Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-03
SOME "REMINISCENCES

The old Fa.raers' Alliance ws organized a. a bust
ss concern. l:s rpec:a! ao5poze Vac 10 promote CO.
oera.ve buying ard se!I!ng among its members, i,
Mas active In this direction for several years It's various
ranches were Huccesafg! 81 proportion 70 the.. aoo;'ca-
on Of sound business prtnc:plss ~ the bushes. which
ay undertook 20 carr On. Whsrersr there principles
ere no. observed there xaa failure.
In process q: ,!ue the alliance expanded. L, took
more territory and ENLARGED IL program. II became
a, political party. 1t cough, con.ro. Q. sA.. govern
gaents. In some caz.r !. s9ccesdsd. /. elected ieE.sia-
fesres and named governors. national REPRESENTATIVES and
be-. a few eiscsora! yates tF nm l. proposed all sor's
art economic changer @h.ca :s membera believe 70 be
..sforma. Then Il b!en up
to Men have been aa.zed d, ,he growth o. 81. Nom
Alarttsan league. BIZ Me league 81 very far from the
oon..'nnacie Of nnccens ~n.ch the alliance once reached.
tl.nd the alliance was a bona ade peoples organization.
sphich the league is nor. !, ~a. originated by the peo-
c,ie themselves. acting tor and oy ,hsnsslves. voluntarily
yend spontaneously. wheseas ,he league Is the conss.y-
svace Of a single indiT!dH.! "no has operated .unceasing!y
ily means o. %nN-fa.! agcnts.
IL Ons reaaon FL - failure o: the allianc. was tina,
Eca:t.red IL. eff inHsad Of selecting az its OBJ
W.c,ive the one ta.ns waich vat recognized a. being
70 or, vital. and 1oIng that thing thoroughly. 1, took up
NJ score Of ha!f-baked :hsortss, ard achieved nothing.
% How many peoHe remember Farmer" Hines?
r,o,nething Ike twenty-five yearH ago H;ne. started Il
krojcct for a railroad from the Ped river to Duluth.
Farmers we're - eel The night Ut way ct T. Reasonable
rice. and wers 10 DO the grading with their own teanaa.
-!es and bridge timber were TO Dc obtained from the
unber districts through w!l!cn the road waa to pasa
md for the land, material and labor THUS frsnishsd'
.,,ayment ~g 70 be made IN shares Of stock. The road
Was then 10 be bonded for enough TO provide the rails
md rolling stock. Hinea was d. dreamer and an en-
hIsiast. He "aa able 70 communicate much O. his en-
.ausiasrn To others. Grea. interes. was taken in the
3roject. Many miles Of righ, Of way were pledged. and
: good deal If grading IA. contracted for. Lumber in
LLAfsstA "sfe ".'t."s 70 e'-'':!a's- AHE '''he c'Iia h''
4akcep pace with his project. He began TO scatter. Be-
Tore any actual work mad been donc On his main line
aas began to pedd!e out branch lines all over the north
ep4sst. STOCK jobberg go, hold o. him, and the shady
reputation Of some oe these men d"Etroyed confidence.
Vine scheIne te!l through. And Jet a good many men
S.EO were in close touch wit n the pi.f ri convinced
Chen. and remain convinced that had Hineg stuck to his
fbrginal proportion he would have got his road built.
Some years ago an agitation was begun for a ter
.ailnal elevator tn be owned and operated By the state
NJ North Dakota. The idea appealed to a good many
0apners. and sentiment in favor Of 1t vas carefully fos-
Hered and stimulated by all sorts Of nethods. legitimate
tnd flegitirste. Very many people, farmers, an well
Fs those engaged in other lines. believe that ouch an en-
Qerprise would be ursucceasful, and a costly thing for che
State. But sentiment in favor of it has grown. And
there LIS no reagon to doubt That had those in favor OF
Tho project concentrated their effort on that one thing
They could. by this time have accom- pNshed it, and prac-
ideally without opposition. Most Of those who questioned
bthe wisdom Of the enterpEisc would have waived their
aObtections and helped In the experiment in order that
there might be an actual test whose results would be a
1gulde In the future.
RI But az in the case Of the alliance, and in that OF
>!the Hines railroad. there was a scattering Of effort. The
terminal elevator movement was loaded up with pack
ing plants, and -four mills. and what not, and on tor
sof all was piled a scheme to revoIuttonize the very gov
tBchool OF applied Socialism. where the whims and notions
tIof every crack-braned theorist between the two oceans
tc0uld be tried out at the cxpenae of the Taxpayers.
History seems to be repeating itself.