paul
and state of Minnesota. But it is not
fair for North Dakota producers to
20 in with the money they make from
North Dakota farms and build up st.
Paul and Minnesota. Rather, they
should build up North Dakota and our
own cities. 30
81 have lived in Morton county 80
years. l am GO years old and l am
not looking for anything for myself.
But for the good of the state OF which
I think so much, I ask, why not build
terminal elevators and state packing
plants here in our own state? Surely
no state has a better right to such
plants. This state has everything
within her own boundaries to justify
the building of such enterprises. And
a start should be made this winter.
Question of Site
can important question is that OF a
proper site. I will suggest as the log
ical location for state terminal ele-
vator the Missouri river landing on the
Bismarck side, and for state packing
plant the Missouri river landing on
the Mandan side. First, because these
locations are nearly in the center of
the state; second, because the selec-
ton of the sites named would place
these important enterprises upon one
of the greatest rivers in the world, a
stream which soon must become one of
the northwest's greatest arteries of
commerce. This will mean an oppor-
tunity for the producers of all the
northwest to ship their grain, live
stock, dressed meats, every product of
the farm, from Mandan and Bismarck
by an all-water route to Europe, via
New Orleans, with but one transfer.
Think of this saving in transporta-
ton and Of all the middlemen's profits
which would be eliminated And then
consider the hundreds of cities this
route would bring us as market for
our produce. North Dakota railroads
would be compelled to meet river COM
petition if the plants were located
here, and we could do away with our
railroad commissioners the river
would be the best regulator of rates.
River Route Feasible
"Friends Of the railroads will tell
you that the river route will never
work; that river transportation has
been going backward for the last 50
years, and this is all true. But they
may not tell you the real cause, which
is that the legislatures Of every state
in the Union except New York have
assisted the railroads in killing the
canals and river transportation. But
now the order of things has changed
and people are coming once more into
their own.
eff our government in the last sc
years had stood by it's rivers and built
canals in stead Of spending millions
in fighting the railroads and pleasing
political pork seekers by dumping mil
lions into worthless creeks, we would
not be in position where transporta.
ton tariffs would adjust themselves
without any tinkering upon the part Of
the interstate commerce commission
or local boards. And / trust that al
a means Of advancing the development
Of our great river and Of furtherine
the progress Of the entire state, oul
new administration will work for en-
terprises within the state Of Nortl
Dakota to the complete exclusion o.
ANYTHING outside the state"