The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-07-10
WHY SHOULDN'T. IT BE1

A visitor to Fargo a week or two ago remarked that
he could not understand why Fargo had not 10000
population, why Grand Forks was not 100000 and cities
like Wahpeton, jamestown, Bismarck, Mandan, Dfckin-
son, Devils Lake, Minot and Williston were yet practi-
cally under the 10000 mark, after an existence, in most
instances, of almost half a century.
It is rather remarkable that North Dakota has de-
veloped no large cities. Some people ascribe the condi-
ton to the fact that this is an agricultural state, and,
by that reason, can not expect to have large cities. Yet.
history does not bear this out. Babylon grew great in
the center of a rich agriculture. We see nothing around
Minneapolis or St. Paul beyond agricultural resources.
Mines have a way of %"pinching out" and forest disap-
pear and ports and harbors are abandoned as the routes
of trade change and the great cities of the past are
ruins today because of it. But so long as agriculture
prevails, so long will there be the resources upon which
great cities remain.
Why should the growth of North Dakota cities be
stunted? Why have we drawn the "runts" of the
flock Because we have not kept our profits and our
resources at home. We have made Minnesota cities
great at the expense of our own. We have let them
grind on our flour and get the profit and credit for it
across the ocean; we have let them kill our sheep and
cattle and ship them back to US for food; we have let
them keep the millions of our bank reserve funds to
use at a low rate of interest to build up themselves; we
have stood under the disadvantage of rascally discrim-
ination in freight rates, made in st. Paul, to make the
Twin Cities favorite ports of entry for our goods; they
have made our cream into butter, our hides into leath-
er, our flax into oil, our potatoes into starch; they have
sold us their sooty black coal because it was cheaper
to haul it west ESQ miles than it was to haul our clean
Ignite east 100 miles; and finally, in the old days (and
they are not over the habit yeti they have dictated to
US our politics and even named our United States Sen
ator, Congressman and state ticket-and we took it and
obeyed.
The farmers are moving away from that condition
first, It would seem more natural if the cities made
the first move, for they have suffered most, being mere
way-stations on the road to the Twin Cities. The farm
ers see that they can get more for their products if
they can both grow and manufacture here. The cities
might see that they too would profit immensely, if they
had the manufacturing end-as they would.
Something has blinded and hoodwinked the cities of
North Dakota. They have been bitter against the
farmer and his program and denounce it as sociahstic.
Socialistic or Motif it gives them the growth, popu-
lation and industries they should have had years ago,
it is what they need.
Is it possible that the Minnesota cities are more wide
awake than our own? Is it possible that Minnesota
cities see a chance of losing a large amount of business
which will go to North Dakota cities, If the farmers
program is effective? They act that way. They have
raised slush funds and spent limitless money to hold
the business" Our cities are still under the spell OF
the old-time politician who, having his base of supply
in Minnesota, hypnotizes the city dweller into the belief
that the ruin of the state is at hand if we try to do
for ourselves"
Why shouldn't our cities be more populous and pros
porous? They have suffered just as much at the hands
of Big Buiness as have the farmer. If they will step
into line with the farmer and strive with him to keep
trade at home, we will have an era of progress and Of
prosperity such as we have not yet even dreamed OF.
There is no class legislation in the farmer-made laws.
All classes will benefit, and if all classes work hand
in hand, the benefit will be more widespread and mutual.